The “Scientology” of Cults: Do You Know Someone Who’s Trapped?

I've found it interesting that even the Quakers (Religious Society of Friends), founded in the 1600's, has been termed a cult by the so-fearful members of 'mainstream' religions.

Anything that deviates even a little for the comfortable, mindless ritual ...

I know this from very personal experience.

I believe that cult leaders are excellent profilers as they know what type of people to target. I have noticed that cult members tend to have obsessive and/or addictive personalities. We humans are social animals and many people join these cults in the hope to gain some sort of belonging as they are usually socially awkward and/or feel alienated from society. The reactions to ex-members or people that attempt to leave seems to depend how far up the organisation and/or how much money the cult stands to lose once that particular person leaves.  

It should be duly noted that not all cult members are hopeless victims. I know that the focus has been on Scientology however, there are many who join organizations with their eyes wide open. 

trapped? mmm, none that i can think of/i'm aware of. One of my late uncles was into Scientology for a while but bailed out. ...I once made the mistake of stopping to talk to a couple of cute hyper-friendly girls from the Moonies/Unification Church. I had to screen my calls for a bit after LOL...& Before that I dated a guy who was in a new-agey guru cult and I went to some of their events.

The human need to be part of a group is far stronger than logic. Most people will sacrifice logic for social acceptance.

It’s been well documented that most people need a connection to society and will often survive through groups. In order to feel good about ourselves most of us have a need to become a productive member of society. This is a built in instinctive need and it is very strong. However, our ability to think logically isn’t as strong as our need to be accepted in a community or group. Having the need to be a part of a group is a good thing but if a person becomes vulnerable this need can leave us exposed and opened to being exploited or enslaved into a cult.

The worst is if you are born into such a setting. The worst rule/part is that ppl in the cult are encouraged not to associate with those who aren't believers. So as a child born into it, you are scared to leave all your family and friends, especially since you have been taught everyone outside just wants to hurt you.

Even 'mainstream' churches engage in this behavior - under her new husband's direction, my daughter joined his church - I was also invited - actually demanded to attend, and when I didn't join, was condemned to the 'outer darkness' as 'an agent of Satan' - said daughter went to church from 6 PM on Friday to 10 PM on Sunday + Wednesdays all evening + 'volunteering + tithe + up to 4 'plate passes' - effectively preventing her from contact with any but church folks.

What church?  All I'll say is that it was Pentacostal, and had both 'Assembly' & 'God' in the title.

How was I treated?  Does the image of the Church Deacons and her husband's roadies as 'Christ's Gestapo' make any mental images?

My confusion with cults and whatnot comes from the willful blindness that many followers inflict upon themselves. I just don't understand how you can trust someone, usually a stranger, so openly that you don't follow up with a little bit of research.  It's one thing to agree with what someone is saying. It's another thing entirely to dedicate your entire life to that person and whatever comes out of his mouth, at the expense of your humanity. I personally have to read the directions for and research EVERYTHING, sometimes to the annoyance of myself. I say "I'll have to google that" so often that my bff had a mug with that quote made for me. The way information flies around today, I don't see how anyone being recruited couldn't learn a little bit about the shady nature of any organization, cultish or otherwise. I understand that taking risks are beneficial in certain cases, but looking before leaping has its merits too. 

I also don't understand how the antenna of suspicion would raise once disconnection from the outside world, and even family members, started to become a main theme. Forget the overwhelming financial obligation, anything that would set me apart from other human beings under the guise that I was more enlightened, or had to protect a doctrine from outsiders, or for any reason whatsoever, is going on my "wtf is going on" list. Segregation, no matter what the basis, is never a good thing.

But then, I do very poorly with organized anything. If I can't choose my level of commitment, and do things on my own time and schedule, it doesn't work out. I was the worst girl scout in history. In college, I was recruited very heavily by a prestigious sorority, and when I finally agreed to come to a meeting (after they threw at me pretty much every member to who I had ever spoken two sentences) , I left 4 minutes in. It's odd, because when it comes to sports, or to work projects, I'm a great team player. But try to tie me down to something, or label me, or keep me past the amount of time I've committed, and I suddenly have something I forgot to do a million miles away that will take the rest of my life to finish, so don't call me, I'll call you. Either that, or I've been googling, and wasn't impressed.

