What do the following people have
in common?
Lawyer
IBM executive
Chiropractor
OB nurse
Computer tech
World Class Chess Champion
Stanford University graduate
Military Intelligence Specialist
Electronics Engineer
College Professor
Airline Stewardess
Accountant
Executive Secretary
Musician
Martial Arts Instructor
Insurance agent
Window washer
Mechanic
Farmer
Homeschooling mom
Carpenter/Electrician
Real Estate agent
Truck driver
Cashier
The above are true examples of
people who were members in the various churches of God; i. e., splinters
of Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of
God) Are they
dumb? Did they have no common sense and were easily duped? Are they
less intelligent than the average person? Judging by their professions,
these people are obviously well educated. A couple of them I know were
top graduates in their class. So how did these people find themselves
inside a cult*?
The truth of the matter is, given
the right circumstances,
anyone can be deceived! It has nothing to do with a person's
intelligence.
Herbert W.
Armstrong captured our hearts with idealism of a "better world." We
wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. His
black and white answers, and "no compromise" on moral values, made us
wonder if God did indeed send us a prophet (or teacher) to show us the way out of
this messed up world. We enlisted in "God's Army" so we could be at the
forefront of change.
Another truth that many outsiders
do not understand: None of us were ever told the complete requirements
of this group before we joined; otherwise, we would have never
joined! And these groups know that! This is why they employ
deception by not giving us the "truth" all at once (withholding
information). They tell us that we're just "babes" and can only "digest
milk" and not the "strong meat of the word." (Jehovah's Witnesses call
this "justified lying" or "theocratic war strategy.") Once we came into
the group, we were treated as "special." Members went out of their way
to be friendly and to make us feel welcomed. Filling the need for
friendships, we stayed. Being fed a steady diet of fear and impending
destruction1 put us in a position where we couldn't
leave (emotionally).
Millions of people are duped every
day. Were people being "stupid" for
getting swindled by the used car salesman, who lied and deceived them
into buying a junky jalopy that was patched together but presented as
"almost new"? What about that multi-level marketing group that promised
riches beyond ones' wildest dreams? Was it as "easy" as they made it
sound? Remember that last infomercial that promised vibrant health,
easy hair removal, and quick weight loss? Did you discover that the
products did not live up to their claims? What about that "hot stock"
that went belly up overnight? Most of us feel that we are "too
intelligent" to fall for deception, but the truth is, we fall for it
more than we like to think. We also seem to excuse this tendency in
ourselves, while shaking our heads when we see it in others.
Instead of judging people in cults
as "mentally defective"--get educated! There was a time in our history
where we believed that drinking and smoking were harmless habits.
Today, we know better. Twenty years ago, there was an ingrained belief
that women who stayed with abusive spouses were "weak" and it was "her
fault for staying." Today, there are shelters that assist these women,
helping them to find employment, and giving them counseling to heal from
their terrible past. Instead of judging, we need to educate ourselves
and become aware of groups whose sole agenda is to deceive, entrap,
indoctrinate and exploit the unwary public through cleverly designed
arguments. Public awareness and education is a great way to stop
ignorance in its tracks.
One day you may find someone you
dearly love become a victim of a cult. It can be
a spouse, a sibling, a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, or one of
your adult children. Will you handle this by shaking your head, and
muttering, "I can't believe they can be so stupid!" or will you be
educated enough to say, "This is very serious and I need to get help
before it's too late"?
Today we
have drug and alcohol rehab centers, suicide hotlines, and other such
programs to help people. Unfortunately, counselors who are
familiar with cultic abuse are few and far
between, almost on the scale of non-existence in comparison to other
mental health issues. Public awareness of these groups only comes to
the surface when something tragic happens and, like a shooting star,
quickly dies out. Can we challenge ourselves not to blame, but to get
educated and help others within our circle of influence to also become
educated in cult dynamics, so we can see and understand how easily it is
for one to be trapped into these kinds of destructive groups?
By Lindsey
Exit & Support Network™
November 28, 2005
*The
word "cult" is used to describe a
totalitarian, mind-manipulating organization. See:
Identifying Marks of an Exploitive,
Abusive Group.
Read:
How can intelligent people become deceived?
(Q&A)
Footnote by ESN:
1 Read
about fear phobia induction in OIU Newsletter #4, pt. 1.
Articles on Understanding Mind Control & Exploitive Groups
Stories, Testimonies and Writings
by Exiters
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