RollingStone: How People Leave One Cult — and End Up in Another

 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/what-is-cult-hopping-nxivm-dos-838750/

TEAH BANKS WAS born into an evangelical Christian sect called the Radio Church of God. Founded in the 1930s by an advertising sales representative turned minister, the insular group promoted an ultra-fundamentalist reading of the Old Testament, eschewing divorce, premarital sex and even wearing makeup. “It was a super closed religion,” Banks, now 42, remembers. “We had pictures of the leader in our home. We worshipped him like he was a god.”

Although Banks started having questions about the group, she attended services until her 20s, when she was expelled from the organization. In 2004, she and her then-boyfriend, a filmmaker named Mark Vicente (best known for the documentary What the Bleep Do We Know?), were approached by two women who wanted Vicente to make films for their organization, NXIVM, which taught a curriculum called the Executive Success Program, or ESP. The two women (one of whom was NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman) raved about their leader, a mathematician, scientist, judo champion and concert-level pianist who had patented a unique method of hacking the human brain. The man’s name, the women said, was Keith Raniere.

Banks and Vicente’s interest was piqued, and they agreed to join the women for lunch; when Salzman successfully used ESP methods to “cure” Banks of her lifelong lactose intolerance, she was even more intrigued. “I’m just like, wow, this is amazing. This woman is amazing,” she says. “And I said, ‘Nancy, I want to be one of your people.'” 

....

"Because cultic studies is a relatively under-researched field (unsurprisingly, cults themselves are resistant to outsiders conducting research on their practices), there isn’t much data attesting to exactly how prevalent “cult-hopping” is. But anecdotally, Eichel says, the practice is common, in part because those who are kicked out of a cult or excommunicated are looking for another organization to fill the void. Most cults, including NXIVM, teach adherents that they are wholly responsible for their own actions, which creates feelings of extreme self-doubt and anguish when they’re cut off from their support system. “That leaves [them] vulnerable to another group to say, ‘Well no, you’re in the wrong group, this is the right group,'” Eichel says.

Those who leave cults on their own – which Eichel says constitutes the “vast majority” of cult members — most often do so because they’ve had a bad experience with the group, perhaps observing something that violates their own ethics, or inconsistencies between the leader’s behavior and his teachings. But contrary to what you might expect, from the perspective of a former cult member, having one bad experience with a cult does not necessarily reflect on cult-like organizations as a whole. Eichel compares it to how most people would feel after they visit a bad dentist: sure, the experience of being poked and prodded by a poorly trained practitioner might make us slightly more wary of dentistry in general, but it certainly won’t stop anyone from hopping on Yelp and trying to find another, better dentist.

Former members may be disillusioned with that specific group, “but open to the next one,” Eichel says. “Because they think, ‘Of course that group didn’t have the truth. This one does.'” (Vicente’s case, Raniere actively referred to his experience with Ramtha when trying to recruit him for NXIVM, saying during his testimony that Raniere said “he needed to deprogram me from my mystical beliefs.”

...

"But the main reason why cult-hopping is so prevalent stems from an extremely common (and incorrect) assumption about cult members: that they’re inherently naive or poorly educated or vulnerable to being duped. On the contrary, Eichel says, most people who become involved in cults come from middle-class or upper-middle-class backgrounds and have higher than average IQs. They also tend to have a history of becoming attracted to social justice movements and causes. “We’re talking about people who want to change the world, who want to do something productive,” he says. It isn’t until it’s too late, he says, that they realize the only person whose life they’re improving is their leader."

Festival '23: The Splits, Splinters and Slivers Flee to The Place of Safety and Final Training...

...but then rethink their faith in the insane

 

Crackpot Prophet Makes New Hilarious Claims About His Education And Divine Right To Apostolic Succession

Eastern Orthodox Christian.com: a gold mine of information about Eastern Orthodoxy

 

When it comes to the vanity and narcissism of the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel, there is no end to the surprises or lunacy he comes up with.

