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CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 01, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 02, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 03, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 01, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 02, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 03, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 01, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 02, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 03, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 01, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 02, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 03, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 3, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 1, 2007
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 2, 2007
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 3, 2007
News Summaries: Index - by type
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International Cultic Studies Association
Department: Professional Column Law
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| _______________________________________________ |
Professional Columns: Law
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Canadian Security Intelligence Service - Report # 2000/03 (December 18, 1999)
|
Vol. 1, No. 1, 2001 |
| |
|
parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|
This paper uses open sources to examine any topic with the potential to cause threats to public safety or national security.
Introduction
Often overlooked in the discussion of emerging security intelligence issues is the challenge of contending with religious movements whose defining characteristic is an adherence to non-traditional spiritual belief systems. While only a small fraction of these groups could be considered Doomsday Religious Movements espousing hostile beliefs and having
the potential to be violent, the threat they represent is evinced by recent events involving groups such as the American Branch Davidians, as well as Canada’s Order of the Solar Temple. Japan’s infamous Aum Shinrykio is a textbook example, where the coupling of apocalyptic beliefs and a charismatic leader fixated on enemies culminated in a nerve-gas attack intended to cause mass casualties in
the hope of precipitating a world war and completing its apocalyptic prophecy. By examining the many characteristics of these movements, this paper intends to discuss which types of groups could be prone to violence and which factors indicate a group’s move to actualize this violence. The conclusions presented here are solely the result of a review of unclassified information available in the
public domain.
Definitions and History
According to relevant literature, “millennialism” is the belief that human suffering will soon be eliminated in an imminent apocalyptic scenario, ensuring that the collective salvation of humanity is accomplished. Millennialism is an enduring pattern in many religious traditions, and it has been reported that 35 percent of Americans believe that the
Apocalypse will take place at some point. Cults throughout history have thought that critical dates will bring the fulfillment of their beliefs (e.g. Solar Temple members believe in the supernatural power of solstices and equinoxes). The year 2000 AD as the turning of the millennium is a central date in the doctrines of many modern cults.
Millennialist beliefs are shared by a variety of groups, but not all foresee a violent turning of the millennium; in fact, many see it as the catalyst for peaceful and harmonious change. Those groups which espouse violence have been called Doomsday Religious Movements in this paper for the purpose of clarity. The approaching year 2000 AD has
stimulated millennial anxiety and heightened concern that its unfolding will bring an increase in potential threats by groups that would choose to assert their apocalyptic beliefs through violence.
Characteristics of Doomsday Religious Movements
Although the large number of groups which could be considered a Doomsday Religious Movement presupposes a variety of beliefs, there are some commonalities in both doctrine and action which can be delineated in order to anticipate which groups might pose a physical threat to public safety.
Apocalyptic Beliefs
Movements often believe in doctrines which are similar to that of mainstream religions, yet the convergence of some of these doctrines expressed through rites helps to shape a violent theological world view characterized by an inherent volatility.
Dualism. The belief that the world is fractured into two opposing camps of Good and Evil, which confers a profound significance on small social and political conflicts as evidence of this great cosmic struggle, and which could precipitate a violent response.
The persecuted chosen. Movements view themselves as prophetic vanguards belonging to a chosen elite but feel persecuted by wicked and tyrannical forces, which push the group to make concrete preparations to defend their sacred status.
Imminence. Because movements believe the apocalypse is unfolding before their very eyes, the “last days” are experienced as psychologically imminent and pressure them to take immediate action to ensure their salvation.
Determinism. Since a group devoutly believes it will be the ultimate winner of the final battle, if it believes a catastrophic scenario is being actualized, the group may feel it has no choice but to try to trigger the apocalypse through violence.
Salvation through conflict / enemy eradication. As salvation depends entirely upon direct participation in the apocalyptic struggle, a group is always on the verge of anticipating confrontation, which justifies action to eliminate evil and eradicate enemies.
Charismatic Leadership
Millenarian beliefs are associated with volatility when embodied in and disseminated by charismatic leaders who wish to portray themselves as messiahs, identify the millennial destiny of humankind with their own personal evolution and demonize opposition to their personal aggrandizement.
Control over members. Groups monopolize members’ daily lives and circumscribe their belief systems within rigid doctrines, insulating them from the influence of broader social constraints. The leader is then well positioned to ask his followers to commit acts they would not normally engage in,
albeit violent ones.
Lack of restraint. Leaders believe themselves to be free from religious and social laws, and operate in a social vacuum where there is a relative absence of normal institutionalized restraints to curb their whims. Physical segregation further
distances the group from society’s mores, where its own social code is established as the basis of all acceptable behaviour. Here authority can be exercised arbitrarily without restraint, a situation that facilitates violence.
