10 Warning Signs of Cult Recruitment

[HealthAndHappiness]

I'm having a little difficulty with your story. Maybe something happened to you, but TM classes don't run many weeks. They're typically a couple of hours and then an initiation ceremony that's nothing like what you described. Dave Hunt is the last person I'd go to for information on cults. Walter Martin would be far more preferable.

Maybe you were a TM teacher?

No, of course you weren't.
I actually paid for the classes and attended the weekly sessions.
I know what I am talking about on this subject more than you and Walter Martin. I have his book in my library.

 

[shittim]

The question is whose promises are you being led by: God's or the cult's? God will never lead you down the wrong path. A cult will lead you into some light mixed with darkness.

So will you.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Maybe you were a TM teacher?

So you were recruited to be a TM teacher?

 

[HeIsHere]

I can see that. An us vs. them mentality. If you're one of the good guys you're with us; otherwise you'll die friendless, loveless, and alone.

I think that the tides are slowly turning and hopefully standing against "wokeness" does not leave one friendless, loveless and alone.

 

[ResidentAlien]

I think that the tides are slowly turning and hopefully standing against "wokeness" does not leave one friendless, loveless and alone.

I'm not saying I agree with that way of thinking; I'm just saying that's how they manipulate people into playing along. It's not true of course.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Just another lure to discredit people.

Nonsense. You speak as though you have no clue about the existence and tremendous influence of cults within Christendom. Cults need to be discredited since they promote false Christianity.

 

[shittim]

That isn't what is happening here.
Thank you Fundamental.
best wishes

 

[Fundaamental]

Nonsense. You speak as though you have no clue about the existence and tremendous influence of cults within Christendom. Cults need to be discredited since they promote false Christianity.

Thankyou your most kind 😊

 

[Nehemiah6]

The 23:45 minute mark described a big Hindu cult called Transcendental Meditation (TM)

TM was huge in the 60's, as were many other Hindu influences such as the Hare Krishna Movement and several Hindu "gurus" who suckered gullible Westerners into joining them.

 

[HeIsHere]

I'm not saying I agree with that way of thinking; I'm just saying that's how they manipulate people into playing along. It's not true of course.

Oh I get it, yes pressure to conform to the prevailing and latest fad, like on CC when you get a barage of Red X's!!

 

[JohnDB]

Christianity is a cult. So is community involvement. So are a lot of organizations.

The problem is not with cults per se....but destructive cults.

Christianity is a constructive cult that can be used to become destructive (and has many times)

 

[wattie]

Hi Wattie,

That seems to be one of the things that is common to the New Age and eastern religions.
I assume that you practiced some form of meditation then?

Yeah..being 'one' with a rock, plant, animal or even stars and planets!

Feels nice..but what are you opening yourself to?

 

[HeIsHere]

Christianity is a cult. So is community involvement. So are a lot of organizations.

The problem is not with cults per se....but destructive cults.

Christianity is a constructive cult that can be used to become destructive (and has many times)

And how do you come to the conclusion that Christianity is a cult?

 

[Nehemiah6]

Christianity is a cult.

That would be a sick description from godless Communists and atheists. Karl Marx said something similar.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Yeah..being 'one' with a rock, plant, animal or even stars and planets!

Feels nice..but what are you opening yourself to?

I ask because us Americans were not told what the Indian Hindus were. I did an investigation on the Mantras. We were told that it was personal and especially unique for each individual. What I learned was that they were not just some random syllables that were chosen for vibration, and different for each student. We were forbidden to tell anyone else the mantra because they were common to others based upon year and whether man or woman, boy or girl.
They were Sanskrit and a list of names of demon false deities. I suspected such and this was confirmed by an American former Hindu teacher.

I thought you'd like to know as I was.

 

[Nehemiah6]

On a more serious note, it seems to me "cult like thinking" with buzz words of tolerance, equity, inclusion, diversity is the new cult of post modern society.

The State Religion under Biden includes (a) sacrifices to Moloch (infanticide) plus (b) the worship of sexual perversion and (c) the promotion of black racism. Not to mention Marxist/Communism + Fascism. So what we have is an amalgam of every kind of evil ideology under one roof. And it is the secular cult of the Leftists.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

TM was huge in the 60's, as were many other Hindu influences such as the Hare Krishna Movement and several Hindu "gurus" who suckered gullible Westerners into joining them.

It failed early on in the 60s like most of the wicked gurus until Maharishi Mahesh went back to India . A demon told him to go back to America and spread his religion under the guise of "science" and self help psychology. The hippy movement instigated by the C👁️A was most accepting to promote them.
That's where the evil medical establishment more recently boosted Hinduism through their practices of yoga and meditation.
In the early 70s it was popularized by celebrities and rock stars. Since then, they started their own university and investments. It's still very small compared to the apostate denominations, but it helped get yoga's (yoke/union) foot in the door of many churches and evangelize the West with demon worship.

