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submitted 1 year ago by ciaocibai@lemmy.nz to c/newzealand@lemmy.nz

I always read stories about what’s going on in Gloriavale, and I quite enjoy videos of random communities abroad as well. Other than Gloriavale what other fringe communities exist in NZ?

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[-] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

I'm tempted to make poor taste jokes but really I've got nothing other than what is the difference between a cult and a religion?

Obviously there's some judgement in there, but I'm a little rough on the distinction

[-] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago

Cults just say the quiet parts out loud.

[-] ciaocibai@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 year ago

According to the cults website the other guy mentioned “cults have a strong tendency to harm and control their members” so… Mainstream religions tend to have numbers on their side I guess, but a mass delusion is still a delusion.

[-] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

But surely every religion is essentially control. As for the barn aspect, that's very interpretable.

This is just confirming my bunch that the difference is really spelling (as a non-bitter ex-Christian. Gosh, I am sounding bitter, however!)

[-] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Age....

A cult that has been around long enough tends to be called a religion.

[-] Floofah@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Here’s a website - cults.co.nz - not looked at it in much detail, but it seems to have lots of info.

[-] liv@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That website seems to be run by someone with... very specific ideas.

Their glossary defines several beliefs about god, including atheism, as "a false belief".

[-] Ward@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 year ago

Lmao they have a "False religion" key, so any religion what isn't Christianity falls under that key.

Also this... "Abortion - There is probably no greater danger to New Zealanders than abortion. The physical danger to babies is obvious"

Keyed as a cult

[-] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

A shame it's from the Christian lense, I feel like it would be a lot more balanced from a non-religious perspective

[-] Ward@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Don't need to say "I feel", deffo would be more balanced if the list of cults wasn't written by someone in a cult

[-] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

"I don't want to gatekeep people culting ... But those guys are full of shit" - *flicks hair all sassy-like

[-] ciaocibai@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Wow there is some pretty whacky groups and people on the list. Love that they’ve for the advance + freedom parties there too.

[-] eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 year ago

Do Exclusive Brethren count? I worked for one of their companies as a teen, they were weird

[-] SamC@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 year ago

Yes. Big doners to the National party.

[-] eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 year ago

I know it’s autocomplete, but I can’t help thinking of big kebabs now.

[-] SamC@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 year ago

whoops 🤣

[-] kglitch@kglitch.social 5 points 1 year ago

Yes, they count.

Exclusive Brethren houses are designed to have a special windowless sound-proof room for locking their children in when they need to be punished. I know an architect.

[-] eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 year ago
[-] kglitch@kglitch.social 3 points 1 year ago

There's going to be some Roman Catholic Church level of abuse uncovered one day, pretty sure. When you're baking oppression into ya blueprints you're deeply into it.

[-] master5o1@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago
[-] ciaocibai@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Wow. I vaguely recall the name but I was just a little kid when that all broke. I didn’t realise how much shit went down there. That Wikipedia article makes for quite a read.

[-] waterbogan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Scientology

[-] liv@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

I've met a few people from this doomsday cult. Pretty out there.

[-] ciaocibai@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 year ago

That wiki article got more nuts the further I read. How people still believe after all those failed prophecies is beyond me, and the idea that this group demands young female members meets Korean beauty standards is even crazier. Thanks for the share.

[-] liv@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah it's amazing especially meeting people who have likely never even been to Korea yet they are caught up in this thing.

[-] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

there are a lot of weird and small cults in NZ.

Oh there is the business roundtable or whatever they are calling themselves these days.

[-] TagMeInSkipIGotThis@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago

They merged with the NZ Institute and collectively they call themselves the NZ Initiative now. You'll see them in media quite often being quoted as though they're presenting a consensus of experts in things rather than promulgating the desires of the fairly extreme idealogues they've always been.

[-] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

It's a part of their deception. Keep changing the name so the people get confused and can't hold you accountable.

[-] batwingnz@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago

NATLFED comes to mind when you say that, nothing to do with NZ, but the weird convoluted structure so no-one knows who is responsible for what

this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
31 points (100.0% liked)

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