Cargo Cults

Cargo Cults are religions on Pacific islands that started when Americans built air strips and landed cargo planes there during World War II. After the Americans left, the natives assumed that if one built things that look like air strips, more cargo would arrive. They have been doing this for the past 50 years. An article in the Smithsonian (Paul Raffaele, Feb 2006, 70-77) and one in the Washington Post (Peter Carlson, Tuesday, January 31, 2006; C02) describes The John Frum religion. Even the famous physicist Richard Feynman wrote about Cargo Cult science.

It is odd to see an American flag venerated as a religious symbol, along with red tipped fake bamboo "rifles".

What's the difference between this so-called 'cult' and other religions? None. One might argue that cargo cults haven't been around too long, but it's been many years. Raffaele asked Chief Isaac "John promised you much cargo more than 60 years ago, and none has come, so why do you keep faith with him? Why do you still believe in him?" Chief Isaac responded "You Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return to earth, and you haven't given up hope."

Have you ever heard of a religion that makes an instrument of horrible torture and death its primary symbol? Can you imagine that this symbol becomes so venerated that it comes to represent life itself?

CNN (April 9, 2006) reports that Pope Benedict as saying "But Palm Sunday tells us that ... it is the cross that is the true tree of life."

Objectively the only difference between a 'Cargo Cult' and a mainstream religion is size and acceptance.