Withdrawal and mobilization. While society is often repelled by or hostile to these groups, movements are also often suspicious of others. This tends to lead to their physical, social and psychological withdrawal, intensifying a leader’s power and increasing the homogenization and dependency of
the followers. When withdrawal is coupled with the group’s expectation that it will face hostility and persecution, members often feel they must mobilize for “endtimes” by acquiring weapons and securing defences.
Actions by Authorities
Violence is often not actualized until the group comes into contact with state authorities, which usually embody all that is evil for the movement and which must be vanquished in order for the apocalyptic scenario to be realized. Action on the part of state agencies will almost always elicit a reaction, which underlining the delicacy with which the
situation must be handled.
Lack of comprehension. Authorities often fail to appreciate the leverage they have over doomsday movements, which depend upon them to fulfill their apocalyptic scenarios. Failure to fully comprehend this symbolic role often results in actions that trigger violence.
Unsound negotiation. Should authorities decide to intervene in a crisis situation, negotiators dealing with the movement must understand its belief structure, as ignorance of the minor differences between the beliefs of respective groups can have drastic outcomes.
Hasty action. Hasty actions can directly trigger violence on the part of the group by forcing it to act out its “endtimes” scenario, especially when its grandiose apocalyptic scenario appears discredited under humiliating circumstances.
Spiral of amplification. Sanctions applied by authorities are often interpreted by a movement as hostile to its existence, which reinforces their apocalyptic beliefs and leads to further withdrawal, mobilization and deviant actions, and which in turn elicits heavier sanctions by authorities.
This unleashes a spiral of amplification, as each action amplifies each reaction, and the use of violence is facilitated, as the group believes that this will ultimately actualize its doomsday scenario.
The presence of these three factors (apocalyptic beliefs, charismatic leadership and actions by authorities), whether inherent to the dynamics of a Doomsday Religious Movement or in response to the actions that it engages in, translates into a predisposition towards violent behaviour.
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| ___________________________________________ ^ |
| |
*< Profiles Section index
*< Profiles: Individual - archives
*<< Profiles: Organizational - archives
*∆ News Section Index
^* Article: archive index
Article: archive index
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 01, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 02, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 01, No. 03, 2002
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 01, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 02, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 02, No. 03, 2003
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 01, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 02, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 03, No. 03, 2004
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 01, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 02, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 04, No. 03, 2005
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 5, No. 3, 2006
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 1, 2007
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 2, 2007
CSR: Table of Contents - Vol. 6, No. 3, 2007
News Summaries: Index - by type
|
|
International Cultic Studies Association
Department: Professional Column Law
|
|
|
| |
|
| _______________________________________________ |
Professional Columns: Law
|
|
| |
Canadian Security Intelligence Service - Report # 2000/03 (December 18, 1999)
|
Vol. 1, No. 1, 2001 |
| |
|
parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|
This paper uses open sources to examine any topic with the potential to cause threats to public safety or national security.
Introduction
Often overlooked in the discussion of emerging security intelligence issues is the challenge of contending with religious movements whose defining characteristic is an adherence to non-traditional spiritual belief systems. While only a small fraction of these groups could be considered Doomsday Religious Movements espousing hostile beliefs and having
the potential to be violent, the threat they represent is evinced by recent events involving groups such as the American Branch Davidians, as well as Canada’s Order of the Solar Temple. Japan’s infamous Aum Shinrykio is a textbook example, where the coupling of apocalyptic beliefs and a charismatic leader fixated on enemies culminated in a nerve-gas attack intended to cause mass casualties in
the hope of precipitating a world war and completing its apocalyptic prophecy. By examining the many characteristics of these movements, this paper intends to discuss which types of groups could be prone to violence and which factors indicate a group’s move to actualize this violence. The conclusions presented here are solely the result of a review of unclassified information available in the
public domain.
Definitions and History
According to relevant literature, “millennialism” is the belief that human suffering will soon be eliminated in an imminent apocalyptic scenario, ensuring that the collective salvation of humanity is accomplished. Millennialism is an enduring pattern in many religious traditions, and it has been reported that 35 percent of Americans believe that the
Apocalypse will take place at some point. Cults throughout history have thought that critical dates will bring the fulfillment of their beliefs (e.g. Solar Temple members believe in the supernatural power of solstices and equinoxes). The year 2000 AD as the turning of the millennium is a central date in the doctrines of many modern cults.
