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"They're Freaks!": The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958–2008
Abstract
This article analyzes the stereotypical portrayal of cults on fictional television shows and demonstrates the vital role that this popular culture form plays in the dissemination of anticult ideology. Through an in-depth examination of five episodes that aired between 1998 and 2008, it delineates how these shows employed stereotypical cult elements, such as fraud and violence, as well as contrasts in clothing, setting, and lifestyle to differentiate conventional religion from the dangers and delusions of cults. Further, the article reveals how usage of the cult concept is not limited to the present context and documents the historical pervasiveness of the cult stereotype on television since 1958. By highlighting these patterns, this study shows the power and implications of the cult stereotype. It illuminates how these television shows constitute a powerful force in defining and policing the boundaries of religious legitimacy in American culture.
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In the citing paper
“Lynn Neal (2011: 98 -99) found that television episodes involving cults began to decline after the year 2000.”
From Where Do They Get These Ideas? Changing Ideas of Cults in the Mirror of Popular Culture (2013) · cites this paper as Neal 2011: 98 -99
In the citing paper
“She cites several factors for this, including the rise of reality television (i.e., fewer television programs had scripted dialogue), an increase in shows such as Charmed which had positive portrayals of witchcraft and esoteric religions, and the new fear of Islamic terrorism which supplanted cults as the religious other.”
From Where Do They Get These Ideas? Changing Ideas of Cults in the Mirror of Popular Culture (2013) · cites this paper as Neal 2011
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Where Do They Get These Ideas? Changing Ideas of Cults in the Mirror of Popular Culture
Laycock, J. (2013) · Journal of the American Academy of Religion · doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfs091 · Cited by 13
Metadata
- Authors
- Neal, L. S.
- Corresponding author
- Neal, Lynn S.
- Venue
- Nova Religio
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2011-02-01
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 81-107
- ISSN
- 1092-6690 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-8480
- OpenAlex
- W2030181342
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 15.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religious, Philosophical, and Educational Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime, Deviance, and Social Control
- Keywords
- religious legitimacy, religious fraud, religious violence, media representation of religion, American popular culture
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- The paper
- Neal, L. S. (2011). "They're Freaks!": The Cult Stereotype in Fictional Television Shows, 1958–2008. Nova Religio. https://doi.org/10.1525/nr.2011.14.3.81
