See how much you recognize:
Freedom of Mind (by Steven Hassan)
CULT: Tightly controlled, high-pressure social environment. Limit access to outside information (Page 3)
Some religious cults have “An elite group that claims to know the real meaning of Scripture” (Page 4)
They rail on about how all the other Churches are dead and unscriptural (Page 7)
Threatening Prophecies (Page 12)
“Love” depends on meeting expectations and goals (Page 13)
Demand for purity: Establishing impossible standards for performance, thereby creating an environment of guilt and shame. No matter how hard a person tries, he always falls short, feels bad and works even harder. (Page 17)
Sacred Science: The belief that the group’s dogma is absolutely scientifically and morally true, with no room for questions or alternative viewpoints (Page 17)
Dispensing of existence: The belief that people in group have the right to exist and all ex-members and critics or dissidents do not (Page 17)
Cult control is a social process that encourages obedience and conformity. It discourages autonomy and individuality. The group’s dogma becomes the person’s only concern (Page 19)
Thought Reform: Create a tightly controlled system with a closed system of logic, wherein dissenters feel their questioning indicates something inherently wrong with them (Page 20)
Behavior Control (Page 22)
Dictate with whom the member lives and associates
Restrict leisure and entertainment
Encourage group-think (not stumbling others)
Impose rigid rules & regulations
Information Control (Page 23)
Discourage access to non-cult sources of information
Internet, Critical Information, Former Members, Keep members busy
Outsider versus insider doctrines
Encourage spying on other members
Extensive use of cult-generated information, including magazines and other media
Misquotations, statements from non-cult sources taken out of context
Unethical use of confession
Thought Control (Page 24)
Members required to internalize the groups doctrine as “the truth”
Instill Black and White thinking
Good versus Evil; Us versus Them
No critical questions about leaders, doctrine or policy allowed
Alternative belief systems viewed as evil
Emotional Control (Page 25)
Make the person feel that problems are their own fault – never the leader or group
Excessive use of guilt – You are not living up to your potential
Excessive use of fear
Fear of the outside world
Fear of losing one’s salvation
Fear of leaving the group or being shunned by the group
Phobia indoctrination
No happiness or fulfillment possible outside of the group
Terrible consequences if you leave
Shunning of those who leave, fear of being rejected by friends and family
Never a legitimate reason to leave; Those who leave are weak, unspiritual, worldly or seduced by sex