Clique or cult?
While the term “cult” is sometimes hard to define, many outsiders don’t hesitate to place that label on the Church at Kent.
Jason Robinson walks up to the second floor of his garage, which was originally used as one of the first meeting places of the church.
McKee was once contacted by a concerned parent whose child had become involved with the church and was beginning to cut ties with family. He says the group displays some very “cult-like tactics,” including an “authoritarian environment and isolation from other authority figures.”
Members of the church say they think people throw around labels like “cult” in an unnecessary and hurtful way.
“I think it’s because they don’t really know people,” says Ruby Mast, a woman in the church. “If they came here and felt the love, they would understand.”
Weimer, a mother of five and an active member of the church, says she also feels it has a lot to do with a lack of understanding. “It all depends on your vision of a cult I guess,” she says. “I think they don’t understand us.”
William Kalkhoff, an assistant professor of sociology, says the meaning of the word “cult” is complicated. “There are many different definitions of cult, depending on who you talk to,” he says.
Kalkhoff says cults are especially hazardous for college students because they can be susceptible to the close group atmosphere and community associated with cults. “College can be a lonely place, especially for new students, and social isolation can make students vulnerable,” Kalkhoff says.
While the Church at Kent may display some cult-like characteristics, Kalkhoff says, almost every group displays them — including society as a whole.
“Aren’t members of society sometimes called upon and commanded under threat of severe social disapproval and even criminal punishment to exchange their lives for the reigning high ideals?” Kalkhoff asks. “From this perspective, perhaps it is just the less popular groups with socially divergent views that have the dishonor of being referred to by those in the mainstream with an epithet like ‘cult.’
“Then again, I won’t condemn you or try to kill you if you disagree with me.”
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