John Hall S Theory
John Hall’s Theory: Violence in Aum Shinrikyo
Despite whether these actions have justification are no, new religious movements all across the globe have been at some point under scrutiny by those outside their realm of beliefs. Aum Shinrikyo is no exception. It was subject to violence when it suffered attempts to destruction and vengeance.
In 1995, a Tokyo subway was the hit with a nerve gas attack. It was targeted towards devotees of Aum Shinrikyo, who were riding it. With many ways to examine and explain cult violence, we will look at it thorough the eye of John Hall’s theory of necessary predictions and precipitating factors to explain the violence of this new religious movement. We will be discussing both parts of a Hall’s theory; include the precipitating factors and the necessary predictions, all of which include their own set of specifications. The precipitating factors include things such as mobilizing a group’s cultural components, using media to shape cult ideology, and using state authority. John Hall’s six necessary preconditions include a charismatic religious social movement, overall societal isolation through life boundaries, apocalyptic ideologies, new religion legitimacy to its followers through community, a form of social organization, and adequate amounts economical and political legitimacy. Taking a look at some of these factors, we will examine their relevancy as well as the predicting factors that contribute to explaining the violence of Aum Shinrikyo. John Hall’s precipitating factors have to exist in order for violence in a new religion to occur. One of which is that outside groups handle media and can mould or twist the perception of the cult. This factor was present in the Aum Shinrikyo violence seen in Tokyo. Aum Shinrikyo’s stance on their manufacturing and use of chemical weapons was simply to protect themselves against ‘hostile’ enemies. Unfortunately, outsiders saw this as potential for acts of aggression and violence. These
Despite whether these actions have justification are no, new religious movements all across the globe have been at some point under scrutiny by those outside their realm of beliefs. Aum Shinrikyo is no exception. It was subject to violence when it suffered attempts to destruction and vengeance.
In 1995, a Tokyo subway was the hit with a nerve gas attack. It was targeted towards devotees of Aum Shinrikyo, who were riding it. With many ways to examine and explain cult violence, we will look at it thorough the eye of John Hall’s theory of necessary predictions and precipitating factors to explain the violence of this new religious movement. We will be discussing both parts of a Hall’s theory; include the precipitating factors and the necessary predictions, all of which include their own set of specifications. The precipitating factors include things such as mobilizing a group’s cultural components, using media to shape cult ideology, and using state authority. John Hall’s six necessary preconditions include a charismatic religious social movement, overall societal isolation through life boundaries, apocalyptic ideologies, new religion legitimacy to its followers through community, a form of social organization, and adequate amounts economical and political legitimacy. Taking a look at some of these factors, we will examine their relevancy as well as the predicting factors that contribute to explaining the violence of Aum Shinrikyo. John Hall’s precipitating factors have to exist in order for violence in a new religion to occur. One of which is that outside groups handle media and can mould or twist the perception of the cult. This factor was present in the Aum Shinrikyo violence seen in Tokyo. Aum Shinrikyo’s stance on their manufacturing and use of chemical weapons was simply to protect themselves against ‘hostile’ enemies. Unfortunately, outsiders saw this as potential for acts of aggression and violence. These