To write a scientific work on religious sects, I decided to first check everything on my own experience. “Infiltrated” Scientologists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and several other local sects. Perhaps my most disturbing discovery was that never before have we been so accessible to destructive and totalitarian sects as we are now.
As it turned out, the largest percentage of those involved are not grandmothers, as it might seem, but young women who have recently become mothers, guys who have returned from the army, and students of the first two years of university. Moreover, the more educated, proactive and responsible a person is, the sooner he will be drawn into a sect. It sounds paradoxical, but it’s true.
Young mothers are rapidly losing their former environment; the husband, if he goes to work, is also almost never seen. The amount of habitual communication is sharply reduced, there is a feeling of abandonment and loneliness.
Approximately the same thing happens with military personnel and with students (especially those who came to study in another city) – having lost their familiar friendly environment, they have not yet managed to acquire a new one and are desperately striving for new contacts.
People with a firm position in life often try to take sectarians “weakly”
They, suffering from the “complex of an excellent student”, then try to take the highest rungs of the social ladder in a new society, albeit a sectarian one, therefore they are drawn in faster.
In addition, it is more difficult for leaders to talk with loved ones about problems or feelings, to show any of their weaknesses – these are the recruiters who are aimed at.
All destructive sects operate according to the same standard scheme – they interest you, inspire you, and gradually draw you in more and more.
Two main methods of manipulation
1. Technique “Step by step” – you are asked for some small favor – “Stop, listen!”, “Excuse me, can you have a glass of water?”, “May I stand next to you under an umbrella?”.
Having provided even a small, but help, a person feels much better, more useful, a little bit a hero. Further, the request becomes imperceptibly more significant: “Read our material!”, “Listen to what I will tell you now!”, “Come to our meeting.”
And again, endless gratitude and appreciation, which amuse our pride. So in small steps you get more and more involved, and the path from the first request to “Leave your family”, “Give us your money”, “Spend all your time here” is not so long.
2. Mandatory recruitment point – “saturation with love.” It will seem to you that around you are the best, kindest and most understanding people. Each “new friend” is sincerely interested in your life, what is happening in your life, is always ready to listen and help in any way possible.
Some also use physical contact, such as countless hugs and friendly kisses. There will always be a member of the sect who will gladly spend your free time with you and will do what is interesting for you. But after a while, “love” will abruptly disappear.
In such a situation, a new member of the sect begins to rush from one former comrade to another, without receiving any reasonable explanations or the same warmth. The human psyche is arranged in such a way that in such cases we immediately begin to look for guilt in ourselves and try to make amends for it in order to regain the lost feeling of love.
What is needed for this? Sell your apartment? With joy! Preach to others? Certainly! Do not communicate with anyone other than spiritual brothers? I was just waiting for this.
Other options for luring into a sect can change and are highly dependent on each specific recruit – someone needs to be constantly distracted from thoughts, literally bombarded with new information so that the person does not have time to realize everything that is happening, to connect the mind.
Someone will be happy to feel their elitism and receive some “sacred” knowledge, available only to him. For some, the best motivation will be delicious food and beautiful views around the church, confidence in its well-being and that nothing is wanted from him here.
How to avoid recruitment yourself and protect your family?
As they say, all that glitters is not gold: ask more questions, don’t be content with superficial answers. An interesting yoga retreat? Okay. And from what school? What are they preaching? What will be in the program? What time is it held? Etc.
Now many totalitarian sects pretend to be harmless organizations, change their names, hiding behind a healthy lifestyle or Eastern spiritual practices. If it is not a sect, the organizers will only be happy to answer all your questions in detail. Otherwise, your questions will be evaded, slightly annoyed, trying to change topics, and so on.
In relation to relatives, only one thing is applicable – care and attention. If they have enough love in your home, they are unlikely to reach for it somewhere else.