So you’ve been through auditing, got naked in a sweat lodge with blue-eyed Jimmy Ayahuasca for your first initiation and now the high priest says, “you have to sleep with me to experience union with the great horned god” and finally you ask yourself that question which has been plaguing you for a while, “is this group just different or is it actually a cult?”
Cult has become a dirty word. The only difference between a cult and a religion is really just numbers. Many religions act in horrible ways that control their members and they are still considered religions and many small spiritual groups which encourage their members to think for themselves are referred to as cults.
So I’m not going to talk about cults, instead I’m going to talk about DANGEROUS CULT BEHAVIOUR. The following are questions which are designed to make you ask yourself if a group shows behaviour that is likely to have you off your rocker in no time.
In every spiritual group its members should ask themselves these questions and be aware that very positive answers might indicate danger. A very positive answer for just one of these questions alone isn’t enough to classify a group as unsafe, but multiple positive answers to these questions could be a significant indicator of dangerous brainwashing potential.
I took these questions from Isaac Bonewits’ work on identification of dangerous cults. They have been used continuously for the last 30-40 years in identifying the danger in all sorts of fringe groups. This work is not based on prejudice like many other methods of identifying cults and this method of identifying danger is not based the teachings of the group but how they are taught.
If you’re not in a group then these questions are worth retaining. Most likely, you will use them when identifying social groups in the future. On the other hand, anyone who is a member of one or more groups should consider whether these questions indicate danger, whether or not the group’s main goal is spiritual.
Do the leaders of the group exert a lot of control over the members in the group? When leaders use social, political or psychological means to control members of the group this is often a sign of danger and in these situations people are often manipulated in doing things they do not want to do. When they also expect you to act in a certain way outside the group this is also a sign of unsafe cult behaviour. Why should you let someone limit who you are and how you present yourself?
Do the leaders claim to have an incredible amount of exclusive knowledge? Do they discourage you from questioning them or asking for proof? In a situation where the individual is not allowed to investigate and deduce what they believe to be true is a perfect breeding ground for people to believe in garbage. You could believe in anything if you weren’t allowed to question it. Many Christians submit to the belief that when they have doubt in their minds, it was put there by the devil, which makes them ignore their doubts and continue to believe what they believed, despite having doubts. Doubts should be a warning signal and if you’re not allowed to explore them your mind will never be free from your cult leader. When individuals are asked to make up their own minds about what they believe in and to follow lines of inquiry then and only then can they ascertain the truth.
Are you discouraged from questioning your leaders? What happens when you do? Remember that sometimes dangerous cult behaviour is not the result of the leaders of the group but the other members. If they discourage you from questioning the leaders of the group, it is also a place you are likely to get under dangerous influences.
Is the group’s dogma rigid? Small and new spiritual groups often do not have an ingrained dogma and you’ll find, when there is one, it’s not very comprehensive. Without such a structure, members often have a good amount of flexibility to decide the truth of themselves but even in large religions which have lasted for years there’s often a good amount of flexibility in the interpretation of divine scripture. If you find yourself in a situation where you are given no flexibility in what to believe, you could be in surrounded by members of a dangerous cult.
Is there is a focus on recruitment and getting new people into the group? All groups need to recruit otherwise they will soon fall apart due to lack of members but a group should be focused on more than getting new people involved. If its methods are aggressive and manipulative, be careful and pay attention for other criteria that might make a group dangerous. Some groups even set up fronts through which they can recruit people in without telling them what sort of group they are getting involved with.
Do they demand you to commit a lot of your money to the group? Some groups try to get rich from its members without giving them anything in return for their money. Do you feel they are taking advantage of you? Many New Age groups have stated that people don’t value what they don’t pay for, so some charge a nominal amount ($111.10 for a weekend of “Ascension Initiations”). Others pick larger amounts, just because they can ($555.00 per meeting for “Angel Training”)
Does the group have unusual attitudes to or requirement for sex? Do people earn status in the group by sleeping with the leaders? Are the members of the group expected to abstain from sexual behaviour? Sex is a natural part of life and abstaining from it against one’s desires will is more control then one should like to receive from peers. On the other hand giving one’s body to someone else to earn status can lead to very poor self-esteem. Often sleeping with members of a group can lead to attachments and this can make a dangerous cult difficult to leave. Be careful and remember sometimes it’s about connection, sometimes it’s about taking advantage and power, and sometimes it just sex.
Does the group prevent people being exposed to stuff outside of the group? Are members not allowed to meet non-members? Are you banned from reading other materials? Remember that people living among the Nazis were only exposed to newspapers and books that were pro-nazi. There was nothing around to tell them what terrible things were happening, so many people were brainwashed into believing the Nazis were good. The same is true for spiritual things. If you’re in a group, get a second opinion about things and weigh up the two different views. Never give up your true friends, for people that are only your friends when you’re in the group.
If you didn’t believe in it any more, are there things which are still keeping you inside the group? Some groups prevent their members from leaving by insisting members live together or in proximity to others in the group. It is said about some groups that they prevent you leaving by encouraging you to give out your secrets upon entering the group and this has meant that people in the group are afraid this information would be leaked if they ever left. Some groups cut people who leave the group off from their families. Any of these behaviours and you might be involved in a dangerous cult. Remember a true magical group should be about freedom. Sometimes to achieve your will you need to restrict yourself and be disciplined but you only do this to free yourself, not for continued restriction.
Is the group violent? No spiritual groups really need to be violent. Some groups use BDSM techniques to enable people explore different states of consciousness, but this is only within mutually agreed parameters. For the most part, violence is rarely a useful tool in spiritual progression and almost always contrary to the law whether or not the victim was a willing participant.
Is the group paranoid? This is one of the biggest ones we have witnessed in the psychic community. “Oh the evil Satanists are out to get us; they are sending golems to hurt us…” Whether a group’s enemy is in physical existence or not, imagining it has animosity towards the group or more power then it actually does have, could be an indicator of dangerous cult behaviour. I notice often that fear and paranoia are powerful occult tools which can make something fake but scary seem real very quickly.
Does the group take themselves too seriously? I (Hadron) take the pursuit of spiritual and occult knowledge very seriously and there are times I ask other people to be a little bit more serious about it, but I can still take a joke. If jokes are unwelcome, concerning doctrine or leaders, then either this group could demonstrate some dangerous cult behaviours or possibly you’re just not funny. I always disapprove of jokes during ritual time but the rest of the time I am sure not to take my self too seriously. Do you have these freedoms in your group? Get to know your group, find out when it is concentration time and when it is joke time. If there’s no joke time, ever … be afraid, be very afraid because a world without laughter is a crappy place!
Are group leaders responsible for the decisions being made in the member’s lives? Is there a significant surrender of will? Where group leaders are telling the members how to live their lives outside of the group, then ask yourself ‘are you under their control’? If you let other people control a significant number of aspects of your personal life then you might be in a dangerous cult.
Is there a significant amount of hypocrisy that is obscured or denied? Do the leaders get away with violating the doctrine of the group where the members would not? If it is important that a person who is a member of the group meditates for over 2 hours a day then surely, the leaders should do so too. Are they following the same social rules imposed on the membership? Are they seen to be living in a way that is based on the principles of the group? Leadership must be the example, not the exception.
Remember that one of these in isolation rarely is a strong indication of danger but if a group hits the mark in multiple areas then you should be very careful about getting involved with them. Be direct about leaving and cut all ties. You should be aware that some groups will not let you leave easily.
In small groups awareness of these criteria can allow for freedom of expression and safeguard the members of the group so spread it around!
Stay safe and remember don’t drink the kool-aid!