 

[wattie]

I ask because us Americans were not told what the Indian Hindus were. I did an investigation on the Mantras. We were told that it was personal and especially unique for each individual. What I learned was that they were not just some random syllables that were chosen for vibration, and different for each student. We were forbidden to tell anyone else the mantra because they were common to others based upon year and whether man or woman, boy or girl.
They were Sanskrit and a list of names of demon false deities. I suspected such and this was confirmed by an American former Hindu teacher.

I thought you'd like to know as I was.

That's very interesting, the only good thing to come out of my experience is now I can tell when Christians are veering into it.

Especially with charismania. It's very very similar.

 

[VARob]

Below is a list of common mind control techniques used by cultists. Maybe you have an experience or story of your own to tell about how a cult tried to recruit or keep you. In today's world, manipulation techniques have become so commonplace they may not be recognized. Sometimes, people or groups we may not even consider to be cults use these these techniques. Hopefully this thread will help.

https://thriveworks.com/blog/protect-yourself-from-mind-control-techniques/

Research shows that anyone is susceptible to joining a cult. “Not me!” you say. Yes, you. The self-serving bias that makes people think they’re the exception to the rule can make them feel invulnerable—and leave them unprotected from pathological salespeople. You don’t have to be particularly gullible, insecure, or emotionally needy to be successfully recruited. Cults exploit psychological elements that are hardwired in pretty much everyone. Here’s how they do it:

1. Social isolation. If you are seeing less and less of your family and peers in favor of your new best friends, ask yourself why. Cults gradually chip away at your community until only cult members remain. If the cult is your entire world—a closed system—then leaving it can feel really scary.​

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2. Cyber isolation. If all your Facebook friends agree with you, ask yourself why. Cyber isolation can lead to confirmation bias. That means you only see information that supports what you already believe. And your beliefs are also continually validated in the echo chamber of cyber isolation. The Facebook algorithm shows you things you want to see in a never-ending cycle of digital influence.​

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3. Promised rewards. If you find that you’re on the verge of amazing accomplishments or the fulfillment of your wildest dreams, ask yourself why. Cults promise gifts like a spiritual Wheel of Fortune: enlightenment, self-actualization, love, unlicensed psychotherapy, companionship, exorcism, peace of mind, perfect health, eternal life, great sex, a forever home, a loving family. Over-the-top rewards are part of the conversion process. How can anyone say no?​

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4. Phobia indoctrination. If you find that you have a lot of new fears, ask yourself why. Seeing threats everywhere? Cults use fear to induce people to stay within their ranks, where they’ll be safe. And naturally the only person who can truly protect you is the cult leader. Who is also responsible for punishing you. Their methods are effective because they alternate fear with love, leading to disorganized attachment.​

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5. Heightened emotion. If you find yourself feeling extremely happy, angry, or scared, ask yourself why. Cults trigger big emotional responses and then direct that emotion toward a strategic target when you’re at your least rational.​

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6. Love-bombing. If you find yourself feeling more loved than you ever have in your life, ask yourself why. This is a tactic that narcissistic manipulators use in interpersonal relationships, but it also applies to cultic attempts at thought reform. Cult members will spoil you with attention and affection in order to make you feel connected and important. And people keep coming back for the love drug.​

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7. Us vs. them mentality. If you find that you have a lot of enemies all of a sudden, ask yourself why. Cults invent enemies to help solidify the group identity. When you envision yourself as a missionary for good versus evil, there might be too much at stake for you to abandon your cause.​

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8. Social influence. If you find that everyone around you agrees on something, ask yourself why. Psychological studies show that compliance goes up with the number of people involved. Most people won’t reject an idea if the whole group supports it. And cult prospects are typically overwhelmed with group-ecstatic activities, which can lead them to poor information processing. Essentially, peer pressure makes it impossible for people to function at full capacity.​

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9. Intelligence-dampening. If you find yourself too tired or confused to make decisions, ask yourself why. Cults use techniques like sleep-deprivation, alternate states of consciousness, repetition, and thought-stopping to overwhelm someone’s cognitive resources and critical thinking skills. They destabilize your view of reality. And when your mind is under threat, you keep returning to the safety and love of your leader. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid, even if you develop false beliefs. All humans have false beliefs and a tendency toward magical thinking. But cult members depend on the cult for direction when their brains are disoriented.​

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10. Identity disturbance. If you feel like a new you–a better you–ask yourself why. Cults alternate reward and punishment to stress people out and disrupt their identities. From there, cults can inflict a new identity on a member, one that depends on submission and self-surrender. And it doesn’t help that other sources of identity, like work and school, are slowly taken over by cult participation.​

By these criteria, Jesus himself was a very effective cult leader.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

That's very interesting, the only good thing to come out of my experience is now I can tell when Christians are veering into it.

Especially with charismania. It's very very similar.

I even saw it in a church which was modeled after Andy Stanley's. There was a couple who taught yoga classes outside the church through the week. I didn't seem from talking to them that they knew any connection to Hinduism. I think that pastors should inform themselves and preach against these things to warn. I don't think the outline in the OP will serve as helpful, but I'm sure that the epistles will.