Myths and Key Points About Cults

Myths or Misconceptions About Cults
(Adapted from How Cults Work)

-- Cults are easy to spot, they wear strange clothes and live in communes.
Well some do. But most are everyday people like you and me. They live in houses. They wear the same clothes. They eat the same food. Cult leaders don't want you to know that you are being recruited into a cult and so they order their recruiters to dress, talk and act in a way that will put you at ease. One cult has even invented a phrase to describe this, they call it "being relatable".

-- Cults are full of the weak, weird and emotionally unstable.
Not true. Many cult members are very intelligent, attractive and skilled. The reality is that all sorts of people are involved in cults. One of the few common denominators is that they were often recruited at a low point in their life.

-- Cults are just a bunch of religious nut cases.
This is a common mistake people make thinking that cults are purely religious groups. The modern definition of a mind control cult refers to all groups that use mind control and the devious recruiting techniques that this article exposes. The belief system of a religion is often warped to become a container for these techniques, but it is the techniques themselves that make it a cult. In a free society people can believe what they want, but most people would agree that it is wrong for any one to try to trick and control people.


Key Points About Cults

-- No legitimate group needs to lie or mislead you about what they practice or believe.

-- Any group which says you must belong to their organization to be saved is almost certainly a cult.

-- Character assassination (or 'attacking' a person's character) is a sure sign of a cult.

-- Cult members are usually very fearful of disobeying or disagreeing in any way with their leadership. Healthy organizations however are not threatened by openly debating issues.

-- Beware of "instant friends" - remember true friendships develop over time.

-- Beware of a group that tells you which people you can and can't see (eg. friends or family).

-- If you are instructed by a group not to read information critical of the group, that is a sign of a cult. Legitimate groups have nothing to fear from their members reading critical information about them.

-- Is information you expected to be kept confidential reported to the leadership? If so, it is probably a cult.

-- Never ending compulsory meetings and tasks is a sign of a cult.

-- You really need to research the group when you aren't in it! Be especially eager to surf the internet if the leaders have told you not to.

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Please go here for a lot more info about the above points: How Cults Work

Information about some cult groups is available here: www.cultwatch.com
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