Never in the history of the last 2,000 years of Christianity has there been such superfantabulous man sent by God to this earth! Even Jesus Christ pales in comparison to the mighty works of this man. Since he was part of the divine plan of the universe when the Godhead was sitting around the kitchen table planning on the future salvation of humankind, the subject of having a latter-day prophet return to save the church and its few remaining people so that they could become future gods just like Jesus. They knew that in those perilous end times, a mighty voice would need to be heard in the remnant church and the world to set it straight and to ring the final bell when it is time for the true believers to flee to Petra. After all, in those perilous end times, everyone will be too stupid to know the times are bad and they need to flee.

Only the greatest man ever to walk this earth could pull off such a mighty stunt as this and the Godhead worked diligently to craft the Might Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel to come in the perilous end times.

Knowing that 99.99999999999999999% of humanity would laugh at the great savior to come, they knew they needed to give him impeccable credentials that would be beyond reproach.

And so, today in 2023 we have the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel talking in our midst delivering the truth as it never has been before. These are the credentials that our Great Bwana Bob Mzungu lays at our feet.

Notice how deceptive he is with the last sentence as tries to bamboozle potential Catholic readers that he is carrying on the faith he had been taught in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a deceptive lie!

The author, Dr. Bob Thiel, was baptized, took cathechism classes, confirmed, and raised Roman Catholic as a child. He also attended Roman Catholic school for part of his elementary school years and studied Latin in high school. From his youth, he has always striven to hold to the original Christian faith. 

Following is one of the stupidest things Bob Thiel has ever said about himself and his right to apostolic succession. He gained that right through the Dibar Apartian! Screw Gaylyn Bonjour! Apartian is the man!

After seeing shockingly major scriptural issues with Roman Catholic and Protestant teachings, he was later baptized by a Church of God (COG) minister in 1977. He was confirmed as a member of the “original catholic church” in 2008 by formerly Armenian Apostolic Orthodox catholic, but then original apostolic catholic Church of God clergyman evangelist, Dibar Apartian in France. Dr. Thiel later had hands laid on him related to ordination in 2011 and 2017 from other long-time ordained COG ministers (Gaylyn Bonjour, Evans Ochieng, and Samuel Gyeabour). 

Dibar Apartian had no more light to pass on apposolic succession than Gyloyn Bonjour supposedly did allowing Bwana Bob to start a new church. Both claims are absurd and without merit. Gaylyn Bonjour did not lay hands on Bob to ordain him. Evans Ochieng and Samuel Gyeabour had no ability to ordain Bob as a church leader either. The lies and deception that surround Bwana Bob Mzungu are appalling! 

Though interested in church history all his life, this interest intensified after one of his numerous trips to Vatican City, which then led to his formal studies in church history. Dr. Thiel also made numerous trips to other locations (such as Greece, Israel, and Turkey) where he also learned about early Christianity as well as aspects of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He has a graduate degree in information systems (M.S., USC) along with doctorates in nutrition science (Ph.D. UIU) and early Christianity (Th.D., TGSAT).  Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?

Bwana Gob Mzungu's TGSAT is a total farce. It is from an online diploma mill out of India that is NOT accredited and carries no weight anywhere in the world, except in the eyes of his few faithly leaders and some members in his little church. Bwana Bob Thiel's Th.D. is NOT a real doctorate in Theology that can be obtained in REAL seminaries but a distance by learning from college in India, now known as a hotbed of Christian theological education but for deceptive manipulation and con games against Westerners.

This is what they say about themselves:

Accreditation is a totally voluntary process, and it is not compulsory or mandatory for Bible Colleges and Seminaries that operate without government or federal funds. Since we have chosen not to seek or receive any government funds, we have taken a totally independent and biblical stand in these matters which is explained below. 

TGSAT has been established by an international group of committed, theologically conservative, Bible believing, Christians to impart high quality spiritual, bible-based, theological education and training to Christians worldwide. The purpose of such training in Bible and theology is personal spiritual enrichment and also equipping of born-again Christians for spiritual ministry. 

