THE SPIRITUALIST MOVEMENT AND THE NEED FOR A REDEFINITION OF CULT.

The need for a refined concept of cult emerged as the result of an attempt to analyze the Spiritualist movement in terms of the church-sect typology. Previous definitions of cult also appear inadequate when applied to the analysis of Spiritualism. This paper argues the need for a refined concept of cult, and proposes a definition of cult in terms of one basic criterion -- that cults are religious movements which make a fundamental break with the religious tradition of the culture -- and two subordinate criteria -- that cults are composed of individuals who have had or seek mystical, psychic, or ecstatic experiences, and that they are concerned with the problems of individuals. It also proposes a typology of cults, and an explanation of the origin and development of cults in terms of a continuum from cult to new religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]