looloo - I am so sorry to hear what happened to you and nothing can undo that We can help make sure that others learn about the reasons that lure people into cults which is what sites like JWD do. I wish you peace.
Maddie
WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN CULTS?
by Maddie 24 Replies latest jw friends
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Maddie
R Crusoe - They steal our spirituality and keep it prisoner - thats how I think about it.
Maddie
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R.Crusoe
Likewise Maddie! So true!
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Highlander
People don't join cults. Cults recruit people.
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outofthebox
2) Many situations make people more vulnerable to recruitment e.g. a person whose parents have separated or divorced will be more likely to listen to a recruiter who describes his group as "one big happy family". Also someone whose marriage or romance has just ended will be more susceptible to come-ons by an attractive person.
You are super right Maggie. That's why in the meetings we usually hear that we have to come back to those homes where we weren't well received before, but now maybe their circumstances changed. Meaning, if somebody died in the family or if they have problems they will be more likely to hear you, since you are giving them hope. That's cult recruiting techniques 101 or CRT101 for short.
-ootb
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nvrgnbk
Why do People join Cults? Are cults just for weak minded losers? Why would "normal" people join a cult? The answer is that one of the greatest strengths of humanity is also one of our greatest weaknesses. What makes humanity dominate on this planet is our ability to share knowledge. Because we can communicate, information learned by one individual is passed on to others. We have organized into societies that are so complex that only a fraction of the information that we rely on is actually stored in our own brains. The up side is that it allows us to benefit from the tremendous wealth of combined knowledge of the human race. The down side is that it is a serious security hole in the human computer. If the information we rely on is flawed, then we can end up living a life of illusion and deception. Examples of groups that have some cult properties include religions, nations, political parties, corporations, non profit organizations, sport team fans, neighborhood associations, bridge clubs, softball teams, online discussion boards, Macintosh users, bike clubs, and vegans. Not to say that you should quit all these groups but that all of them will be to some extent at least benignly cultish.
Technically any group that you are a member of has cult like properties. Most cults in this context are harmless. The very nature of a group is that you trust other people. You rely on them and they rely on you. The group creates a social order where leaders lead and followers follow. It might be democratic or hierarchical. But you trust them and they trust you. The group becomes it's own entity. Almost like it is a life force of it's own.
In a healthy group people are ethical and responsible with each other. The relationships are based on a sane and productive system and the focus of the group is something worthwhile. People are trusted because they are trustworthy. People have faith in each other and the group because people have earned faith through being responsible. This keeps the down side to groups to a minimum. Even in the best of circumstances there are mistakes made and it takes hard work to keep things on course.The human need to be part of a group is far stronger than logic. Most people will sacrifice logic for social acceptance.
People survive through groups. We need to connect to society. We need to become a productive member of the community to feel good about ourselves. This is a built in instinctive need and it is very strong. Logic isn't as strong as our need to be accepted in a community. And because it is a strong need, people who are unethical can exploit that and enslave you in a cult. A cult is a group gone bad. It is a group that uses what would otherwise be a normal group process for the purpose of exploiting and enslaving the members for some unethical purpose generally involving money and power. People who have a need to belong to something are suckered in and allow themselves to be reprogrammed by the group mind. They are required to accept a lot of bad information on faith and once they accept that then they see reality relative to the bad information they are working with. Groups can start out good but degenerate into a cult because of a takeover of some unethical person who exploits the group for personal gain.
So the reason people join cults is that people need to organize as groups for a normal healthy society. But there are good groups and bad groups and a lot of groups who are somewhere in between. When people become part of the group they put their faith and trust in the group and the group information becomes part of who they are and what they believe. The individual starts seeing reality through the lens of the group and if the group is based on fiction then the group members will see the world relative to the fiction. -
snowbird
A tumultuous childhood along with a strong spiritual need led me to the JW's.
They convinced me that they had the answers to the problems of the world.
I was misled.
Sylvia
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Wordly Andre
I can't say for sure why my parents joined, I think that maybe the 70's were just a bit crazy and people either joined Peoples Temple or Watchterror society.
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worldtraveller
I was looking for the truth, and all I got was a big steaming pile.
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sspo
I agree with what you said Maddie but in my case i had everything going when i was in the "world".
At 22, had a very good job,real estate and nice cars and girls.
What drew me to the organization it was the explanation of the bible, they truly were able to answer every question with the bible and of course
i was stupid enough to beleive and not check things out ( internet was not available) .
32 years in it and glad to be out and realize it's just a dangerous cult that has destroyed families and lives
Are cults just for weak minded losers? Why would "normal" people join a cult? The answer is that one of the greatest strengths of humanity is also one of our greatest weaknesses. What makes humanity dominate on this planet is our ability to share knowledge. Because we can communicate, information learned by one individual is passed on to others. We have organized into societies that are so complex that only a fraction of the information that we rely on is actually stored in our own brains. The up side is that it allows us to benefit from the tremendous wealth of combined knowledge of the human race. The down side is that it is a serious security hole in the human computer. If the information we rely on is flawed, then we can end up living a life of illusion and deception. 
Examples of groups that have some cult properties include religions, nations, political parties, corporations, non profit organizations, sport team fans, neighborhood associations, bridge clubs, softball teams, online discussion boards, Macintosh users, bike clubs, and vegans. Not to say that you should quit all these groups but that all of them will be to some extent at least benignly cultish. 
A cult is a group gone bad. It is a group that uses what would otherwise be a normal group process for the purpose of exploiting and enslaving the members for some unethical purpose generally involving money and power. People who have a need to belong to something are suckered in and allow themselves to be reprogrammed by the group mind. They are required to accept a lot of bad information on faith and once they accept that then they see reality relative to the bad information they are working with. Groups can start out good but degenerate into a cult because of a takeover of some unethical person who exploits the group for personal gain.