CULTS: A Practical Guide (Foreword by Founder of Samaritans)
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 1:08 pm
Members of the School of Economic Science and Families with loved ones who are members will benefit from reading this booklet which is published by the Cult Information Centre (UK). I have found it very useful, and a source of further practical help. http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/
CULTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
By Ian Haworth Cult Information Centre (UK)
Foreword by Chad Varah: Founder of the Samaritans
As founder of the Samaritans and of Befrienders International, I encountered every depressing situation which could lead to despair and even suicide. It wasn?t long before the devastating effects of the activities of Cults had to be added to other horrors, and ignorance about their nature and methods was almost universal. Since 1977 the deaths they have caused have been widely reported in the media, and since 1993 hardly a year has passed without its newsworthy horror.
Anyone touched by this insidious phenomenon needs information and guidance, and I know of no more reliable book than Cults: A Practical Guide by Ian Haworth. I am proud to have been a Patron since the Cult Information Centre started.
Prebendary Dr. Chad Varah, CH, CBE, MA, DSc.
FOUNDER OF THE SAMARITANS
CHAPTER 1
EXPLODING THE MYTHS
?An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
WHY WE NEED THIS BOOKLET
Cults. For most of us, our only contact with them is the occasional brush in the street, with a member, or else a tragedy reported on the news. Most people assume that the problem is small, isolated, and on the decrease. Contrary to what many imagine, however, cults are alive and well in the UK and on the increase: and both the membership and numbers of cult groups are growing. It is safe to say that there are well over 500 different cults operating in the UK today.
At least one of these groups has over 700 different corporate names which some people describe as ?Front Names?. Consequently, this makes the problem of discernment a major one.
Unless people understand the methodology of a typical cult, it is only too easy to be drawn into their sphere of influence. In addition, if counsellors, educators and others in positions in responsibility in the UK are not aware of what constitutes a cult and how cults operate, then they will be ill-equipped to help people confronted by cult-related issues.
The purpose of the booklet is to provide an easy to read, condensed overview of the key issues surrounding cults. It will focus on giving sound, practical help to those personally affected by cults as well as to those who wish to get a clearer picture, for research purposes, of how cults operate.
WHO IS IT FOR?
The booklet is written for a wide variety of readers as follows:
? For students and staff in schools: a. To warn them of the dangers of cults. b. To assist them in their research of the general cult phenomenon.
? For families and friends of cult members to enable them to understand quickly the basics of cultism to: a. Help them avoid making unnecessary mistakes in their communications with the cult member. b. Help them to take the initiative in trying to neutralise the influence of the cult.
? For families and friends of ex-cult members to help them understand: a. What they are likely to encounter in their own emotions. b. What the ex-cult member will be experiencing so that they can better assist in his/her recovery.
? For ex-cult members to help them understand what has happened to them and to understand and accelerate the recovery period.
? For counsellors, clergy, medical and mental health professionals to assist them in understanding the sometimes complex issues surrounding cult involvement so they are better equipped to: a. Warn those with whom they are in touch. b. Offer better help to grieving families that have lost a loved one to a cult. c. Offer better support for ex-cult members experiencing withdrawal after leaving a cult.
? For executives and personnel managers in the corporate world to assist in warning their staff or in assisting those already damaged by cults.
WARNING!
With the best of intentions, some people try to infiltrate a cult in order to learn more about it for academic or other personal reasons. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COURSE OF ACTION.
Nobody is immune to the influence of the mind-control techniques used by cults. These techniques of psychological coercion can work, whether or not an individual is forewarned of the use of such methods. Since cult mind control practices result in an impairment of one?s ability to think and critically evaluate, the last person to recognise that harm is being done to him or her is the victim.
It is with this in mind that we give this warning and in the interests of public health and safety. Hopefully, if this warning is not fully appreciated by the reader at this stage, it will be, once you have read what follows.
EXPLODING THE MYTHS
In this booklet we have tried to suggest that cults represent a serious threat to the mental health and welfare of the individual and the family. Unfortunately, in Britain there is a great deal of confusion and misinformation surrounding this issue and myths abound. Many of these myths are the result of cult propaganda. Some are a result of the work of pro-cult activists. Others exist merely because the average person prefers to be in denial and say, ?it could never happen to me.?
It is hoped that by reading this booklet most of the myths surrounding the cult issue will be exploded. We would like to underline the following:
1. People don?t join cults. They are recruited.
2. People are recruited by a method not a message.
3. People do not stay in cults because they have nothing better to do with their lives, but because psychological coercion holds them there.
4. Cults intend to retain a hold on people for life, or for as long as they are valuable to the cult. It is not a fad or a phase.
5. Normal people from normal families are recruited into cults.
6. Cults should be blamed for the problems caused, not the individual members, ex-members or their families (blame the victim syndrome). IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
7. Cult members are sincere. (Sincere victims, but sincere.)
8. Cult members are victims and need to be treated with love. They are people who need help, not hostility.
9. Cults recruit people of all ages. Not just young people.
10. Cult recruiters are rarely visually identifiable. They usually look like quite normal people who appear to be very friendly.
11. Anyone can become a victim of cult techniques of psychological coercion. However, the safest people are those who know how to recognise a cult.
12. Accurate information on cults is not best obtained by trying to infiltrate a cult. THIS IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS.
CHAPTER 2 AND FOLLOWING CHAPTERS WILL FOLLOW IN DUE COURSE. I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR YOUR VIEWS ON THE ABOVE.
