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Rick's page about cults and mind control
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There is much myth and fallacies about cults. People talk everywhere about cults, brainwashing, etc. etc. You see some guys acting weird (like selling flowers in the rain), and you think they're evil. You might think: "They're deceived", and try to reason with the Bible with them, even when you know that this won't change their minds. But you stubbornly try, full of pride, as if that solved the world's problems. But there are some things you should know first...

Lying is not the only form of deception. I've seen the most curious things about cultists - people only describe what THEY SEE in cults. For example, people often say "cults are organisations where everyone follows blindly a certain leader".

But WHY do they follow this leader? HOW did this leader recruited them? Most cultists were rational, critical people, many were even 'born-again'. So WHY and HOW did they become some sort of zombies trying to recruit everyone into their church?

After talking with current cult members, studying testimonies of former members, and reading experts in the field, I decided to make this webpage to stop the cultic mythology and state the facts.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Truth about cults

  1. What REALLY is a cult? Rick's personal criteria for abusive churches
    1. Church = end, not means
    2. Exclusivism (for salvation) and pride
    3. Lying "for God"
    4. Psychological manipulation
      WARNING: Cultists will try to become your friends - please read!
    5. Leader(s) = Perfect
    6. Blind obedience
    7. Closed society
    8. Distrust

  2. What are the main differences between cults,churches and sects?
    WARNING: Search for behavior, not doctrines!

Cult Experts tell us about cult characteristics

  1. Rober Jay Lifton's 8 points (Thought Reform and the psychology of Totalism)

    1. Milieu control
    2. Mystical manipulation (or 'planned spontaneity')
    3. Demand for purity (polarisation: us vs them, inside vs outside, good vs evil)
    4. Cult of confession (loss of intimacy, disclosure of self)
    5. Sacred science (the leader is always right. If he's wrong, then we misunderstood him)
    6. Loading of the language (thought-stopping techniques: meditation, overused cliches)
    7. Doctrine over person (personal experiences rewritten to fit cult beliefs)
    8. Dispensing of existence (Non members, SPECIALLY ex-members are doomed...)

  2. Steve Hassan's criteria (BITE Model)

    B. Behavior Control
    I. Information Control
    T. Thought Control
    E. Emotional Control

  3. Margaret Thale Singer's criteria

What you need to know (under construction)

  1. Mind Control: How cultists grab you
  2. What to do if a family member is involved
    The do's and don'ts of cult help
    Some basic steps to organize yourselves and help your family member

Cults, bible and protestantism (under construction)

  1. Are protestant churches 'cults'?
  2. Is the Catholic Church a cult?
  3. The protestant reform and cults (some historical background)
  4. Cults IN the Bible
  5. Cults AND the Bible

Cult examples

The Ruthless Out there: Watch out for UFO Cults!


This page has been accesed hit counter times since June 7, 1999
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