Thread by @PatrizAnnPorta

Signs you are in a Cult (from Sam & Turner, Medium)

1. The leader is the ultimate authority: (If you’re not allowed to criticize your leader, even if the criticism is true, you’re probably in a cult. The leader claims some superior or supreme knowledge. ("I alone can fix it")

2. The leaders convince members to forfeit their critical thinking ability in return for a sense of belonging, authority, and purpose. ("Don't believe what you see and hear")

3. The group suppresses skepticism: If you’re only allowed to study your organization through approved sources, you’re probably in a cult. Critical thinking is seen as an infectious disease and every effort is made to suppress it. ("Press is the enemy of the people")

4. Criticism is forbidden. People who contradict the group are viewed as persecutors and are often given labels ("rat", "socialist" "witch hunt") Members are discouraged from consuming any material that is critical of the group

5. The group delegitimizes former members: It has to spread a false narrative that former members were deceived, proud, mistaken. If former members speak out, they are dismissed as bitter, angry, dishonest or evil. Cults shame former members (calling them "dumb as a rock", "dog")

6. The group is paranoid about the outside world. Cults position themselves as the sole refuge from an evil outside world that is intent on their destruction. Cults thrive on conspiracy theories, catastrophic thinking, and persecution complexes. ("invasion of stone-cold killers")

7. Leaders think that they're above the law, be it human or divine. This allows them to exploit their followers without repercussions. When confronted, they do not confess, but create justifications for their impropriety. ("whatabout Obama, Hillary")

8. Loyal cult members will perform any amount of “mental gymnastics” to justify or ignore the leader’s behavior.

9. The group uses “thought reform” methods: If your serious questions are answered with cliches, you’re probably in a cult. Watch for thought-terminating cliches or platitudes like “God placed him there” or “doubt your doubts” which discourage critical analysis of complex issues.

10. The group is elitist: If your group is the solution for all the world’s problems, you’re probably in a cult. ("I alone can fix it")

11. There is no financial transparency: If you’re not allowed to know what the group does with their money, you’re probably in a cult. A group that refuses to disclose its finances is a huge red flag. Ethical organizations have nothing to hide.

12. Cult leaders tend to live opulently while their followers are required to make financial sacrifices. ("Farmers are willing to sacrifice their livelihoods for the cause; excuse me I have to go golf")

Ideas generously adapted from medium dot com/@ zelphontheshelf/10-signs-youre-probably-in-a-cult-1921eb5a3857 References to Trump quotes mine.

See thread @Seajay603 @bulldoghill @Z_Patos @bravegirl01 @bleatstreet