Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Choosing an obsession
• Part 2 of 3: Forming a group
• Part 3 of 3: Making it more of a cult
• Tips
• Warnings

Cults are communities that ardently worship an object, person, or concept more than anything else. While there is the potential for them to be thrown into the wrong hands as manipulative organizations, they are essentially ways to organize and transform people's lives for the better. If you want to form a fanatic group around a particular idea, learn which ideas work well, how to organize a group, and how to grow this group in healthy, productive ways.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Choosing an obsession

1. Choose a topic or activity that improves your life. There are many things around which you can form a cult, but stick to generally positive activities, concepts, or ideas that are worth dedicating your time to as well as useful to other people. You have to choose something with the potential to change your life for the better.
   • It is possible to form a cult around French cheese, Star Wars or string theory if you really believe that the topic or idea has the potential to make a positive contribution to the world. It doesn't have to get weird or particularly complicated, and in fact, it's probably better if it stays pretty normal.
   • A cult does not have to be religious in nature, although this is often the case. Cult behavior involves an ardent commitment to a particular person, object, or idea. Groups can form around almost anything. You could form a Canasta cult or a World of Warcraft cult if you want. However, make sure it is positive, good, and harmless.
2. Choose a topic or activity that you are passionate about. You could say you love Chef Boyardee Ravioli, but is it really worth it to worship him in a cult-esque way? Cults can only form around things that one can become very passionate about, things that can be thoroughly devoted to, that have ties to different parts of your life.
   • When we talk about cult films, they are often very specific, quirky and present a unique worldview that deeply affects a small group of people but confuses a lot of other people.
   • Star Wars, Star Trek, and many types of SF have compelling mythologies and highly elaborate universes that you can fully immerse yourself in, which is why we often say they have 'cult-like' following and longer Wikipedia pages than some presidents. The Kardashians? Not nearly as much.
3. Choose something that you think will benefit others. Your first question if you are going to form a cult should be: Would the world be a better or a worse place if everyone were as enthusiastic about this cause as we are or I am? If the objective answer to this question is that the world would be a better place, that people would indeed lead a better life if they also worshiped Ard Schenk's skates, then you are on a positive and harmless path.
   • Cults are often manipulative psychological ventures organized by a charismatic individual. They are organized in such a way that it seems that the well-being of the group is the goal of the cult; in reality, all activities are designed so that the leader of such a sect can benefit from them. Jonestown, the Heaven's Gate and the Manson Family are all tragic examples of this.
4. Learn about your obsession as much as you can. If you are going to use the word "cult", make sure you know about the topic you want to popularize with a group so you don't come across as a fake guru or a devious seller of snake oil.
   • If you are going to form a cult around Star Trek, you will need to know a lot more than the color of Spock's blood. You need to know which episode he first bleeds in, what that color's significance is within the larger context of the color scheme in the series, and how that affects your interpretation of the utopian worldview in Star Trek. Read the fan blogs.