Also, for fun, here's a list of famous persons you probably had no idea were Scientologists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scientologists

I feel like people wanting to understand how this cult works needs to read the New Yorker article about ex-Scientologist Paul Haggis and his experiences:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_wright

It's LONG but it's extremely informative.

Other things you should watch:

Panorama The Secrets of Scientology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr2BijIprqg

Tom Cruise....Scientologist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0

And this is a website put together by ex-Scientologists, some of whom were raised in the cult: 

http://exscientologykids.com/

The thing about cults is, you aren't a sheep overnight. Your independence, your free will, your connections to those outside of the cult are eroded over time. At first you stay out of devotion, then you stay out of fear, or you stay because you don't feel like you can exist outside of that cult.

If you stop and think about the process that breaks people down and allows them to be fully engrossed in a cult, it's much like the process of turning someone into a victim of an abusive relationship. 

I remember the commercials for Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard back in the 80's. I didn't know scientology was based on his book until this Tom and Kate divorce stuff. Tom is on video saying some highly suspect stuff about scientology. Jumping on the chair was one thing, but when he got into Brooke Shields business about taking pills for her post-partum depression , I knew he had lost his bleedin' mind! I guess anyone can create a "religion" that some people would be foolish enough to follow. I had a Jehovah's witness ambushed me when I was trying to catch my dog when I was only 15! I'm usually on the defensive when stangers come up to me asking me to come to thier church. It makes me think of the Jim Jones Guyana tragedy. I was eight years old when that happened and I watched a documentry about it last year that gave even more insight to what happened. I don't trust people who just walk up to me like that. I was born and raised in the south and had to indure the southern baptist churches. When I was old enough I stayed away from churches. I attened a spiritual center that is more along the lines of what I believe and like to practice, but I don't go as much as I use to in the begining when I really needed it. Now I watch Abraham-Hicks videos on youtube to get the spiritual uplift and affirmation I need. I question everything now. When my "spidey" senses go off, I pay attention!

I was approached by a scientology (little s on purprose) recruiter once at my apartment complex in Arizona a few years back.  I let her bend my ear for a few minutes about their church or whatever.  Then she gave me this paper which stated when and how much you had to donate to this church. I asked her what happened if you couldn't afford to give.  She said that I would have to "work off" the debt.  In my head, I was like how is it a debt if I am donating it to you in the first place? A few words floated through my mind were "indentured servitude" and "slavery." At the time, I couldn't afford to donate a cheeseburger off the 99 cent value meal menu to myself much less give thousands to some whack job organization. I imagined myself in chains scrubbing some expansive marble in a house somewhere. I ran like the dickens.  She was shouting after me and everything. A few years after that, I took one of those 3 day tours of California..you know drive up the Pacific coast highway, go to that little dutch town (forgot the name), visit the Hearst castle, visit Yosemite and San Francisco.  During a break in San Fran, the bus had stopped in front of the scientology building.  I had to pee so bad.  The guard or the keeper of the crazies said that I could use the bathroom in scientology building. I kindly told the guard that  I would rather hold it until my bladder exploded, thank you very much. What a bunch of whack jobs. I am glad Katie finally came to her senses. She shouldn't have gotten with the short, couch jumping, name changing, whackadoodle in the first place. That move should be placed under the category "it sounded like a good idea at the time." 

The worst part of these cults is they caause the breakup of familes, mothers and fathers who normaly woulb be thr perfect parents, get drawn into these cults and end up losing everything, homes, cars, bank accounts kids college savings.  I know a few people who got caught up in these groups.  My opinion, the Hari Krishna are one of the worst.

