Cult Activities and Psychological Manipulation

Cult Activities and Psychological Manipulation Cultic activity is all around us and we don’t even know it. People around the world are being psychologically manipulated (brain washed) in these cults and they are not even aware of the control that someone has over them. As I checked out the links on the Ex-Cult Resource Center Website I found some very interesting information as well as the different types of cults, some religious and some not religious. It is sad that manipulation would be associated with religion, but it’s happening every day. There are three kinds of cults. They are secular, religious and universal. The secular definition of a cult is all that is involved in worship, ritual, emotion, liturgy and attitude. This definition actually denotes what we call denominations and sects and would make all religious movements a cult. The Christian definition is any group which deviates from Biblical, orthodox, historical Christianity. e i. They deny the Deity of Christ; His physical resurrection; His personal and physical return to earth and salvation by FAITH alone. The universal definition is any group which has a pyramid type, authoritarian leadership structure with all teaching and guidance coming from the person/persons at the top. The group will claim to be the only way to God; Nirvana; Paradise; Ultimate Reality; Full Potential, Way to Happiness and will use thought reformor mind control techniques to gain control and keep their members. Although all cults are bad, the universal cult is the one that you see in movies and the one that I believe to be the worst. This is really where the mind control comes in. A person is no longer themselves or in control of their own lives. People are stripped of their individuality, their intimacy with others, their finances, how they spend their time, and they have no free will. Because of these abuses, the individual’s personality changes to where they are not even recognized by relatives, they seem paranoid, they lose their identity, they can’t socialize outside the group and their world views are altered to which they see the world through their leader’s eyes. It is very scary to think about the fact that a person can have such control over someone’s life that they are no longer themselves. As I looked at the ICSA website, I see that it collects and disseminates information through periodicals and Web sites, conducts and encourages research, maintains an information phone line, and runs workshops and conferences. Some family members don’t know where to begin to save their loved ones who are in these cults, but there is place that offers helpful solutions to save loved ones from the cultic society. The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is a global network of people concerned about psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. ICSA consists of and responds to the needs of people interested in cults, new religious movements, and other environments. In order to help affected families and individuals, enhance the skills of helping professionals, and forewarn those who might become involved in harmful group situations, ICSA collects and disseminates information through periodicals and Web sites, conducts and encourages research, maintains an information phone line, and runs workshops and conferences. Other resources include local meetings, special lectures, seminars, an e-library with more than 25,000 documents, personalized assistance perspectives on how to evaluate and use information to deal effectively with problems related to cultic groups, offer support for cultic studies research, and there are opportunities to network with families and former members of cults and related groups. It is wonderful that these resources are available to families who need to save their family members. This is a great website with helpful information. It is good to know that there is help out there for people who need it. References Identifying a Cult. Retrieved from http://www. ex-cult. org on May 20, 2011. International Cultic Studies Association. Retrieved from http://www. csj. org on May 20, 2011.