This overstates the case.  Shakers, Mennonites, Seventh Day Adventists/Millerites, and many other apocalyptic movements neither foment nor justify violence. Our expectation that “cults” are violent owes much to the fact that minority religions seldom catch public attention unless they are violent (Jonestown being among the earliest examples of NRMs with unfortunately violent ends).  We expect violence, as we expect sexual abuse, from minority religions, but that assumption should not be reified into a characteristic of apocalyptic NRMs.

This overstates the case.  Shakers, Mennonites, Seventh Day Adventists/Millerites, and many other apocalyptic movements neither foment nor justify violence. Our expectation that “cults” are violent owes much to the fact that minority religions seldom catch public attention unless they are violent (Jonestown being among the earliest examples of NRMs with unfortunately violent ends).  We expect violence, as we expect sexual abuse, from minority religions, but that assumption should not be reified into a characteristic of apocalyptic NRMs.