Here's yet another site: http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/5951/recruit.html
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty
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In a majority of cases, those who join cults do not necessarily hold to the beliefs of the cult. Rather, the cult meets some needs or desires of that person. Meeting the needs of a person can amount to many things. The following is a summary of needs, encompassing both interactive and felt needs. 1. Social needs. People need others to feel normal and human. Interaction with others is a necessity for a fulfilled and balanced person. a. affirmation - the need to be recognized as having value. As Christians, we possess two kinds of affirmation. Affirmation of the Spirit says that we have value because of Christ's sacrifice. Affirmation of Fellowship says that we have value to others, because we recognize the value of others, due to the sacrifice of Christ. b. security - the need to have a consistent social environment; a somewhat predictable habit of social contact. As Christians, we have security through Christ, who is our environment, and who is a constant. Note the theme of God's faithfulness and providership in Scripture. c. attention - the need to have a personally directed response to our thoughts and actions. As Christians, we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who directs and affirms our thoughts and actions. d. leadership - the need to have a goal or purpose; sometimes a reason for life. As Christians, our leadership is through Christ, augmented through those appointed to lead us in discipleship to Christ. e. philosophical - the need to reason and find rationale for what happens, or what is perceived. As Christians, we find our reasoning and rationale in revelations, naturally occurring through God, and in the nature and being of God. f. power - the need to control and not be controlled. The need for an aspect of order in our own personal life. As Christians, our lives are controlled by Christ, who provides the order in our lives, and becomes the enabler for our aspirations. 2. Physical Needs a. food b. shelter c. health and medicine Dependency upon God to provide is a consistent theme in Scriptures. Note that God's faithfulness is constant, while human faithfulness is not. 3. Emotional Needs a. dependence b. comfort/contentedness c. emotive social response/response to hurts d. compassion e. justice Emotional needs are met in the community of Christ, where care and understanding are modeled in the first chapters in the book of Acts. 4. Spiritual Needs a. God-shaped emptiness within each person b. justice/balance c. worship As evidenced by the wealth and consistency of writings throughout the ages, man has a need to worship and acknowledge a constant. Some contemporaries that have been examples of this need are Herman Hesse, Blaise Pascal, Bonhoffer, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, and Joseph Conrad. Techniques The following techniques are actively used by all cults, whether they be religious or political, to varying degrees. 1. repetitive recitation: makes responses automatic, and is most closely affiliated with what has been termed "brainwashing". It reduces the natural inquisitiveness of a person to an automatic, homogenous "parrot" of the ideas that are taught in this repetitive way. Often, victims are told to meditate on an idea, or become part of a group that uses peer pressure to enforce the activity. 2. Scripture twisting: appeals to the need for rational thinking, and depends on a pre-existing confidence in Scriptures, or a possible confidence in Scriptures. Misinterpretation, discouraging question asking, and extreme authority are often utilized in conjunction with Scripture twisting. 3. Emotional incentive: social needs are met only when the "proper" response is given. Often coupled with peer pressure, once a target is drawn into the group, conformity to the group's ideas and "rules" is enforced by providing and/or withholding emotional needs. 4. Emotional teardown: breaking down the individuality of a person encourages replacement of the individual with the ideas and thoughts of another. Related to ideas of self-esteem, emotional teardown consists of a leader or group emphasizing negative traits in an individual. Through this process, individuals with low self-esteem, or have a low self-confidence, will strive to satisfy the "new" attitudes of the group, thereby reducing the group's concentration on the individual's "negative" traits. Often, emotional teardown is utilized when an individual can be isolated from society, family, and friends. (i.e. retreats, camps, "training" schools) 5. physical incentive: physical needs are met only when the "proper" response is given. Conformity is enforced by providing or withholding physical needs. Often, the targets are not able to be self-sufficient, or they have "lost" these skills due to the influence of the group. 6. spiritual incentive: secret or mystic "truths" are revealed only when the "proper" response is given. Often, secret oaths and horrifying penalties for the disclosure of these "secrets" are utilized, although some groups are known to reveal "inner" secrets only to those that have proven loyalty to the group. A defined hierarchy of authority is usually the case with these kinds of groups, with the revelation of "secrets" used as a method of enforcing conformity. 7. physical teardown: a sensual experience is generated through physical deprivation. Affects emotional and rational needs. This takes advantage of a medical phenomenon whereby an individual becomes more suggestible under a physically weakened state. Sensory deprivation is also related to this, to a certain extent. The most common occurrence of physical teardown occurs when individuals are isolated, encouraged to "meditate", and are fed at the end of long intervals. Repetitive recitation often follows. 8. spiritual teardown: current belief system is challenged and ridiculed. A new, or modified belief system is proposed to replace it. The technique plays on emotional and spiritual needs. In pseudo-christian cults, scripture twisting is common. 9. social incentive: social needs are met when the "proper" response is given. An individual who does not conform to the group is shunned, harassed, or persecuted. 10. peer pressure: needs are met when the expected "proper" response is given. Acceptance of an individual into a group is dependent on conformity to group ideals and actions. This is often tied to any and all of the incentive methods. 11. graduated indoctrination: the actual basis, or belief system, is introduced to the target so slowly, the victim assimilates information without checking it against previous information. Most commonly, truthful principles are utilized initially, then the true beliefs and policies of the group are intermingled. An individual may subjectively perceive the new ideas of the group as being very consistent with his/her own belief system, even though those ideas were originally perceived as being contrary to that individual. SUMMARY The information presented here is a short summary of some techniques used by known cults. Not all cult groups use the same methods or appear to be using these same devices for recruitment. The focus of all of these techniques is the manipulation of individuals, with disregard for personal choice in all stages of decision. For information on groups that you may be concerned about, contact the Christian Counter Project. Presented by: The Christian Counter Project P.O. Box 957215 Hoffman Estates, IL 60195 Copyright 1989, 1990 The Christian Counter Project Reproduction permitted only if text is intact, not within the body of any other text, and is not sold for gain or profit. All transmissions of this document must include the copyright notice and the statement "Reprinted by permission of the Christian Counter Project." Revision 1.1 February 1990 |
Good on ya, Lady Liberty! Those sites you've posted have really good info. Frannie