How to understand that your loved one is in a sect

It is a mistake to think that sects are a thing of the past. On July 1, actress Allison Mack, the star of the TV series Smallville, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for recruiting women into a sex sect. And in Russia at the end of June, the court arrested several followers of Lada-Rus: its head, who calls herself the last hope of mankind and the messenger of the sun, created a totalitarian sect, with the help of which she pulled money out of people. The woman herself is now on the wanted list.

The sects are alive and, perhaps, thanks to the availability of the Internet, they are even more active than before. Therefore, in order to protect yourself and your loved ones, you need to know what they are.

Sect laws

According to the definition of researchers, a sect is a community of people closed from the outside world and closed in itself, headed by a certain Leader, Leader, Lord or Head, requiring unquestioning obedience and adoration from all adherents. Most often, a sect is built on a pseudo-religious basis.

Ideology

Every sect has its own. In ideology, as a rule, there is a rational grain around which the rest of the theory is built. And it is reinforced by rituals – regularly repeated actions that have a certain sacred meaning for members of the sect.

Leader

Usually the members of the sect believe that its founder is a “teacher” who possesses “secret knowledge”. For example, about how to be saved or get into the kingdom of heaven at the time of a universal catastrophe. He shares this knowledge with his followers. And as a leader, he has unlimited privileges and power – over the minds, bodies and finances of sectarians.

Quite often, the founders of sects were psychopaths, religious fanatics and … scammers. All of them are united by the presence of charisma and the ability to lead people, infect with enthusiasm and impress. In addition, the figure of a leader can be endowed with special properties – for example, he is allegedly able to hear the voice of God, talk with spirits, heal, or receive “revelations” from above.

Hierarchy

Usually sects have a fairly clear hierarchical structure. Next to the leader or founder are his confidants, below are the confidants of confidants …

As a rule, intrasectarian “careerism” is encouraged. You can get into a higher circle by donating a lot of money, unsubscribing property and showing devotion and complete obedience. The latter is often tested. It is not uncommon for people to be asked to give up children, divorce their wife (especially if she does not share her husband’s sectarian passion), sell the apartment and give money to the leader.

Opposition to the outside world

The main “secret of success” of many sects is the opposition of the world outside and the world inside the organization. Where man came from, of course, evil and violence, injustice and greed, depression and failure flourish. Most often, it is from the problems of this world that people come to a sect, where they are looking for a better life.

In contrast to this imperfect external world, everything turns out to be “correct” inside the sect. Newcomers are often attracted by a sense of brotherhood, goodwill, mutual support, and an optimistic attitude based on ideology.

Isolation

The main principle of sects is isolation. Only when a person has minimal contact with loved ones, relatives and acquaintances, can he be “brainwashed” so much that he sincerely believes that there, in the world, is hell and all enemies, but here, in a sect, heaven and salvation. Unquestioning compliance with the requirements and rules of the community leads to the fact that quite soon the new believer loses all contact with the outside world. And now a person is already morally and materially dependent on the sect.

Chosenness

An important part of a sect’s ideology usually concerns the chosenness of its adherents. People consider themselves special – it was to them that the doctrine was revealed, they were chosen by the leader (or God himself), they are destined to be saved during the apocalypse – if not physically, then spiritually. The idea is very captivating: every person likes to be unique, significant, great. It’s a kind of collective madness that’s incredibly hard to get out of.

How is the recruitment

On the one hand, recruitment is an important aspect of the organization’s activities, which allows you to increase its size. On the other hand, in order to emphasize that it is not so easy to get into the number of the chosen ones, a kind of “casting” is usually carried out for beginners. Each sect has its own, but the differences are not great.

Recruitment is carried out by trained people who are fluent in oratory, presentation and sales skills. They easily identify those who can “peck” on their offer. And most importantly, they know how to listen – as a rule, many are ready to talk about their problems themselves.

The techniques of persuasion and brainwashing are as old as the world, but these people know how to use them masterfully. And if a person, for example, is going through a divorce or another difficult life situation and is at an impasse, he is actually offered what he needs most of all. Each fish has its own bait.

Disturbing signs

How to understand that your loved one is or is about to be in a sect? There are a number of signs to watch out for. Be especially careful with him if he:

• It becomes closed, not a word can be pulled out of it;
• Stops attending social events with family or friends;
• He ceases to be interested in other people and to participate in their lives, including in the life of his family.
• Does not offer help, becomes indifferent;
• He believes that all entertainment and pleasures are evil. May suddenly begin to limit children’s games, forbids gifts and other small pleasures. Everything external becomes “evil” – communication on secular topics, interest in the world, books;
• Sleeping at home less and less. The community becomes his family and home;
• Increasingly, he quotes other people’s phrases and words. In speech, the words “Head”, “Teacher” or similar words may slip;
• Can talk about the wonderful life in the community, contrasting it with the world. There is evil, and the sect is salvation. Everything is right there;
• Stops carrying and investing in the family. Money, savings, jewelry, property – all this can go to the side;
• Sometimes he quits his job. It also ceases to invest in itself and even monitor appearance, clothes and shoes;
• Actively reads any specialized literature, refusing other books;
• More often begins to attend meetings, community events;
• Behaves unpredictably, not at all like before.

What to do?

The most important thing is not to panic and act deliberately.

1. Do not immediately try to “open your eyes” to your loved one that he is a victim of sectarians. He will not hear you, because the community warned that others would put pressure on him. So you only risk breaking contact with a person. And this is a big mistake;
2. The most important thing is to maintain communication and close relationships. You will have to hold back with all your might, but only in this way will you not completely lose control of the situation. Build on your shared positive past and good memories. These threads connect both of you and him with the real world, from where he “leaves” to the sect;
3. Listen to his stories about the life of the community, about its traditions, principles and rules. Try to discreetly write down names and addresses – they will come in handy when you contact the police;
4. Collect information from other sources as well – about this sect and about sects in general, about the experience of other people who have been there and returned to normal life. Find public organizations that work with victims of sects and their families;
5. Take care of support for yourself: start psychotherapy, arrange for yourself at least a few sessions on the current situation;
6. Find an expert psychologist who understands this topic and consult with him;
7. Contact a lawyer and work out next steps – you may need to contact law enforcement or make sure that a relative is not deprived of an apartment.