‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century

Download or read book ‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century written by Aled Thomas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-06-13 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining contemporary understandings of the term 'cult', this book brings together scholars from multiple disciplines, including sociology, anthropology and religious studies. Focusing on how 'cult rhetoric' affects our perceptions of new religious movements, the contributors explore how these minority groups have developed and deconstruct the language we use to describe them. Ranging from the 'Cult of Trump' and 'Cult of COVID', to the campaigns of mass media, this book recognises that contemporary 'cult rhetoric' has become hybridised and suggests a more nuanced study of contemporary religion. Topics include online religions, political 'cults', 'apostate' testimony and the current 'othered' position of the study of minority religions.