My last roommate in college was part of a cult "hotel" church.  By this time, I was a cynical senior and knew what I wanted, spiritually, so she was more of an irritant than anything else.  She was a self-proclaimed alcoholic who had been "saved" by this cult and therefore went to the other end of the spectrum of human behavior, the moralistic Puritan wannabe.  She was constantly telling me my religion was blasphemous, that it was difficult to be a roommate of an unbeliever, etc but she never left; her mission was to convert me.  The worst thing about her is that she started doing physical things that were just not acceptable.  She didn't bathe because it was considered a "sin"  She was dirty and junky and smelly but she was "holy".  Her boyfriend, also one of the cult, was a smelly worm (sorry worms because that's an insult to you) and an idiot.  She was an irritant to me so I was an irritant to her.  I got tired of her lack of hygiene so one morning, with bucket, soap, shampoo and a hard-a$$ scrub brush, I woke her up out of a sound sleep and told her we could do this the easy way or the hard way and if she chose the hard way, it would not be pleasant.  She chose the easy way when she saw that scrub brush; I told her, in no uncertain terms, she was to bathe every day or I would get in the shower with her and bathe her myself.  I got my hands on an empty gallon jug that had previously held white rum.  I filled it with water (looked just like the rum) and proceeded to drink from it every time she was in the room.  She would freak every time I put that jug to my lips; even my friends got into the spirit of things.  Needless to say, she finally decided I was a "heathen" and requested a transfer to another dorm.  It took the whole semester but I finally broke her down.  Now I know the signs and avoid these people like the plague.

i almost joined this scientology group thing but i saw a documentary about their shady behaviour before i could go and thank god i didnt go ahead with it. when i signed up to join their  church they did not directly call themselves scientologies, i had to google it.  i think these cults only prey on vulnerble people llike i was at that time, even though it was 3yrs ago they still send me letters and they call from time to time inviting me to different functions.

I question almost everything, as well as I'm too inpendent to be sucked into a cult.  I'm always leary of "religions" who have rituals or classes, etc. behind closed doors and "outsiders" aren't allowed to attend, because "outsiders" wouldn't understand.  That is clue #1 for me that something is going on that would have me running for the door. 

Like Chris, I'm too independent to get sucked into a cult. I'm one of those people that can't be swayed by the phrase "All of your other friends are doing it." Never been a big fan of the herd mentality. Many times I purposely go in a totally different direction than the herd because I was taught to think for myself. I have no religious leanings whatsoever, so any attempts to guilt me into following "the way", whatever that may be, are basically a waste of time.

That being said, I do feel bad for people who are searching for something to believe in, and then fall into the trap of a cult. That's a signal to me that a sense of self wasn't instilled in that individual. Belonging and feeling like a part of a community is all well and good as long as it doesn't try to separate you from those who love you and any little bit of money you might have in your pocket.

I can't help but to think the people who fall victim to this type of indoctrination are weak minded. I find this behavior peculiar be it for relationships, religions, civic organizations or anything else involves 'team us' versus 'team them'. But then again, don't people like feeling like they 'belong'.....? I love feeling like an outcast, pfft to it all.

I don't wanna be too specific because I can't remember if I'd recommended this blog to her, but I have an extended relative who is in a certain "scientific" religion, though it's not Scientology. It's a straight up cult. They don't call it church, they call it "class". And you go three times a week and they repeat and repeat and repeat the same "sermon" over and over. It's crazy. And it's hard to have a normal conversation with her because if the topic of spirituality or anything close to it comes up, she starts spouting off her cult talking points. She says the same key phrases every single time. And another thing is, she can't ever just tell you what the "religion" is about, you have to "come to class" to find out what it's about. I went to "class" with her to get her off my back once in high school and I remember thinking how sad and pathetic all those people were. My relative is always broke, she does not date, and she's probably the angriest person I know.

I'm a religious skeptic to begin with so I know the cult thing won't ever happen to me. I'm one of those people who thinks regular normal churches are bullshit, so there's no way she could ever get me to join in her little cult.