An exhaustive study has been done on the behavior of cult groups - In several books about "cults", they enumerated 21 major points where you can identify the traits of a cult-like organization. Bear in mind that the authors did not target Jehovah's Witnesses as a specific group at all, which made it all the more frightening! But this dissertation generalized all cult-groups existing in the world...
1. Control-oriented, arrogantly assertive, power-posturing leadership.
2. Authoritarian and legalistic with dictatorial, dogmatic doctrines that are proclaimed to be "the Truth".
3. Claims of being the channel of communication between God and humankind; having unique knowledge that makes them special. If members do not submit to its dictatorial rule, the leaders emphasize that any waver of support to the organization or church is evidence of waver of faith in God.
4. Manipulation of members by guilt, shame, blame, and fear.
5. An "Us-versus-Them" view, a perception of being under persecution.
6. Demanding, rigid lifestyles and overwhelming service requirements.
Members' lives are controlled by both spoken and unspoken rules.
7. Loss of focus on God, replaced by a complicated process of furthering the church or organization and its rules.
8. Followers "in pain", hiding real feelings that oppose or disagree with the religious system.
9. Intolerance of individual thinking, and of criticism of the religious system by its members. Fosters an unhealthy dependency by focusing on themes of submission, loyalty, and obedience to those in authority.
10. Severe discipline of members.
11. The religious system puts down other religions.
12. Closed communication: Information is only valid if it comes from the top of the religious system down, and from inside the system to the outside of it.
13. Leaving the religious system is painful and difficult.
14. Labeling: a technique used to discount a person who opposes the beliefs of the religious system, i.e., "apostates".
15. What you do is more important that who you are.
16. Love and acceptance are earned by doing certain things.
17. Scripture-twisting.
18. Scare tactics; focus on demons.
19. Threats to remove members from the group.
20. Members are misled into thinking the only safety is in the religious system.
21. A view that education is bad or unnecessary.
Richie :*)