Info about cults

Tag: usa

CULT:

Collective veneration or worship (e.g., the cult of the saints meaning collective veneration of the saints in Roman Catholicism). In the West, the term has come to be used for groups that are perceived to have deviated from normative religions in belief and practice.

They typically have a charismatic leader and attract followers who are in some way disenfranchised from the mainstream of society. Cults as thus defined are often viewed as foreign or dangerous.

Leaving a cult-

Generally, the attitude exists that if anyone has concerns or uneasy feelings about spiritually abusive activities, they are accused of not being in submission to authority and could even suffer from extreme character assassination (both privately and publicly) in order to diminish the effect of any desire of clarification that could liberate themselves and/or others from a spiritually abusive person/situation.

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Leaving an Abusive Church Is normally a process which can take a few months or even years. Children in a spiritually abusive situation may be unable to leave. For those who are able to leave, it can be extremely difficult and painful both emotionally and psychologically. In certain cases, an individual who feels spiritually abused will have to leave immediate family and friends behind and even suffer rejection by them.

It is important for such a person to get help, such as counseling from outsiders , who are not a part of the spiritually abusive group. They also need support from new peers because of the effects of spiritual abuse that will continue to affect them. This victimized person needs to learn a new way of looking at the world so this process literally turns their world up-side-down; it would be impossible to walk this path alone.


Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse carries over into society when ancient holy texts are used to restrict or oppress a specific race, sex or group from participating in various aspects of society. Because this is the case spiritual abuse could be considered as severe, if not more, than physical abuse since it is the cause of all sorts of social problems and inequalities.

It is a form of mental abuse because it debilitates a person s reasoning and logic skills and restricts them to their group s understanding of the world, affecting their relationships with others who are not a part of the group.

Quotes about cults-

It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
Robert A. Heinlein

Forced humiliation of Jews in Nazi Germany. Humiliation of one person by another (the humiliator) is often used as a way of asserting power over them, and is a common form of oppression.
People under the influence of cults is similar to that we observe in addicts.

Typical behaviour for both includes draining bank accounts, neglecting children, destroying relations with family and losing interest in anything except the drug or cult.

Keith Henson

The best method for preventing destructive cult involvement is preventative education. If students and the public at large are more aware of destructive groups beforehand they may better understand and resist their recruitment efforts.

http://inalley.wordpress.com/2010/03/...out-cults/