The following are points you need to know in order to protect yourself from the dangerous lure of cults. Your awareness of this crucial information increases your immunity to them by enhancing your ability to make unemotional objective decisions.
Involvement in a cult may disrupt a person’s education, career, finances, social life or family ties, and can even ruin their mental and emotional health long term. All of these have been lost at the hands of Avatar and the Stars Edge Network. Many of us wish we had had the awareness and confidence to act on this advice at the time of making our commitment.
This information alone could save your life or the life of someone you care about, not just with regards to Avatar, but the 1000’s of other cults which are currently causing so much disruption to our society.
Recruitment
- Cults tend to target people whom they know to be vulnerable, and therefore likely to develop an emotional dependence on the group.
- Young students are particularly vulnerable and impressionable, and often searching for identity and meaning in their lives. They often have a strong desire for peer approval.
- The recruitment event will often feature an inspirational talk, aimed at whipping up strong emotions in the audience, to render them even more suggestible to the material.
- Potential recruits are often invited to such meetings by cult members who are acquaintances, friends or family.
- By gradually increasing the level of commitment, cults are able to build up a recruit’s emotional dependence on the group.
Indoctrination
- New recruits are given a warm and affectionate welcome in a practice called ‘love bombing’, but the friendliness immediately cools down at any sign of disobedience.
- A cult can also foster emotional dependence by undermining members’ self- esteem (for example, through self-criticism sessions), and then insisting they need the group’s help to re-build their confidence.
- The head of the cult ‘family’ is usually a charismatic authority figure(s), modelled on familiar ones such as pastors, teachers, counsellors, experts, and even parents. You are more likely to obey authority figures than equals.
- Cults put recruits through a process of disorientation and depersonalization to soften them up for indoctrination. Disorientation tends to heighten recruits’ suggestibility and acceptance of the process.
Protect Yourself
- Be suspicious strangers who appear overly friendly or unusually helpful. They may be genuine, but it pays to be on your guard.
- Neutral friends should accompany you if you choose to attend an open meeting. Do not allow yourselves to be separated.
- Do not participate in hypnosis, intensive meditation, repetitive chanting, extended fasting, sleep or rest deprivation, group confessions or other disorienting practices.
- Do not commit to anything straight away; always ask for a day to think it over by yourself. Be prepared to break off a commitment or relationship if you feel you are being emotionally manipulated.
Lastly, BE VIGILANT for any tell-tale signs of cult activity. It could save your life.
[Source: https://familiesagainstcultteachings.org/Cult-Education/Fact-sheets/]
Stay safe!
Amanda