Part 2 of 3: Forming a group

1. Choose a leader. Most cults have a single leader, or are called a collective. If you are the one forming the cult, it is likely that you are also the leader. Just make sure you organize the cult for good ends, not for your own economic gain, or to gain more power.
   • Cult leaders are usually charismatic and manipulative, but if you are going to form a group with others, it is a good idea to choose someone who will benefit the rest of the group. The person who would like to be the leader is the last person to choose.
2. Establish the rules of the cult. What rules, concepts, and moral code does the cult use to organize itself? What is the ultimate goal of the cult? How do you use Star Trek to improve your lives, and maybe the lives of many others? What is your message to the world?
   • Especially focus on how you can use this to make your life better. The difference between a Star Trek cult and a Star Trek Fan Club is not necessarily the fanaticism of your adoration for Star Trek, but how you use that fanaticism to positively change your life.
   • It is helpful to elaborate on these documents, but you should probably omit the word "cult". You don't want people to get the wrong idea.
3. Write a pamphlet or statutes. All cults have administrative texts that are often pleasantly mysteriously vague, pseudo-profound, and easy to read by a wide audience. If you want your cult to grow and develop some legitimacy, it is a good idea to publish your own guidelines for life, or the teachings of the group.
4. Find a place of worship. A word of caution: people are likely to find the idea of ​​a cult or cult about anything rather strange, and you can face a lot of hostility if you go public with your cult. It's good to have a quiet, private place where you can do the things you want to do, the way you want to do them.
   • Basically, if you want to form a cult around Star Trek, you probably won't do much more than watch episodes, have in-depth conversations, and maybe mimic a scene or two, which is perfectly possible from someone's living room.
   • If you're brave enough, you can organize gatherings in public parks and other places where you might get some attention, but it might not be the kind of attention you want to get.
5. Come up with a slogan. All clubs, organizations and groups need good slogans, and so do cults. It's an easy way to summarize what you're doing, it forms a group around a binding principle and helps everyone stay focused on the topic. Slogans should be memorable, simple and multi-part, so they are always somewhat mysterious and vague.
   • "All things fly in space" could work for your Star Trek cult. Or maybe quotes from the episode: "I was born in Iowa, but work in the universe." Make it memorable and tangible.
6. Try to interest other people gradually. When you meet other people, gradually bring out the ideas and obsessions around which you want to shape your life in order to organize your group. Become an evangelist of whatever it is you want to worship.
   • Again, you may encounter hostility and a lot of resistance in principle, so try to market the less extreme aspects of your ideas. Star Trek utopian fun? Good selling point. Are you planning to build a spaceship in a warehouse in Amsterdam? Maybe you'd better save that for later.

Part 3 of 3: Making it more of a cult

1. Make sure the displayed behavior aligns with the party's platform. Cults are singular. If you want to become a full member or even the leader of a Star Trek cult, you can't mess around by looking at other SFs, or doing things that don't line up with the noble characters that make up the Star Trek. world. Make sure that you and everyone in the group coincide with everyone's priorities in accordance with the singular concept of the cult.
   • Cults often live together. Consider moving to a specific place and naming it, such as, "The Enterprise". This allows everyone to grow and develop together within the common idea.
2. See your concept as the only true belief. One way to get people to join your cult with diligence is to present your idea as the only way to answer the world's problems. You are no longer talking about your enthusiasm for Star Trek, but about your total commitment to the transcendent power of James Kirk and Co. That means you have to present it as the only true path.
   • Often times, this is where cults get a little manipulative. Try to have healthy discussions and debates, and just be good at presenting your ideas to the group. If other people think Star Wars has equal merits, then you should be well acquainted with the anarchy associated with a Star Wars-influenced worldview. Policy it and believe in it.
3. Live your obsession. Keep doing what you do. How you choose to turn your idea into your life and the lives of others will largely depend on your concept. At what point does the cult get more serious than watching Star Trek reruns and eating chips? When does the positive change start?
   • You may start by writing to politicians that they should take the followers of Star Trek more seriously, that there should be resources and time for science and exploration, taking gender, race, species, and class equality more seriously, and that even the ancient Earthly concept of "greed" is being let go.
4. Help people around you. Let your group make clear, local, and immediate changes that benefit society. Offer a weekly complimentary breakfast watching accompanying Star Trek episodes, or hold equality workshops and give speeches in full Starfleet uniform. Let people know what you stand for.
5. Find ways to grow your group. What are your criteria and what procedure do you follow for hiring new members? How will your group be able to expand and grow, without losing its own identity and core values? What could new members add? What will more publicity do to the group? What are your ultimate goals for the group? It is important to come to some consensus and to take these ideas seriously.
   • Stay with both feet in the real world and in your core values. You have to make sure that groups like this don't transform into something that becomes ominous and destructive. Does all group behavior match the original members of the organization? If not, how can you restore those principles?

Tips

• If you start small, you can become very popular.
• When performing rituals, make sure they do not contain illegal activities (e.g., violence, drug use, etc.).

Warnings

• A religion is not the same as a gang; you can't but what are going to shoot around you, otherwise shall you will be arrested.
• Don't do anything illegal. No sacrifices. No "punishments". Don't hurt anyone, including yourself.