is luke the chosen one

If a member commits a criminal act, the group will turn them over to external authorities such as the police rather than apply their own punishments and/or conceal the wrongdoing from external authorities. Unwitting cult members may watch documentaries and read about other cults without realising they too are victims. Cult leaders will make increasingly more desperate demands for members to contribute money, perhaps promising that they will eventually get their money back or even get it back with interest when they will not. Group leaders will encourage you to check things out but they will steer you only in the direction of ‘approved’ sources, which defend the doctrine of the group. Most cult members do not go about in robes or live in communes. Sometimes a group divides opinion, like Extinction Rebellion, which for some is an extreme group and for others is at the forefront of actions that are urgently needed to save our planet. In a safe group, decisions about the extent to which you want to participate and about your personal affairs are left up to you as an individual. Intervention101.com: to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. Members who get sick or suffer other misfortunes are accused of not having enough faith/belief or commitment to the group dogma, leaders or cause, or of not praying hard enough or performing other rituals/duties correctly. Protesters aim to shed light on human rights in China. Loneliness is a killer, so never give up on finding a community or communities where you can be valued and find value in others. Many cults and high-control groups indulge in a great deal of magical thinking. High-control groups and cults are often focused on getting new members, with the exception of some fundamentalist communities which are self-sustaining because of sufficient generational replacement. They will do so not just at first acquaintance but always. Members frequently experience feelings of shame, guilt, fear and dread. If you break their rules they may use physical and other punitive methods to punish you as well as social exclusion. I also state in the paper that a group could have one of the characteristics (e.g. These are the eight criteria, as set out by Robert Lifton, that define high-control groups… Leaders go through exactly the same enquiry and disciplinary processes as members when they break the rules. are proposed, carried out or planned for the future. The dogma of the group does not fit your experience, especially your experience prior to involvement with the group or the experience of your family and friends outside the group (you may have had unusual and confusing experiences in group rituals). You feel constantly worried about not doing or believing things ‘correctly’ because you think that it could cause something very bad to happen. In safe groups, members are very unlikely to feel guilt, shame or fear as a consequence of being in the group. members live in a commune in the middle of nowhere so that leaders can be sure they cannot access external information. Former followers are always wrong in leaving. Some high-control groups even recommend husbands physically punish their wives! They may be violent, sexually deviant and abusive, with the excuse that this is necessary to achieve the group’s ultimate goals. Misfortunes will never be blamed on those suffering them. The group and its leaders oppose or deny mainstream research findings and what is accepted and taught at leading universities and research institutes. The practices will be within the law (i.e. Praise and admiration for the group leader exceeds that given to others in the community. Grooming isn’t something a cult leader does secretively. There will always be mistakes and conflict, even in the best of organisations. Secondly, as all my other articles demonstrate, I have no issue with belief in God in itself, nor with any particular religion. Safe groups include individuals and families with a wide range of lifestyles and cultures. 1) Do your studies or training in the group seem to be endless? Members become increasingly isolated from family and friends outside the group who do not demonstrate an interest in the group and leaders. This practice is known as “love-bombing”. (Cuba) A corporation can. Members revere the leader with absolute devotion. This emphasis on proselytising and a narrow range of tightly controlled activities comes at the expense of individual creativity and character. Often these will be considered unorthodox, heretical and deviant by mainstream faith organisations because they cross boundaries of sexual behaviour or undermine personal ownership. It can be hard to tell the difference between the good use and misuse of these practices but the clue is in the content. In high-control and cult groups, group rights trump the rights of individuals when the two are in conflict or competing. High-control groups position themselves as the sole refuge from an evil outside world that is intent on their destruction. This creates an “external locus of control.” Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity demonstrate that people can retrain and rewire their brain to “healthy” patterns, which includes developing an “internal locus of control” for your own mind and life. Scepticism is a healthy trait when it comes to making decisions that affect a large group of people. expressing doubts about group belief or practice or for coming out as LGBTQ etc.). Potentially unsafe groups or leaders come across as very nice at first. This creates the ideal conditions for ‘groupthink’, which is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. They soon find they can never be good enough. Researchers change the independent variable in the treatment group and keep it constant in the control group. The truth is of course that abuse almost always starts with the victim being disempowered, having low self-esteem and being too submissive, and the perpetrator taking full advantage of that. What do people mean when they talk about God? Outsiders and external groups are looked down upon to some degree as morally inferior. moving job, moving home, getting married, or becoming the member of other groups etc. I would certainly like to hear more about your research and any evidence or explanations of high-control characteristics in the HE sector. Group members are forced to cut ties with any family members and former friends who are outside the group. I am well aware of that! It can mean pretty much anything and nothing at all, something which high-control groups and leaders take full advantage of. 3. It is a really healthy and rewarding thing to be part of a movement for positive change and progress, and to be part of a community which encourages moral and spiritual growth. Members may even permit access and hand over control of their finances to the group leader/leaders. The group and its leaders consider themselves to be holier, wiser, special, enlightened, righteous, elect and/or superior to those outside the group. They will be willing to receive external audit and advice, and will seek to combine forces with other groups whenever possible, to tackle shared problems and meet common goals. Cult leaders tend to live opulently while their followers are required to make financial sacrifices. Humanist & Progressive Fellowship (Exeter), The Cult: Leaving It and Finding my Power - The Way of Witch, Cult: Leaving It and Finding my Power – The Root and Key, Reflecting on the Past and Planning for the Future: Humanist Chaplains in 2020, Rational Spirituality and How I Got Here by Anastasia Somerville-Wong. For example, outsiders are seen as “worldly” or “of the devil” while members are considered part of a heavenly realm or Godly kingdom. Cult leaders convince members to forfeit