History and Ancient Cults
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      The history of cults isn't widely known.  Most cults remained very secretive and rarely acted out in public.  They consisted of people who worshipped the same gods, and had the same practices.  The oldest religions were Animistic.  In other words, they believed everything had a soul or spirit.  (Click here to see Dr. Domínguez report on Animism.  It is written from a Christian point of view.  Very bias.  Also, English is not the original language, a little hard to understand sometimes, but still a wealth of knowledge in there.)  The ideas of Ancient Cults varied from region to region.

This is a table of the varied Ancient Religions

EUROPE
Norse
Witchcraft
Greeks
Hellenism
Romans
Norse
Scandinavians		 AMERICA
North American Indians

AFRICA
Santeria
Macumba

 ASIA
Ancestors
Hindus
Babylon		 OCEANIA
Totemism
Maoris
Ancestors
Click on a region to see a hyperlink to Dr. Domínguez website on that area.

      Recruiting in ancient times was more secretive.  Since the emphesis on the cult was absolute stealth, recruiting probably began without the recruit even knowing it.  Some people believe that before someone was approached, they were put before a board to be judged.  Most recruiting was done within the families.  In ancient Greece, each family was assigned a god.  Therefore, it was only natural that the members of that family, or close relitives, be invited.

Cults within Cults

      Very often, within a cult, internal cults will derive.  One example is the Greeks.  They all believed in the major gods.  They agreed that each one existed and worshipped them.  However, a small group within that group would become slaves or followers of one of the specific gods.  They eventually create their own practices and worship in their own way, sometimes very secretly.  The cult of Dianysis is one example of this.  They believed in all of the gods, but mainly just worshipped the god Dianysis.  They were extremely secretive, and usually lived in the woods.
      A more modern example of this is Christianity.  They started off as a cult within Judaism.  Which is now classified as an organized church.  Other churches that started off this way are Quakers, Morman, Swedenborgians, Christian Scientists, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventists.

Modification of the Term "Cult"

      The term cult has be modified throughout the years.  Traditionally, it reffered to a group of people with common goals.  Unfortunatly, modern publicity of cults has changed it to a horrific word, only given to the worst of people.  If the word of cult is brought to its original meaning, many groups that were thought outside of the catagory, fall into place.
 
 

Effects

Then

      Cults then were a powerful political tool.  Although being a member of a cult was secretive, if you were popular among a group, they could privately sapport you.  Some ancient civilizations had a democratic-type system, and with upper-class (voting citizens) on your side, you could easily come to power.  Another effect they cause was secret political protests.  They would vandalize things on a small and large scales.  Since they were hidden within society, tracking them down a a virtually impossible task.  Even if you could find one, he would not relay his partners because honor was very important.

Now

      These ancient cults set a precedent on how far a cult can go.  Rising and falling through power, they could secretly control the government.  Although not as secretive, a cult can still, and do, control the government.  For example, Republicans, and Democrats.  They both select a leader and try to force their way through the system and gain unimaginable power.   All of this was done by the Ancients, they proved cults can be a powerful political tool.