Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.
- Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
- Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused--as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
- Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as "persecution".
- Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.
- Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
- Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.
- A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.
- Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
- Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
- Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.
Source: Cult Education Network
7 comments:
As it seems there are splinter-group members reading this blog, and that they may be too brainwashed by Flurry, Meredith, Pack or whoever to see the truth about their group, let me offer a less threatening exercise with regard to the criteria posed by this blog post and the previous one.
Think of a second-tier leader in your group -- someone who works directly for Flurry, Meredith, Pack or whoever. There is enough competition and conflict within each group that it should be easy enough to single out a particular Diotrephes or Apollos who is widely feared or disdained by the membership.
Now, notice how this Diotrephes creates within his area of responsibility a sort of "mini-cult" mentality, theoretically still honoring the top leader but in practice putting himself at the center of attention.
For the final part of this exercise, notice that this Diotrephes does what he does with the approval of your group's top leader!
Flurry, Meredith, Pack, Weinland and others like them create in their groups an atmosphere that fosters competition among those who aspire to be the next generation of cult leaders... and this competition leads to the creation of factions within each group that amount to miniature cults of their own.
You can be 100% sure you don't belong to a cult if you belong to no organized religion. I am an agnostic I belong to no religion. Even if you have a strong belief in god you can have that with-out belonging to any organized religion.
The belief that belonging to a group is needed for spiritual growth, or to "qualify for salvation" is a myth and a belief that is at-least mildly cultic.
Maybe its just me but I see no need to belong to any religion even if I did have a strong belief in God.
Here is ONE warning sign: The hierarchy are all assholes!
THE END.
Exclusivist elitists, rather than inclusionists. Gloating over supposedly being the chosen ones while relishing the imagined punishment those who fail to join will suffer.
BB
oh man, talk about cults!
televangelist requires vasectomies
"televangelist requires vasectomies"
That's Ernest Angley, a successful Jesus-loving televangelist from the American Midwest.
Phil Collins parodied him in a music video of the song "Jesus He Knows Me" that's on the 1991 Genesis album We Can't Dance.
Click here if you'd like to check out the video.
11th sign:
He graduated from Ambassador College.
Post a Comment