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How Do You know You Are Not In A Cult?
- Thread starter SLPCCC
- Start date
Good post. Well for me for a start I’m free to leave or join as I please. I’ve been a member of my religion for 45 years and nothing I have ever said or done has ever been questioned.
In that 45 years I have never once been asked for money or to make a donation. Actually 3 years in I had to ask how to contribute as they never told me when I joined.
I don’t get harassing calls to go to meetings or give money. I get left completely alone to decide when and if I want to give money or attend any meetings.
We have no clergy or priests. There are laws though. I try to obey the laws out of love not fear because I believe they come from God and are in humanity’s best interests.
Anyone is welcome but respecting the rights of others is essential. Things like racism and character assassination or harming or injuring others are strongly discouraged and people are turned over to the law if a crime is committed,
But by and large unless you join armed with a gun you are left alone and never bothered or contacted for money or to do things unless you want to.
I have asked for years to give me more opportunities to serve but so do the other members so I suppose our biggest problem is we all are trying to find ways to be of service to the wider community so we all have to use our own initiative and creativity.
No statues or ceremonies or priests. Your life and destiny is basically in the palm of your hand and it is up to us each to decide what we want and how much we wish to involve ourselves or contribute in service or funds.
People who are not members are not permitted to give us money. So there is no plate. It’s all secret donations. So if you’re not a member we can’t take your money even if you begged us to and offered $$millions. We pay for everything ourselves not through public support. Our temples, our World Centre, all paid for every pebble by members.
We worship God only not our Founder. We are forbidden personality worship. So for instance we do not exalt our Founder over other religions. We view them all as equal.
Last of all ‘moderation in all things ‘ and to lead balanced and normal lives free from fanaticism is enjoined upon us in our Holy Book.
I think the term 'cult' has run its course. It would be more helpful, I think, to just look at the individual, and what that group does for them. When you get to know someone on a personal level, you have a better idea. How they arrived at the personality they are today is largely irrelevant to present human interaction.
Is their faith always there, or can they drop it to look at scenery, go to a movie, or otherwise enjoy life?
Are they genuinely happy, or just busy trying to convince themselves and everyone around them that they're happy?
Can they listen?
Do they have a sense of humour?
Do they make excuses for poor behaviour?
If you had to go with them for a long car ride, just the two of you, would you come out the other end tense, or relaxed?
Belief is largely irrelevant in the bigger picture.
Is their faith always there, or can they drop it to look at scenery, go to a movie, or otherwise enjoy life?
Are they genuinely happy, or just busy trying to convince themselves and everyone around them that they're happy?
Can they listen?
Do they have a sense of humour?
Do they make excuses for poor behaviour?
If you had to go with them for a long car ride, just the two of you, would you come out the other end tense, or relaxed?
Belief is largely irrelevant in the bigger picture.
rrobs
Well-Known Member
If we come from the position of an orthodox Jew, Jesus was a cult leader.
SLPCCC
Active Member
Here's a tip for those of you who get awaken up early in the mornings by cult members. All cults hate and are afraid of "apostates". That is, former members. The word "apostate" is a loaded word that their leaders trained them to run and stay away from. So, if they come knocking on your door early in the morning, disturbing your beauty sleep, just kindly open the door and tell them that you are an apostate. You'll see how fast they'll leave and never ever come back! Guarantee it will work. And if you want to see if you are in a cult, just tell your leader that you are now an "apostate" and you'll see how fast you will get kicked out!
rational experiences
Veteran Member
Historically before occultism, O God the Earth a stone body existed, its heavenly gases created by the planet existed....and so did the Garden Nature, and then the theme is man/males who theorised.
If you quote group ownership first, then the Garden nature and human self are a multi life support group of variations to the bodies in a natural support condition.
Then humans own sexual procreation of their species, also a natural group, group support by conditions...the human ages, so the elder no longer able to fend for self, care for the little children, whilst the strong humans seek food and own caring for the group. How it became a Wise Father/Wise Mother elder who looked after life continuance due to little children/babies needing their care.
Without the child/baby being cared for life would not continue, whilst the parents were busy fending for the community life continuance as food suppliers.
The basic human principle of self in survival in a spirituality. So then you would say as a human. I am a human, you are a human. We cannot all be born just out of 2 parent bodies...so lots of parents the same human own children. We then say....our extended family, our brothers and sisters. And used that entitled truth in natural life with O God the planet...who nurtured and allowed our subsistence.
The only one condition in a GROUP that took that ability to be spiritually natural and to love our brothers and sisters as an extended family was the OCCULT UFO nuclear science, as the body inferred to be evil that came out of deep space.
Exactly how it was taught. The choice science to convert is the only GROUP reason today why everything went wrong for us all. For not only did radiation pervert our feelings by burning our brain chemical...which I experienced, it also changed natural behaviour into irrational beliefs.
