It's not a cult, right?
September 14, 2006 4:24 AM Subscribe
Have you ever heard of a religious group called "The Light"?
One of my friends told me recently that she is a member of this group, which she says is a sort of combination of most major religions. It all sounds pretty normal and above-board, but I want to know more.
I don't want to offend my friend by asking anything that might come off as negative, so here I am. I've never heard of these guys, and I'm a teensy bit concerned.
My google-fu fails me, and there is no Wikipedia entry for this organization. Any info?
One of my friends told me recently that she is a member of this group, which she says is a sort of combination of most major religions. It all sounds pretty normal and above-board, but I want to know more.
I don't want to offend my friend by asking anything that might come off as negative, so here I am. I've never heard of these guys, and I'm a teensy bit concerned.
My google-fu fails me, and there is no Wikipedia entry for this organization. Any info?
This is obviously going to be almost impossible to search due to the abundance of light-based metaphors across different religions. However, from the description I think it is highly likely that this group is part of the Bahá'í Faith. I guess you could ask her if it is without causing offense.
posted by teleskiving at 6:01 AM on September 14, 2006
posted by teleskiving at 6:01 AM on September 14, 2006
Oh, not The Light!
I get some e-mails about covering this group occasionally on my show. I am pretty open-minded, and I don't think that they can be called a cult. As for the Bahá'í connection, I have interviewed a member of their American federation and I can honestly say that I have brought up this group and they claim no connection. Saying that however, there are many groups that use the ethics of this wonderful Iranian religion, which like its compatriot Zoroastrianism, is persecuted simply for their beliefs in a god other than Allah.
posted by parmanparman at 7:26 AM on September 14, 2006
I get some e-mails about covering this group occasionally on my show. I am pretty open-minded, and I don't think that they can be called a cult. As for the Bahá'í connection, I have interviewed a member of their American federation and I can honestly say that I have brought up this group and they claim no connection. Saying that however, there are many groups that use the ethics of this wonderful Iranian religion, which like its compatriot Zoroastrianism, is persecuted simply for their beliefs in a god other than Allah.
posted by parmanparman at 7:26 AM on September 14, 2006
Cults are as cults do. In other words: forget about the beliefs, because one man's wacky nonsense is another man's gospel. Be on the lookout for radical changes in behavior, especially efforts to isolate your friend from her non-"Light" friends and family, or to demand financial contributions (or work in lieu of contributions) in excess of a reasonable amount. Also be on the lookout for excesively secretive, messianic, or apocalyptic rhetoric, although none of those is a sure-fire indicator.
posted by MattD at 8:41 AM on September 14, 2006 [2 favorites]
posted by MattD at 8:41 AM on September 14, 2006 [2 favorites]
I agree with MattD, appearances can be deceiving, and if there is a change in outgoing behavior, then certainly do investigate. But many spiritual orgs celebrate an amalgamation of faith, and there is nothing seemingly suspect about that. I would definitely say that secretive beliefs, or the fact that money or gifts above the tithe-level are involved in their teachings, are a sure indicator of cult-like behavior.
Something to remember is that you should not try to push them out of the group, because that may strengthen their resolve to stay part of it. I would suggest gentle enquiry, perhaps volunteering two friends (a group is always preferable) to go to one of their meetings. Get some literature and, if you can, put it on Wikipedia.
posted by parmanparman at 9:34 AM on September 14, 2006
Something to remember is that you should not try to push them out of the group, because that may strengthen their resolve to stay part of it. I would suggest gentle enquiry, perhaps volunteering two friends (a group is always preferable) to go to one of their meetings. Get some literature and, if you can, put it on Wikipedia.
posted by parmanparman at 9:34 AM on September 14, 2006
It may have something to do with this inter-religious group.
posted by parmanparman at 9:41 AM on September 14, 2006
posted by parmanparman at 9:41 AM on September 14, 2006
Perhaps she is a follower of Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God. I had an "Eck" roommate, and for what it's worth, there was nothing cultish about her.
There is likely no connection between The Light and the Bahá'í Faith, though there may be some similarities in beliefs. Bahá'í splinter groups are extremely rare (making up less than 1% of followers) and tend to centre around issues of leadership or guardianship of the Faith. Certainly no mainstream Bahá'í would identify themselves as a follower of "The Light" and most sectarian Bahá'ís would likely identify themselves as "Bahá'í" as well.
And though it's a bit of a derail, I just wanted to address parmanparman's statement that the Bahai's are "persecuted simply for their beliefs in a god other than Allah." While this certainly contributes to the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, it is the Baha'i's belief in gender equality, the importance of educating women, the balance between science and religion, the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth, independent investigation of the truth, and the unity of religions which really gets them in trouble.
Anyway, former Bahá'i here who figured she could address the speculation of a link between the two religions. And I agree with teleskiving who said you could ask your friend about the religion without causing offense -- if she's mentioned it to you, chances are she'd like to tell you more about it. So ask, it probably won't hurt and it may set your mind at ease.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 1:23 PM on September 14, 2006
There is likely no connection between The Light and the Bahá'í Faith, though there may be some similarities in beliefs. Bahá'í splinter groups are extremely rare (making up less than 1% of followers) and tend to centre around issues of leadership or guardianship of the Faith. Certainly no mainstream Bahá'í would identify themselves as a follower of "The Light" and most sectarian Bahá'ís would likely identify themselves as "Bahá'í" as well.
And though it's a bit of a derail, I just wanted to address parmanparman's statement that the Bahai's are "persecuted simply for their beliefs in a god other than Allah." While this certainly contributes to the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, it is the Baha'i's belief in gender equality, the importance of educating women, the balance between science and religion, the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth, independent investigation of the truth, and the unity of religions which really gets them in trouble.
Anyway, former Bahá'i here who figured she could address the speculation of a link between the two religions. And I agree with teleskiving who said you could ask your friend about the religion without causing offense -- if she's mentioned it to you, chances are she'd like to tell you more about it. So ask, it probably won't hurt and it may set your mind at ease.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 1:23 PM on September 14, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
You may want to post on the Rick Ross message board and see what you can find out there. I hope that you find out that it's not anything dangerous!
posted by jdl at 5:25 AM on September 14, 2006