How do good people "fall" into cults? Why don't they realize its a cult?

Question

I am talking about a negative "Jones Town" or "Waco" type of cult.

Answer 1

People in cults look for people that seem to be going through rough times or who are in a moment of vulnerability. Also, cult recruitors are master brainwashers. They tell you exactly what you want to hear. They make you feel they are the only people who understand you. They isolate you from people you used to know. They get so involved in your life that you feel like there is no way you can get away.

Answer 2

First of all, realize that people who are in cults find something very desirable about being there. Maybe the people are genuinely good people and they are made to feel as if they belong in a close community. Unfortunately, the warning signs are usually pretty subtle, and the weirdness develops at a slow pace. People want to justify and rationalize away the warning signs because they don't want to believe that the folks they love are capable of being a manipulative and controlling cult. Often, scriptures are twisted or taken out of context to further the grip of control on the people. People in cults want to be pleasing to God and do the best that they can. They are usually made to believe that only the group can protect them from the perceived threat in the world. Open communication about concerns is usually dealt with sharply and not tolerated, so people are not allowed to think clearly and exchange ideas. In fact, cults operate with a number of techniques known as "thought stopping devices." They are either the same or similar techniques used by those who practice mind control and brainwashing. Cults use many of the same techniques that came out of North Korea and North Vietnam, whether knowing or unknowing. So with so much subtlety, irrational fears taught as truth, twisting of scriptures, and group control, people fall prey before they realize it has really happened. Because the group usually distances its people from past relationships, leaving the group means losing the only friends and social support network that you have. There doesn't seem to be any other place to go. And if someone does leave, their reputations in the group are systematically destroyed as the people are demonized or painted as "uncommitted" or "untrustworthy." Cult members do not usually begin as crazed fanatics. They are molded into that by the group. They are people from all walks of life, including professionals, doctors, lawyers, business owners, as well as less educated blue-collar workers. Cults can get anyone if it's the right group saying the right things at the right time in the person's life.

Answer 3

Because they have been brainwashed (stockholm syndrome).

"You may also want to ask yourself the same question before referring to any group as a cult. It may not be such as bad idea to begin by explaining what you mean by the term "cult" in order to avoid any potential misunderstanding. You never know. All the while you're talking about cults, the person listening may have a different concept altogether."

Any group could be considered a cult, it just depends on if it is a negative or posotive cult.
Go to
http://www.religioustolerance.org/cults.htm

for the diffrent types of cults.

Answer 4

So many organized religions lie to their members that they are unable to recognize the lies when they come from a cult. This is sad but true. It would protect so many more people if they would just have their own study of the Bible every day. Only 3 to 5 chapters per day and you can be finished with the entire Bible in a year. PLUS, the benefit of drawing closer to God and not being misled in either your church or a cult!!

Answer 5

Cults are really into the eye of the beholder. I saw a bumper sticker recently that said "Religions are just cults with more members." Some people think Catholicism or Hinduism are cults.

I guess the "cult" has something they need or want at the moment.

Answer 6

Generally cults will have some bible verses and seem like a loving group at first. They twist the meanings of scripture and add to or take away from the bible and have their own book to go by. They deny that Jesus was the Son of God and say he was just a good teacher. Its a slow process, but some who have no biblical foundation will fall into a cult.

Answer 7

What do you mean by a cult? You put this in the Religion & Spirituality category, so if you are saying that organized religion is a cult, you are going to get hammered.

But if you truly mean a cult, then cults usually prey on the weak, lonely, and vulnerable people who are out there.

Answer 8

I think we have empty places inside us we try to find ways to fill. Some people do it with family, pets, careers, etc... But it can be hard to find a way to fulfill or enrich your life. So couple this need with a tragedy or a feeling that no one understands you or that life isn't worth living and people can be lured into a cult just because they feel connected, cared about and accepted.

I guess it feels so good at first that they are unwilling to give it up or acknowledge that there might be something sinister about their new 'family'.

Answer 9

Lonliness, lack of knowledge, wanting to belong.
Big sigh... people fall into it looking for a place to fit in, to have a "family", friends etc....
Most cults dont acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.
Most cults have beliefs, actions, etc... very different from main stream denominations.
They usually have one leader whom they follow.
The leader they follow usually has a set of rules etc... that benefit him/her self. Extreme ideology, etc...
People are always searching for answers, and sometimes they think they have found them thus they fall into such cults.

Answer 10

Christianity is a cult. So is the Catholic faith or any and every religion. The list could go on and on. Some are a lot bigger than others.