their critical-thinking ability in return for a sense of belonging, authority and purpose. Then they are knocked down again with the suggestion that their efforts are not good enough. Every decision they make, every thought they have is focused on what is best for the group and its leader. I am also learning about holistic healing through an associate degree from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. They will accept that the group leaders are imperfect and sometimes wrong, and they will be able to come to their own decisions and opinions independently of the group. For example, they convince you that there is nothing good about you because anything good you think, say or do comes from God and everything bad that you think, say or do comes from you. They also serve to reinforce the beliefs of those already in full membership. Safe groups speak of outsiders and outside groups in a respectful, fair and balanced way. And of punitive punishment, even physical abuse. A cult leader often insists on being consulted before members engage in any activity which could affect their time/financial commitment to the group e.g. Group members may have to make other drastic changes to their lives. These clichés are repeated over and over again so that members don’t have to critically analyse complex issues and are likely to become complacent. Members engage in activities which they would have previously thought reprehensible, in order to further the ultimate goals of the group. There are draconian and intrusive rules for members. They will not seek to supervise this process. in support of a wider campaign against oppression and injustice. Your contact with outsiders is therefore extremely minimal. They may make general pleas for donations or ask everyone to contribute a reasonable amount to cover a fixed expense from which they are all benefitting e.g. Overall, building rapport and psychoeducation has shown to be most effective when dealing with this population. However, while wider networks can provide a little more security, ‘cult-like’ groups have often been hidden within larger organisations, and sometimes even protected by them with cover-ups and the closing of ranks among the leadership, especially when that leadership belongs to a social elite who have their reputation to uphold. A safe group and its leaders will nurture feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence among members, both in a general sense, and particularly when it comes to people’s decisions as to what to believe. Instead, in the follower’s mind, as his or her involvement with the group or leader continues and deepens, these identities become increasingly and substantially fused. High-control groups misuse these and other mind-altering activities, like speaking in tongues and listening to emotive speeches and music which can whip up crowds into an emotional frenzy. These groups are often very aggressive and mechanical in their recruitment efforts, going door to door, targeting certain vulnerable groups and repeating rote learnt lines and arguments. This minimizes conflict but a consensus is reached without critical evaluation. They may recommend texts and other sources that support the group’s dogma or show the group in a good light but they will not put pressure on you to read these or attempt to dissuade you from accessing wider sources of information. A person is admired for the power and truthfulness of their speech, for example, and that’s fine as far as it goes, but rather than admire this skill or speech, in and of itself, listeners allow the impression created in this area to influence opinion of this person in other areas, and consequently, the person is seen as altogether righteous and good in everything they say and do. Members are often encouraged to pay their dues, even when it means putting their families at risk. Grooming is in evidence: Many high-control/cult group leaders exploit young and otherwise vulnerable people, especially those craving love, attention and affection because they have experienced neglect, loneliness and loss etc. They are seen to have come under bad influences, are no longer trusted and personal contact is avoided. Cult leaders increasingly claim knowledge outside their own experience and expertise. One common example from high-control Christian groups is that you are told the group’s God loves all people or that “God is love” but soon you are also told that he hates gay people and/or infidels. to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. Most people sleep-walk into them, often collectively, because they simply fail to notice the tell-tale signs or changes within their group that would indicate a serious problem. They will be patient with your decision-making process, and will even tell you more than you want to know. For example, multiple agencies, groups and individuals get involved with climate change protests, which cause disruption and result in arrests. Members are encouraged to read the mainstream press and to read widely in general. Group members believe themselves to be ‘called’ or ‘chosen’ for a special mission to save humanity by radically transforming individual lives and the entire world. Most cult leaders set up their groups alone without consultation or collaboration with others. In fact, it was often a bit of a disaster.I had an activity on the board for the students to complete, but no one did it. This is a personal blog about my experience of being in a high control religious group, my departure from the group as well and how I have adjusted to life outside the group. Escape From NXIVM with Catherine Oxenberg, Hindu guru blames Kerala floods on beef eaters. On the other hand, counselors and therapists must not be weary and afraid of addressing people’s spiritual and religious experiences especially if it’s detrimental … Only a couple of readers had concerns at the start but they didn’t think I was against belief in God or Christianity. You are told to doubt your doubts or to accept them but view them as temptations coming from an evil external source, like the devil, or supposedly ill-meaning outsider groups. No matter how much money the group brings in, it is never considered enough by the leader. Safe groups will balance the importance of their goals with other moral principles. Members who have children may be encouraged to discipline their children using punitive and corporal punishments. They may be expected to commit to various “missions” and activities of the group which are unreasonable in duration and intensity. Only when people have been members for a while, or when they are included in the inner circle of the group, do they start to notice its more unpleasant side. Most cult members feel a lot of fear. They may relate stories of mistreatment, emotional manipulation, punishment and various forms of abuse. Members of a safe group retain a strong and distinctive individual identity, personality and independent mindedness. During my first year teaching middle school students, I found myself in a bit of a dilemma. If you have tried, and cannot find a way to address the points below that are relevant to your group, then it is most definitely time to leave, even if the group still possesses some attractive qualities, and even if quitting the group involves leaving behind family members, friends and whatever funds and work you have invested in it. There are group activities, events and teachings centred on negative thoughts, emotions and punishment. If there are secret teachings or ceremonies you did not discover until after you joined, you are probably in a cult. Pingback: The Cult: Leaving It and Finding my Power - The Way of Witch, Pingback: Cult: Leaving It and Finding my Power – The Root and Key.

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