 |
According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American think tank, about 84.4 percent of the world population, which equals 6,463,580,000, were religious. Christians, the most popular religion worldwide, dominated 31.1 percent of a pie graph followed by 24.9 percent of Muslims and 15.2 percent of Hindus. As the statistics showed, religions have tremendous power over humanity since religion played a crucial role in war and culture in human history, such as the Crusades. People might now wonder, “Why is religion so important for humanity?”
Researchers at Mayo Clinic concluded, “Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide.” However, nowadays, religion is often misdeed by the “relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister” - cults (Oxford Languages). Cults deeply permeate into society socially, economically, and even environmentally by abusing the hidden power dynamics called abuse of faith.
Though the cult members know that they have rights and the ability to speak out, they do not because the abuse of power is intentionally hidden by the cult executives, which makes the power dynamics of the cult hidden.
임원준 강남포스트 학생기자 webmaster@ignnews.kr
