It's a serious question sort of. Granted a lot of people who have interest in vampire lore or Cthulu mythos aren't serious, but there are some people who seriously believe in that stuff. Hell, I've had New Agers try to sell me blank Necronomicons telling me that because people believe in it they have actual power (the belief in the power preceding the power apparently).
Like this guy. Not only does he believe that he is a real vampire but he also wrote his own Necronomicon.
But also you find articles like these talking about people who really believe in this stuff.
I bring this up as a question of whether it's a religious cult because H.P. Lovecraft wouldn't be the first science fiction author to make people believe his fictions are real (see Scientology), and though these cults aren't quite as prominent as Hubbard's has become, one wonders if they qualify for a place somewhere along the continuum of religious-ness.
So, just because their systems of belief require faith and bad logic, and because these beliefs are pervasive in a way, does that make them qualify as a religious cult in a way?
Like this guy. Not only does he believe that he is a real vampire but he also wrote his own Necronomicon.
But also you find articles like these talking about people who really believe in this stuff.
I bring this up as a question of whether it's a religious cult because H.P. Lovecraft wouldn't be the first science fiction author to make people believe his fictions are real (see Scientology), and though these cults aren't quite as prominent as Hubbard's has become, one wonders if they qualify for a place somewhere along the continuum of religious-ness.
So, just because their systems of belief require faith and bad logic, and because these beliefs are pervasive in a way, does that make them qualify as a religious cult in a way?
