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What is a Mystery Cult?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 30,107
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The term “mystery cult” is used to refer to certain religious organizations which flourished in Ancient Greece and Rome. Membership in these organizations was closed, with proceedings only open to chosen initiates, and these groups were extremely secretive by nature. Historians have a variety of sources for information to draw upon when researching the mystery cults, including the writings of people who participated in rites and ceremonies associated with these organizations.

Both Greece and Rome had state religions, with all members of society participating in the worship of the gods. Greeks and Romans visited temples, held sacrifices, and prayed to the gods both publicly and at home, and most had altars at home for personal worship. For many citizens, the state religion was enough, satisfying the need for religious faith and practice.

For others, however, the state religion felt insufficient or incomplete, and as a result, mystery cults arose. Members of these organizations worshiped specific gods and goddesses, often picking obscure individuals to focus on, rather than well known and already well-worshiped individuals. Some mystery cults even integrated religious figures from other cultures; Isis, for example, was worshiped in Rome. Some famous examples of mystery cults include the Eleusinian, Dionysian, and Orphic Mysteries, although numerous other groups existed as well.

The “mystery” in “mystery cult” comes from the Greek musterion, which is used to refer to a secret doctrine or rite. When people joined the mysteries, they were forced to go through an initiation, and they were expected to guard the secrets of the organization. People who disclosed secrets from the mysteries could be subjected to severe punishments or public castigation, as the defining feature of a mystery cult was its exclusivity, so revelations about the doings of a mystery cult would been quite undesirable.

The goings-on at ceremonies and parties held by some of these Greco-Roman cults are rather infamous. In addition to holding animal sacrifices, some mystery cults also had lavish meals, threw elaborate parties, and engaged in a range of activities which would have been considered unsavory, even by people of the time. Initiates of these mystery cults took drugs to enhance their religious experience, and evidence strongly suggests that members engaged in a variety of sexual activities, as well. The combined allure of secrecy and socially unacceptable activities must have been a strong draw for many mystery cult members.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a Historical Index researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By Leonidas226 — On Dec 18, 2010

@BioNerd

How can you say that? Don't you know that Christianity was originally a cult? It was a fringe group in Rome which was condemned by the state. What if they had applied your rules of cult intervention to Christianity?

By BioNerd — On Dec 16, 2010

@FitzMaurice

I brought up the ideas of ethics and morals to point out why we have separation of church and state and where we ultimately draw the line in terms of condemning or condoning cults. The main difference between these two terms "ethics" and "morals," which today we use interchangeably, is that "ethics" reflects the current state of what is "normal" in a society, whereas "morals" reflects the ideal and original basic set of beliefs. To have a flourishing society we need a solid central belief system. I believe that this system is the Bible, and it keeps fringe beliefs and destructive demonic ideologies in check.

By FitzMaurice — On Dec 16, 2010

@BioNerd

What is the difference between a culture's "morals" and "ethics" and how does this have anything to do with cults?

By BioNerd — On Dec 15, 2010

@SilentBlue

"We should never impose our beliefs on other people." It seems you have left the original question unanswered: "where do we draw the line?" When does it become the responsibility of the governing authorities to say "that is enough" and inhibit a cult from engaging in dangerous activities? Would their actions qualify as an infringement of personal belief, violating the separation of church and state? I think it is a fine line to walk, and ultimately, a culture's morals, not their ethics, determine what is necessary.

By SilentBlue — On Dec 14, 2010

@TrogJoe19

Certain cults become religions, but we tend to associate the negative aspects of "mystery cults" and other more recent self-destructive or psychotic cults with our ideas of cults in general. Many world religions have proven themselves to be more than mere cults by both the numbers of their followers and by their benefit to people leading fulfilling lives. If a cult is destructive, it naturally should not be condoned. But what's right for me might not be right for you, and we should never impose our beliefs on other people.

By TrogJoe19 — On Dec 13, 2010

It is always interesting to me why people will label certain groups as "cults." Certain very strange and far-out religions are seen as official state-sanctioned "religions" whereas other small groups or fringe faiths are seen as cults. Where do we draw the line? Most majore religions started out as cults like these.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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