Difference between revisions of "Aum Shinrikyo"
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The cult incorporated concepts from Eastern religions like [[Karma]] and [[reincarnation]]; the Hindu deity Shiva, the god of destruction, was the primary entity the cult worshipped. Cult members thought that bad Karma could be removed from individuals when they suffer, which led to members abusing eachother. <ref name=biblio/> | The cult incorporated concepts from Eastern religions like [[Karma]] and [[reincarnation]]; the Hindu deity Shiva, the god of destruction, was the primary entity the cult worshipped. Cult members thought that bad Karma could be removed from individuals when they suffer, which led to members abusing eachother. <ref name=biblio/> | ||
| − | Asahara taught that individuals ought to purify themselves by isolating themselves from the outside world | + | Asahara taught that individuals ought to purify themselves by isolating themselves from the outside world; under the teaching of ''shukkesha'', cult members were told to cut communications with their families. <ref name=biblio/> Members who joined gave rights to their property over to the cult. <ref name=cfr/> |
The cult holds Asahara as the Christ and attributes divine properties to the cult leader. <ref name=retol/> Asahara taught that the world would end soon in an event that only cult members cold survive.<ref name=cfr/> In and before 1989, Asahara and his political party, the ''Shinrito'', said that they aspired to stop the apocalypse through political means. However, the group later decided that the apocalypse couldn't be stopped, and therefore started to only try to protect their own members. To protect themselves from the "impending apocalypse", adherents began constructing nuclear shelters and communal structures, isolating themselves from the outside world. This isolation allowed the cult leaders more control over their members. <ref name=retol/> | The cult holds Asahara as the Christ and attributes divine properties to the cult leader. <ref name=retol/> Asahara taught that the world would end soon in an event that only cult members cold survive.<ref name=cfr/> In and before 1989, Asahara and his political party, the ''Shinrito'', said that they aspired to stop the apocalypse through political means. However, the group later decided that the apocalypse couldn't be stopped, and therefore started to only try to protect their own members. To protect themselves from the "impending apocalypse", adherents began constructing nuclear shelters and communal structures, isolating themselves from the outside world. This isolation allowed the cult leaders more control over their members. <ref name=retol/> | ||
Revision as of 15:53, March 17, 2016
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese religious group founded in 1984 as a yoga club by Shoko Asahara, who proclaimed himself as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Shiva. The sect's teachings include aspects from those of Christianity and Buddhism. The group is known as a dangerous cult and a terrorist group;[1] it and its members have committed or have been accused of being involved in numerous illegal acts, including kidnappings, assassinations, murder, using chemical weapons for mass murder, and attempting to use biological weapons for mass murder. [2][3][1]
Cult members who desired to leave often couldn't. One cult member was abducted and killed in 1995 after trying to leave the sect. [4] Buddhist religious leaders have denounced the cult, saying that it is not a legitimate Buddhist sect.[2]
In March 1995, Asahara's sect attacked Tokyo subways with nerve gas, killing 13 people and injuring at least 6000.[5] The cult's leader was arrested; Asahara was put on trial in 1996 and sentenced to death in 2004, but has yet to be executed.[6] Many cult members involved in the terrorist attack were also later sentenced to death. [2]
In 2002, the cult changed its name to Aleph, which later split into two groups, Aleph and Hikarinowa. Current day cult members no longer support the former group's acts of terrorism and have made their beliefs more moderate, [6]but the Japanese government continues to keep the two groups, which still view Asahara as a prophet, under surveillance. [7]
Teachings and practices
Aum Shinrikyo's teachings were drawn from a variety of texts, including Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, and Christian scriptures, with the Book of Revelations from the Holy Bible used to justify the cult's teachings of an impending doom. [8]
The cult incorporated concepts from Eastern religions like Karma and reincarnation; the Hindu deity Shiva, the god of destruction, was the primary entity the cult worshipped. Cult members thought that bad Karma could be removed from individuals when they suffer, which led to members abusing eachother. [8]
Asahara taught that individuals ought to purify themselves by isolating themselves from the outside world; under the teaching of shukkesha, cult members were told to cut communications with their families. [8] Members who joined gave rights to their property over to the cult. [1]
The cult holds Asahara as the Christ and attributes divine properties to the cult leader. [2] Asahara taught that the world would end soon in an event that only cult members cold survive.[1] In and before 1989, Asahara and his political party, the Shinrito, said that they aspired to stop the apocalypse through political means. However, the group later decided that the apocalypse couldn't be stopped, and therefore started to only try to protect their own members. To protect themselves from the "impending apocalypse", adherents began constructing nuclear shelters and communal structures, isolating themselves from the outside world. This isolation allowed the cult leaders more control over their members. [2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.cfr.org/japan/aum-shinrikyo/p9238
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_aumsh.htm
- ↑ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/14/national/history/cult-attraction-aum-shinrikyos-power-persuasion/
- ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26478923
- ↑ http://townhall.com/news/world/2012/01/20/japan_cult_member_charged_after_years_on_run
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.biography.com/people/shoko-asahara-20900591
- ↑ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/24/national/crime-legal/aum-successor-groups-remain-surveillance-three-years
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_AUM01.htm
