How to spot a cult:
• They tell you there's something wrong with you, and that only they can help you.
• They discourage you from speaking with outsiders.
• They use shaming and shunning to discourage dissent.
• They make you participate in repetitive group activities.
• They tell you there's something wrong with you, and that only they can help you.
• They discourage you from speaking with outsiders.
• They use shaming and shunning to discourage dissent.
• They make you participate in repetitive group activities.
To clarify, a cult never makes it obvious that they're trying to make you do something. They use psychological manipulation to "encourage" you.
They will also discourage you from asking tough questions by saying you just don't understand because you're not enlightened enough, or they will tell you you're being influenced by some enemy.
Cults will also tell you you're "free to leave", but then they use psychological techniques to make you afraid to leave. Usually, they won't use outright threats, but instead, they will say you will never achieve perfection or make you feel bad for leaving your "family".
Cults don't always profess a belief in a higher power or the supernatural (at least not right away) and don't always have prophets. Many of them present themselves as "self-help groups" or "health clubs" and appear entirely secular on the surface.