Millennialist beliefs are shared by a variety of groups, but not all foresee a violent turning of the millennium; in fact, many see it as the catalyst for peaceful and harmonious change. Those groups which espouse violence have been called Doomsday Religious Movements in this paper for the purpose of clarity. The approaching year 2000 AD has
stimulated millennial anxiety and heightened concern that its unfolding will bring an increase in potential threats by groups that would choose to assert their apocalyptic beliefs through violence.
Characteristics of Doomsday Religious Movements
Although the large number of groups which could be considered a Doomsday Religious Movement presupposes a variety of beliefs, there are some commonalities in both doctrine and action which can be delineated in order to anticipate which groups might pose a physical threat to public safety.
Apocalyptic Beliefs
Movements often believe in doctrines which are similar to that of mainstream religions, yet the convergence of some of these doctrines expressed through rites helps to shape a violent theological world view characterized by an inherent volatility.
Dualism. The belief that the world is fractured into two opposing camps of Good and Evil, which confers a profound significance on small social and political conflicts as evidence of this great cosmic struggle, and which could precipitate a violent response.
The persecuted chosen. Movements view themselves as prophetic vanguards belonging to a chosen elite but feel persecuted by wicked and tyrannical forces, which push the group to make concrete preparations to defend their sacred status.
Imminence. Because movements believe the apocalypse is unfolding before their very eyes, the “last days” are experienced as psychologically imminent and pressure them to take immediate action to ensure their salvation.
Determinism. Since a group devoutly believes it will be the ultimate winner of the final battle, if it believes a catastrophic scenario is being actualized, the group may feel it has no choice but to try to trigger the apocalypse through violence.
Salvation through conflict / enemy eradication. As salvation depends entirely upon direct participation in the apocalyptic struggle, a group is always on the verge of anticipating confrontation, which justifies action to eliminate evil and eradicate enemies.
Charismatic Leadership
Millenarian beliefs are associated with volatility when embodied in and disseminated by charismatic leaders who wish to portray themselves as messiahs, identify the millennial destiny of humankind with their own personal evolution and demonize opposition to their personal aggrandizement.
Control over members. Groups monopolize members’ daily lives and circumscribe their belief systems within rigid doctrines, insulating them from the influence of broader social constraints. The leader is then well positioned to ask his followers to commit acts they would not normally engage in,
albeit violent ones.
Lack of restraint. Leaders believe themselves to be free from religious and social laws, and operate in a social vacuum where there is a relative absence of normal institutionalized restraints to curb their whims. Physical segregation further
distances the group from society’s mores, where its own social code is established as the basis of all acceptable behaviour. Here authority can be exercised arbitrarily without restraint, a situation that facilitates violence.
Withdrawal and mobilization. While society is often repelled by or hostile to these groups, movements are also often suspicious of others. This tends to lead to their physical, social and psychological withdrawal, intensifying a leader’s power and increasing the homogenization and dependency of
the followers. When withdrawal is coupled with the group’s expectation that it will face hostility and persecution, members often feel they must mobilize for “endtimes” by acquiring weapons and securing defences.
Actions by Authorities
Violence is often not actualized until the group comes into contact with state authorities, which usually embody all that is evil for the movement and which must be vanquished in order for the apocalyptic scenario to be realized. Action on the part of state agencies will almost always elicit a reaction, which underlining the delicacy with which the
situation must be handled.
Lack of comprehension. Authorities often fail to appreciate the leverage they have over doomsday movements, which depend upon them to fulfill their apocalyptic scenarios. Failure to fully comprehend this symbolic role often results in actions that trigger violence.
Unsound negotiation. Should authorities decide to intervene in a crisis situation, negotiators dealing with the movement must understand its belief structure, as ignorance of the minor differences between the beliefs of respective groups can have drastic outcomes.
Hasty action. Hasty actions can directly trigger violence on the part of the group by forcing it to act out its “endtimes” scenario, especially when its grandiose apocalyptic scenario appears discredited under humiliating circumstances.
Spiral of amplification. Sanctions applied by authorities are often interpreted by a movement as hostile to its existence, which reinforces their apocalyptic beliefs and leads to further withdrawal, mobilization and deviant actions, and which in turn elicits heavier sanctions by authorities.
This unleashes a spiral of amplification, as each action amplifies each reaction, and the use of violence is facilitated, as the group believes that this will ultimately actualize its doomsday scenario.
The presence of these three factors (apocalyptic beliefs, charismatic leadership and actions by authorities), whether inherent to the dynamics of a Doomsday Religious Movement or in response to the actions that it engages in, translates into a predisposition towards violent behaviour.
|
| ___________________________________________ ^ |
|