Here is an "international group of committed, theologically conservative, Bible-believing," Christians that the Great Bwana labels as "so-called" Christians. It's interesting how much he needs the validation of these "so-called" Christians to prove his ministry is right and yet has no respect for them.

The group that established the free theology training programs at TGSAT strongly feels that no external agency (private or government) should be allowed to regulate or control Bible-based spiritual activities. Thus, we have never sought accreditation by private or government agencies. 

Contrary to popular belief, Accreditation of a theological institution is not based upon quality of spiritual instruction alone. Rather, a large number of other factors are also taken into consideration. Most people who examine such things (for granting accreditation) may not be conservative Christians. Many of them may not even be born-again. Thus they often may demand that the syllabus conform to their policies and doctrinal position. 

As a result TGSAT might have to compromise on its theological stand in many areas if we opt for accreditation. Moreover, we firmly believe that secular governments have NO jurisdiction to examine/accredit bible-based theological programs. That is the reason why we wish to operate without accreditation. 

Many people think that studying an accredited program will increase their job-prospects. Such people should notice that TGSAT is not meant for theological training for the sake of getting jobs. Applicants whose primary purpose is to seek a job after their studies should look elsewhere for a Bible Seminary that trains people for jobs and should not look to TGSAT to meet such a requirement. That is simply not part of our mission or vision. 

The Great Bwana Mzungu did not need to worry about this. He had dreams and visions and that was the start button for his new splinter group. 

TGSAT is here to train people who are looking for spiritual self-enrichment and also for those who wish to use such a formal training in Bible and Theology for Christian ministry-related purposes. Such people look for spiritual quality of instruction and not for government accreditation of biblical and theological training programs. 

Was Bwana Bob Mzungu actually getting a "spiritual quality of instruction" or did he go into all of this with his Armstrognite blinders thinking he was going to educate them? You and I both know for a fact Bwana Bob entered this program knowing that he had all the answers. There wasn't much knew any of these Indian Christians could ever teach him. After all, they were deceived and blinded Christians.

What is more, it is a wrong notion that all accredited institutions maintain spiritual quality. On the contrary, you need to know that ALL theologically radical and liberal Bible seminaries worldwide tend to be accredited. This means that accreditation is not the same as spiritual quality. With that made clear, let us took at how TGSAT maintains its quality. 

Well, Armstrongism and Bobism are not known for "spiritual quality" and yet here we are. 

We have built a system of multiple checks-and-balances to ensure that TGSAT maintains the highest possible spiritual, theological, and academic quality. This includes a strong Statement of Doctrine, regular review of the syllabus, and also a very large international group made up of faculty members and graduates who keep assessing TGSAT quality on a periodic basis. This feedback is analyzed periodically by the core group so as to ensure that quality is maintained. Thus you can be assured that we will always maintain the highest spiritual, biblical, and academic quality at any cost. What is more, all TGSAT programs shall remain totally free of tuition fees. 

If these men in this Indian distance-by-learning site were real Christians you know that in addition to the many statements of belief they required, the big one would be the belief in the Trinity. Did the Great Bwana lie to them about his belief in the Trinity? 

Summary: Join TGSAT only if your primary interest is in theological/biblical instruction. If you wish anything more than that [such as a government job, any other kind of job, government scholarship] then Trinity is not the right institution. Bear this clearly in mind before you apply. What is more, since no institution can unconditionally guarantee acceptance of their degree by other institutions worldwide, Trinity offers no such guarantee. We guarantee only an international-quality theological/biblical training. Posted in: Accreditation. About the Author: Kochi_Admin_2013

Here we have a man who despises the Trinity and lies about it yet signed up for an online diploma from Trinity School! The hypocrisy drips loudly on the enlarged head of the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu. 

Never has the Church of God seen such a deceptive man in its midst. He is our own Judas and Simon Magus all wrapped up into one. Even as deceptive and manipulative as Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack and Ron Wienland are, they represent themselves as themselves. Bwana Bob Mzungu presents himself as someone he is not. Never has been. And, never shall be.