What is a Cult?

 https://cultinformation.org.uk/question_what-is-a-cult.html

What is a Cult?

The Cult Information Centre (CIC) defines a cult as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members
2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society.
3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma.
4. It believes the end justifies the means in order to solicit funds and recruit people.
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

Categories of Cults

Religious Cults	Therapy Cults
Communal living common.	Communal Living rare.
Members may leave or not join society's workforce.	Members usually stay in societys workforce.
Average age at the point of recruitment is in the 20s.	Average age at the point of recruitment is in the mid 30s
Registered as religious groups.	Registered as non profit making groups.
Appear to offer association with a group interested in making the world a better place via political, spiritual or other means.	Appear to offer association with a group giving courses in some kind of self improvement or self help technique or therapy.

What are the Characteristics of a Religious Cult?

Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members

2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society.

3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma.

4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds recruit people.

5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

Mind Control techniques include:

1. Hypnosis

Inducing a state of high suggestibility by hypnosis, often thinly disguised as relaxation or meditation.

2. Peer Group Pressure

Suppressing doubt and resistance to new ideas by exploiting the need to belong.

3. Love Bombing

Creating a sense of family and belonging through hugging, kissing, touching and flattery.

4. Rejection of Old Values

Accelerating acceptance of new life style by constantly denouncing former values and beliefs.

5. Confusing Doctrine

Encouraging blind acceptance and rejection of logic through complex lectures on an incomprehensible doctrine.

6. Metacommunication

Implanting subliminal messages by stressing certain key words or phrases in long, confusing lectures.

7. Removal of Privacy

Achieving loss of ability to evaluate logically by preventing private contemplation.

8. Time Sense Deprivation

Destroying ability to evaluate information, personal reactions, and body functions in relation to passage of time by removing all clocks and watches.

9. Disinhibition

Encouraging child-like obedience by orchestrating child-like behaviour.

10. Uncompromising Rules

Inducing regression and disorientation by soliciting agreement to seemingly simple rules which regulate mealtimes, bathroom breaks and use of medications.

11. Verbal Abuse

Desensitizing through bombardment with foul and abusive language.

12. Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue

Creating disorientation and vulnerability by prolonging mental and physical activity and withholding adequate rest and sleep.

13. Dress Codes

Removing individuality by demanding conformity to the group dress code.

14. Chanting and Singing

Eliminating non-cult ideas through group repetition of mind-narrowing chants or phrases.

15. Confession

Encouraging the destruction of individual ego through confession of personal weaknesses and innermost feelings of doubt.

16. Financial Commitment

Achieving increased dependence on the group by 'burning bridges' to the past, through the donation of assets.

17. Finger Pointing

Creating a false sense of righteousness by pointing to the shortcomings of the outside world and other cults.

18. Flaunting Hierarchy

Promoting acceptance of cult authority by promising advancement, power and salvation.

19. Isolation

Inducing loss of reality by physical separation from family, friends, society and rational references.

20. Controlled Approval

Maintaining vulnerability and confusion by alternately rewarding and punishing similar actions.

21. Change of Diet

Creating disorientation and increased susceptibility to emotional arousal by depriving the nervous system of necessary nutrients through the use of special diets and/or fasting.

22. Games

Inducing dependence on the group by introducing games with obscure rules.

23. No Questions

Accomplishing automatic acceptance of beliefs by discouraging questions.

24. Guilt

Reinforcing the need for 'salvation' by exaggerating the sins of the former lifestyles.

25. Fear

Maintaining loyalty and obedience to the group by threatening soul, life or limb for the slightest 'negative' thought, word or deed.

26. Replacement of Relationships

Destroying pre-cult families by arranging cult marriages and 'families'.