What religious cults do is indoctrinate people with formulated ideas that seem so appealing to the listener that posing questionable scrutiny to these ideas are willing cast aside or repelled. Support those ideas with fear and ignorance and you have a highly controlling religious cult with devoted and subservient followers.
For example the JWS religion promises immorality and redemption from sin, with the addition of living in a soon to come earthly paradise.
Sounds pretty good doesn't it from a emotional and ideological perspective ?
Then it is said that people who reject this propagation are deemed evil and rebellious against god's will and purpose.