We have not yet come to the human realisation of self preaching about reuniting our humanity and stopping the CULT condition itself.....nuclear sciences.
If you quote group ownership first, then the Garden nature and human self are a multi life support group of variations to the bodies in a natural support condition.
Then humans own sexual procreation of their species, also a natural group, group support by conditions...the human ages, so the elder no longer able to fend for self, care for the little children, whilst the strong humans seek food and own caring for the group. How it became a Wise Father/Wise Mother elder who looked after life continuance due to little children/babies needing their care.
Without the child/baby being cared for life would not continue, whilst the parents were busy fending for the community life continuance as food suppliers.
The basic human principle of self in survival in a spirituality. So then you would say as a human. I am a human, you are a human. We cannot all be born just out of 2 parent bodies...so lots of parents the same human own children. We then say....our extended family, our brothers and sisters. And used that entitled truth in natural life with O God the planet...who nurtured and allowed our subsistence.
The only one condition in a GROUP that took that ability to be spiritually natural and to love our brothers and sisters as an extended family was the OCCULT UFO nuclear science, as the body inferred to be evil that came out of deep space.
Exactly how it was taught. The choice science to convert is the only GROUP reason today why everything went wrong for us all. For not only did radiation pervert our feelings by burning our brain chemical...which I experienced, it also changed natural behaviour into irrational beliefs.
We have not yet come to the human realisation of self preaching about reuniting our humanity and stopping the CULT condition itself.....nuclear sciences.
I don't watch videos, but as others have pointed out throughout this discussion the term "cult" can be a problematic one. In the context of religion, "cult" can refer to a range of things, many of which are benign in nature.
Regardless of how we intend to be discussing the topic, I've found Bonewitz' metricized evaluation - The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame - very useful. It helps highlights the fact that all human organizations/groups can be evaluated on these scales and fall somewhere on them.
Regardless of how we intend to be discussing the topic, I've found Bonewitz' metricized evaluation - The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame - very useful. It helps highlights the fact that all human organizations/groups can be evaluated on these scales and fall somewhere on them.
Riders
Well-Known Member
Having been a member of the United Pentecostal church cult, off hand I would say any organization that teaches they are the only ones going to haven and they have some secret knowledge that other groups don't have a truth apart from others is a big sign.
Also if you have a dress code, strict dress codes are a sign too. I use to couldn't cut my hair, women couldn't wear jewlry or pants or make up.. We wore long dresses everywhere.
To add for folks who don't like reading things that are in links, a summary of how to assess any human organization for cultic (unhealthy) characteristics (adapted from The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame):
This isn't all-encompassing. For instance, Bonewitz' list doesn't directly touch upon how threats of violence can be used as a form of dropout control or to isolate cult members from loved ones who might be able to help them out of the dangerous group.
- How much power does the leader exercise over its members, whether this influence is inside our outside of the organization?
- How much knowledge is claimed or credited to the leader, and how infallible is this knowledge considered to be?
- Is the organization doctrinally inflexible and rigid? Is it hostile towards alternative points of view? Does the group encourage surrender of personal will and absolving responsibility to its leader or teachings?
- Does the organization spend a lot of time recruiting new members and spreading the message? Does the organization hound anyone who attempts to leave or drop out of the group?
- Does the organization use fronts to obscure or hide its activities from scrutiny? Does the organization approve of unethical or immoral behavior when it is done to serve itself? Does it violate its own principles to forward its own gains?
- Is there an emphasis on making monetary contributions that benefit the organization's leader more than regular members? Do leaders engage in sexual manipulation of other members, sexual favoritism, or otherwise control the sexuality of group members?
- Is censorship regularly practiced to quell dissenting perspectives or prevent members from questioning the group? Does the organization encourage isolation from non-group members, especially family and other loved ones?
- Does the organization subscribe to conspiracy theories or other paranoid ideations? Can it take a joke about itself or is it always very serious and grim?
This isn't all-encompassing. For instance, Bonewitz' list doesn't directly touch upon how threats of violence can be used as a form of dropout control or to isolate cult members from loved ones who might be able to help them out of the dangerous group.
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
1. We're allowed to question my Rabbi
2. No one is controlling who has sex with whom.
3. We don't focus on a literal reading of our sacred texts.
4. We are not focused on the gloomy end of days.
5. We don't cut our ties with those not in our group.
6. Those who question are not shunned.
7. There is no use of fear to control us.
8. The Rabbi doesn't claim some personal revelation.
9. We are not insular -- we welcome guests.
10. We value scholarship and higher level learning.
Gandalf
Horn Tooter
I am the final authority of what religion I believe in or accept as truthful. Ultimately it is me who interprets it and makes the decision to partake in whatever aspects I agree about it. You can call me syncretic in how I interpret my religion or you can call me honest in that I philosophically like stretching it to the limits.