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Sociological Analysis: Growth of Cults & Godmen
1️⃣ Impact of Social Change
- Durkheim’s Anomie: Rapid social change destabilizes traditional norms, creating normlessness.
- Outcome: Individuals seek new communities and meanings, finding them in cults and godmen.
2️⃣ Alienation in Urban Society
- Urbanization → Loss of Support Systems: Breakdown of joint families, caste networks, and community ties.
- Insight (Pavan K Verma): Middle-class alienation makes cults and godmen attractive as sources of solace and community.
3️⃣ Cults vs. Traditional Religion (Olridge)
- Immediate vs. Deferred Rewards:
- Cults offer immediate relief in this life.
- Traditional religion focuses on salvation in the afterlife.
- Practical Solutions:
- Cults address mundane, everyday problems.
- Religion emphasizes spiritual matters and rituals.
4️⃣ Cultural Assimilation
- Hybrid Appeal: Merging Western materialism with Eastern spirituality (e.g., Transcendental Meditation, Hare Krishna).
- Reference: Rajeev Dubey.
- Result: Broader global appeal and acceptability.