How do Cults recruit and keep their members?

by The wanderer 45 Replies latest jw friends

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  The wanderer

  How do Cults recruit and keep their members?

  It starts with learning something new that was not known before.
  In the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, the individual is introduced
  to a belief which is support by a biblical scripture.

  The pretty design graphics

  Artists rendering of what paradise-like conditions would look like
  with all the human races united and under one umbrella of peace
  and harmony with each other and the earth's wildlife.

  The "mental regulating" that takes place

  After the "truths" or belief system has been readily accept-
  ed there is a steady diet of drilling or "inculcating" that takes
  place. Missing a meeting would be tantamount to sinning.

  Questions for consideration

  • What kind of individuals do you think get readily "taken" ?

  • What other methods do cults employ regarding recruiting?

  • What is your point of view regarding cults and there methods?

  ---

  Please add your viewpoints and commentary so that all may learn

  Respectfully,

  The Wanderer
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  OUTLAW

  ..Cults recruit and keep their members based on "FEAR".....Cults like Jehovah`s Witness`s treat thier members like"Mushrooms"..They`re kept in the dark and fed plenty of shit...OUTLAW
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  fullofdoubtnow

  I think anyone is a potential cult victim, but people who have problems in their lives are highly susceptible to a seemingly well - meaning approach by a friendly stranger. Cults tend to offer something better than you alrady have, a solution to your personal problems, and society's troubles as a whole. They are experts at indoctrinating people to see things their way, without the victim even knowing they are being indoctrinated until it's too late. Once indoctrinated, the cult controls it's members by convincing them if they leave, disaster awaits them.
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  sammielee24

  • What kind of individuals do you think get readily "taken" ?

  • What other methods do cults employ regarding recruiting?

  • What is your point of view regarding cults and there methods?

  I think people who are born into a cult vs people who voluntarily join a cult as adults are different. I believe that people born into them and who are surrounded by cultists have a more difficult time in trying to move forward only because there are no other experiences to compare to. Their comprehension of the world at large is altered significantly and as a child, if your independent, critical reasoning is retarded, your social skills are not allowed to enhance your life, you are more fearful than ever of leaving. People who join as adults I think are people who have 'troubled' lives and are extremely susceptible. A 'troubled' life can mean different things to each of us, therefore, a person who is struggling with depression or anxiety might be highly vulnerable, just as a mother overwhelmed with her work/children/marriage might also be. People looking for a reason to 'fit' in, meaning in their lives, a belief that will provide them with answers might search for something outside of themselves which makes them open to recruitment. Many people want consistency, they want that structure where they can absolve themselves of responsibility for their inaction/actions by virtue of living inside a cult where the grand master makes the rules and all you have to do is believe and/or follow and you feel safe. Living forever in this case, is icing on the cake. In a nutshell - when a cult is dangerous in that it restricts the freedoms and rights from the follower, when it subjects it's members to constant fear and degradation, when it lies and manipulates followers for financial gain, allows and condones the death of it's members to the point of martyrdom - they should be banned. The problem is - when defining cult - there might be a number of definitions where one might decide that all religions are cults. sammieswife.
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  The wanderer

  Dear SammieLee:
  
  Your comments on this subject are
  tremendous.
  
  Respectfully,
  
  The Wanderer
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  jgnat

  How do Cults recruit and keep their members? It starts...

  I disagree. It's the warning within short order that Satan (aka family and friends) will try an lure them away. This primes the person against any early opposition and has the added benefit of "proving" that the study leader's predictions are true. (Family and friends will warn you away). This is a prime signal that I am being coerced. If a salesman or self-help book tries it on me I hang up the phone, I put the book down, I walk away.

  The pretty design graphics

  ...Are tempting visual graphics to keep the converts in...

  The "mental regulating" that takes place.

  ..after the "truths" or belief system have been readily accepted...

  On the contrary, the early studies are mind-numbingly boring and repetitive. The study leader defers any difficult questions for "later". There is very little acceptance at the beginning, just absorbtion. A study subject is not approached for baptism until they no longer challenge or ask the tough questions. This can take no less than six months.

  By then, the investment of time and study makes it difficult for the study to back out. They don't want to admit they've wasted their time. They don't want to disappoint the study leader. Cognitive dissonance sets in.

  ...Missing a meeting would be tantamount to sinning....

  I think this is usually held off until AFTER baptism. See my note about Cognitive Dissonance.

  What kind of individuals do you think get readily "taken" ?

  Steve Hassan makes a very good point that ANYONE is vulnerable to this indoctrination method. I do notice however, that JW's tend to hone in on people in transition or who have recently experienced loss. Intelligence is no protection. I say this to remind the ex-JW community that they weren't "stupid" to be sucked in so long. The WTBTS has had 150 TESTED years to hone their indoctrination methods.

  What is your point of view regarding cults and there

  [sic] methods?

  Our society reveres freedom of choice, and will rarely intervene in people's weirdness. I think our courts and our lawmakers, however, have failed to recognize that people can be "taken" against their will when organizations or leaders use known coercive techniques to obtain and maintain membership. There are fundamental flaws in the way we think and how we are motivated as human beings. These techniques need to be recognized and legislated against.

  http://www.factnet.org/rancho4.htm

  www.freedomofmind.com
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  The wanderer

  Dear Jgnat:
  
  Well, I was giving you my own personal
  perspective on the matter and what
  drew me in could have possibly
  drawn others in.
  
  If you do not mind me asking, how long
  were you one of Jehovah's Witnesses
  and how did they draw you in?
  
  Respectfully,
  
  The Wanderer
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  Arthur

  Unwavering loyalty to any organization is maintained by making the followers feel guilty and afraid of even questioning the organization.

  They are made to feel guilty by reminding them that doubting or investigating the organization is a sign of pride, arrogance, lack of faith, self-centerdness, lack of gratitude, or a lack of faith toward God.

  They are made to feel afraid by reminding them that it is a metaphysical entity such as Satan, or demons, that is prompting them to feel such doubts. If they indulge themselves in investigating the organization; they are playing right into the hands of Satan. If they ever leave the confines of the organization; they will no longer be in God's grace.

  Then, they remind the follower of all of the "blessings" that have been dispensed through the organization: love, enlightenment, and security.

  It's basically the carrot and the stick. Only, some organizations use a much bigger stick than others.
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  sammielee24

  Wanderer - thankyou.

  In my association with Witnesses - I have dealt with people who joined when they were adults, people born and raised in the Society and people who were 'close' to being baptized but who eventually made the decision to terminate their relationship (in whatever form that took) from the Society. What I've found is that those joining as adults were looking for something in their life that they couldn't seem to find by understanding and acceptance of themselves. Sometimes and for some people, I think introspection of oneself, is burdonsome. I feel absolute compassion for those born into it because what has been taken from many of them (especially in zealous families) is most often who they are and what they might have become. What I tend to feel more ofen when dealing with people who joined as adults and who adhere to the shunning poliices, disassociation from the world, prejudice, blood issues etc., is simple frustration. I recognize the brainwashing that has taken place but despite that, I still find it frustrating that they - who were once part of the world, might have married in the world, have all their family in the world - reject that world as evil to follow a leadership that has ripped their own blood from their heart. sammieswife.
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  Mary

  A major tactic is LOVE BOMBING. For someone who's lonely, without any family, friends or any place to go, the cults fit them like a glove. The love they've been missing for so long is overwhelming and the new recruit feels like they've been born again. They quickly realize that in order to keep this love of the group, they must conform to all the rules and regulations, no matter how insane. Love is a strong emotion and a basic human need. Many people will do anything to have it, including selling their souls to a cult.