How do apocolytpic cults start? (page 5)

mrsjones5

She thinks y'all are actually making pointed comments. Paranoia.

tec

Are you part of a group exhibiting these behaviours?

Nope. But I am not playing this game either. I had hoped to discuss the topic, but that is not going to happen.

Peace to you,

tammy

My partner grew up in a cult environment controlled by an EX JW couple. They were very apocalyptic. Always talking about the end of the world, wars in the middle east, earthquakes etc..etc..It had devastating effects on his family. And they were just a small group of families. Not some big cult like the JW's.

They don't belong to it any more...but the dooms day stuff remains. They are still obsessed with it.

still thinking

I think you may be right Mrs J...what are you on about tec?

perfect1

People want leaders so badly.

EntirelyPossible

I'm sorry tec, I really don't know what you are on about. If you don't want to post, that's fine. Your participation is always welcome, of course.

In any event, I think it would be fascinating to see the genesis of these groups. The documentary on Alan Miller in australia is fascinating (I think it's on Youtube). The control is very emotional, whipping people into a frenzy and then being the conduit to release that emotion, using his "gifts" from God.

This method of attaching people to him is the same thing Koresh and Jim Jones did. He has left divorce and broken families in his wake and is now buying land to build a compound for his devotees. It's like watching the birth of the Davidians or Jim Jones.

Of course, the WTBS does some of this too, but not to this degrees. As bad as they are, they have yet to do this. If I had to guess, I would say it's because groups have to stay small to get to this point, a few thousands at most. Once you get past that, it's becomes focused on growth and profit along with personal power.

still thinking

Doomsday cults don't start out that way. Even JW's were just a group of bible students, who used to have freedom of conscience. They got together to methodically look at the bible, and felt they had found certain truths. As time went on, they became more cohesive, and in stronger agreement. A charismatic leader can then take them in increments to more extreme or bizarre positions, and it has, as they call it, 'the ring of truth' and they easily follow without much questioning.

But is is the 'ring of truth' or simply tickling their confirmation bias. They felt they were a special group, uncovering truths, so any odd teaching they could support would be exciting to them.

As they grow, they then have the force of numbers, so new people who have not been acclimated to the shifting teachings see that other people accept it, and it gives validity. Perhaps they assume that THOSE people did the work of critical questioning, and they trust them. Soon, they are right on board.

No, a doomsday cult leader doesn't start off by preaching the most extreme parts, but softly leads other in, always making them believe they are thinking for themselves, keep their guard down, heaping approval and flattery on them when they agree. Tolerating some that don't agree, which makes them seem more reasonable, and can win a person over.

JW's are led by a group of men, but that's not how they started. They had charismatic leaders that gently led them farther and farther from the road they started on.

mrsjones5

I recently watch a Dr Phil show about a woman who unknowingly joined a cult. She met the cult leader in a MickeyD's. This man had her so much under control that she allowed him to repeatedly rape her underage daughter. Even after he died he still had a hold on her. She couldn't let go because she believed that he might be Jesus. If I remember correctly his claims started out with his hearing the voice of god, then he claimed to be Jesus. It was so sad.

EntirelyPossible

Right on ST. Just like how I got my kids into metal. Had I started with the songs Heretic Anthem or Bitter Peace, they would have been turned off forever. I started with the Avengers, as in, they love the movie Iron Man. Hey, you know that's Black Sabbath, right? That's metal. Then Crazy Train, a straight Ozzy song in the movie Megamind. Then a little Metallica, some of the lighter stuff, but a little harder than Sabbath. Now, they are all into Slayer, Metallica, Sabbath, Slipknot, etc.

Mrs J, that is horrible. I mean, how can one person have that much of a hold over another person?

How do apocolytpic cults start?

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