Cult FAQ

Disclaimer: The below information contains many generalisations and may not apply to any particular cult.

Who joins cults?

"...Nobody joins a cult. You join a self-help group, a religious movement, a political organization. They change so gradually, by the time you realize you're entrapped - and almost everybody does - you can't figure a safe way back out...."

Deborah Layton, Survivor of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple

Anyone!

You don't have to be especially stupid or gullible to join a cult. There are many very intelligent, educated, and sensible people in cults. Read more under Why do people join cults?

Us

With the exception of those born into cults, cult members didn't start out as "them" - they were once "us" just like we are. Most simply had the right (or wrong) group approach them at the right (or wrong) time in their lives.

Christians

Yes, Christians are more likely to join cults than non-Christians. Approximately 80% of the people in cults were once in the Christian church. This is a sad commentary on the failing of the Christian church to look after its members.

Truth-seekers

People who are keen (or even desparate) to know spiritual truth and to have some sort of higher meaning in their life can often be less discerning when it comes to being deceived. A cult can offer easy (but false) answers to their spiritual questions.

Young idealists

Cults like the International Churches of Christ target university students because they have more energy and are more enthusiast about evangelising, and they are less experienced in the world.

Middle-age idealists

Some people reaching middle-age find themselves wanting to make an impact on the world rather than just drifting on with a meaningless life. Cults can tempt them with the (normally false or misguided) promise of making that happen.

People who have just moved to a different city

People who have just shifted their home from one city to another are often faced with no friends or social group. People who have just moved out of their parents' home to a new city (eg, university students studying away from home for the first time) are particularly likely targets.

People facing upheaval or a life crisis

Emotionally draining experiences like losing a loved one, losing a job, etc, can all make people more susceptible to cult recruitment. When people feel that life is out of control they seek for an answer.

People with money and/or prestige

Some cults exist simply to get money from people. People with money and prestige (such as movie stars) are especially valuable to these cults because it promotes the cult while getting money for the cult.

Why do people join cults?

Deception

The cult does not tell the truth about what it believes and how it operates. (It lies.) For example, Jehovah's Witnesses believe it is OK to lie to non-JWs because they do not deserve to know the truth.

The cult does not reveal everything about what it believes and how it operates. (It lies by omission.)

Not researching a group's beliefs and practices before joining, and/or simply relying on what the group says about itself, is like walking blindly in. Those unwilling to ask hard questions of the group, or accept glib answers, can also be setting themselves up for recruitment.

Of course, this assumes that the answers to the research or questions asked are more important to the potential recruit than what the cult may be offering. The nature of the group has to be a priority - the answers have to matter.

Need for love or a sense of belonging (met by love bombing) or to meet some other need

The cult appears attractive in the areas that the new member is needy in. For example, a cult might make a lonely new member feel really welcome and provide the new member with lots of new friends with similar interests - especially effective for someone who has just moved to the city. The cult might provide meals to someone who has just lost a spouse, or provide a strong and caring male authority figure for someone who had a distant father. Cults fill needs - emotional, spiritual, and practical.

Search for truth, exclusivism

The cult claims to have answers for searching individuals. People are more likely to join religious groups of any sort if they are searching for answers, and if the Christian church fails to provide them, they will seek out a group which does claim to. However, these claims are very likely to be false due to (a) deception used to recruit new members, and (b) cults do not have the truth, which is only found in Jesus Christ.

Most of the people in cults are very sincere about their beliefs. It is sad that they are sincerely wrong.

To join family

Having family members in a cult is a strong lure, especially if the cult appears to be of benefit to them.

To belong to a group which conforms to pre-existing beliefs

Because of their often small size, cult beliefs and practices can easily fill niche markets for theological beliefs, meaning someone can believe what they want to and still have their beliefs catered for. It becomes an easy religion for them, as the group already teaches what they believe.

Leader charisma

The leaders of many cults are very charismatic, persuasive people. Others want to be around them and will happily follow their teachings, even if those teachings are false. (This is also one reason con-artists are able to trick people.)

Need for victimisation

Some people (not many) actually have a need to be victimised, abused, or taken advantage of. Sadly, they believe that's all they're worth.