THE CULT INFORMATION CENTRE CAN BE CONTACTED AT:
CULT INFORMATION CENTRE
BCM CULTS
LONDON WC1N 3XX
TEL: 0870 777 3800
CULTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
By Ian Haworth Cult Information Centre (UK)
Foreword by Chad Varah: Founder of the Samaritans
As founder of the Samaritans and of Befrienders International, I encountered every depressing situation which could lead to despair and even suicide. It wasn?t long before the devastating effects of the activities of Cults had to be added to other horrors, and ignorance about their nature and methods was almost universal. Since 1977 the deaths they have caused have been widely reported in the media, and since 1993 hardly a year has passed without its newsworthy horror.
Anyone touched by this insidious phenomenon needs information and guidance, and I know of no more reliable book than Cults: A Practical Guide by Ian Haworth. I am proud to have been a Patron since the Cult Information Centre started.
Prebendary Dr. Chad Varah, CH, CBE, MA, DSc.
FOUNDER OF THE SAMARITANS
CHAPTER 1
EXPLODING THE MYTHS
?An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
WHY WE NEED THIS BOOKLET
Cults. For most of us, our only contact with them is the occasional brush in the street, with a member, or else a tragedy reported on the news. Most people assume that the problem is small, isolated, and on the decrease. Contrary to what many imagine, however, cults are alive and well in the UK and on the increase: and both the membership and numbers of cult groups are growing. It is safe to say that there are well over 500 different cults operating in the UK today.
At least one of these groups has over 700 different corporate names which some people describe as ?Front Names?. Consequently, this makes the problem of discernment a major one.
Unless people understand the methodology of a typical cult, it is only too easy to be drawn into their sphere of influence. In addition, if counsellors, educators and others in positions in responsibility in the UK are not aware of what constitutes a cult and how cults operate, then they will be ill-equipped to help people confronted by cult-related issues.
The purpose of the booklet is to provide an easy to read, condensed overview of the key issues surrounding cults. It will focus on giving sound, practical help to those personally affected by cults as well as to those who wish to get a clearer picture, for research purposes, of how cults operate.
WHO IS IT FOR?
The booklet is written for a wide variety of readers as follows:
? For students and staff in schools: a. To warn them of the dangers of cults. b. To assist them in their research of the general cult phenomenon.
? For families and friends of cult members to enable them to understand quickly the basics of cultism to: a. Help them avoid making unnecessary mistakes in their communications with the cult member. b. Help them to take the initiative in trying to neutralise the influence of the cult.
? For families and friends of ex-cult members to help them understand: a. What they are likely to encounter in their own emotions. b. What the ex-cult member will be experiencing so that they can better assist in his/her recovery.
? For ex-cult members to help them understand what has happened to them and to understand and accelerate the recovery period.
? For counsellors, clergy, medical and mental health professionals to assist them in understanding the sometimes complex issues surrounding cult involvement so they are better equipped to: a. Warn those with whom they are in touch. b. Offer better help to grieving families that have lost a loved one to a cult. c. Offer better support for ex-cult members experiencing withdrawal after leaving a cult.
? For executives and personnel managers in the corporate world to assist in warning their staff or in assisting those already damaged by cults.
WARNING!
With the best of intentions, some people try to infiltrate a cult in order to learn more about it for academic or other personal reasons. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COURSE OF ACTION.
Nobody is immune to the influence of the mind-control techniques used by cults. These techniques of psychological coercion can work, whether or not an individual is forewarned of the use of such methods. Since cult mind control practices result in an impairment of one?s ability to think and critically evaluate, the last person to recognise that harm is being done to him or her is the victim.
It is with this in mind that we give this warning and in the interests of public health and safety. Hopefully, if this warning is not fully appreciated by the reader at this stage, it will be, once you have read what follows.
EXPLODING THE MYTHS
In this booklet we have tried to suggest that cults represent a serious threat to the mental health and welfare of the individual and the family. Unfortunately, in Britain there is a great deal of confusion and misinformation surrounding this issue and myths abound. Many of these myths are the result of cult propaganda. Some are a result of the work of pro-cult activists. Others exist merely because the average person prefers to be in denial and say, ?it could never happen to me.?
It is hoped that by reading this booklet most of the myths surrounding the cult issue will be exploded. We would like to underline the following:
1. People don?t join cults. They are recruited.
2. People are recruited by a method not a message.
3. People do not stay in cults because they have nothing better to do with their lives, but because psychological coercion holds them there.
4. Cults intend to retain a hold on people for life, or for as long as they are valuable to the cult. It is not a fad or a phase.
5. Normal people from normal families are recruited into cults.
6. Cults should be blamed for the problems caused, not the individual members, ex-members or their families (blame the victim syndrome). IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
7. Cult members are sincere. (Sincere victims, but sincere.)
8. Cult members are victims and need to be treated with love. They are people who need help, not hostility.
9. Cults recruit people of all ages. Not just young people.
10. Cult recruiters are rarely visually identifiable. They usually look like quite normal people who appear to be very friendly.
11. Anyone can become a victim of cult techniques of psychological coercion. However, the safest people are those who know how to recognise a cult.
12. Accurate information on cults is not best obtained by trying to infiltrate a cult. THIS IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS.
CHAPTER 2 AND FOLLOWING CHAPTERS WILL FOLLOW IN DUE COURSE. I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR YOUR VIEWS ON THE ABOVE.
THE CULT INFORMATION CENTRE CAN BE CONTACTED AT:
CULT INFORMATION CENTRE
BCM CULTS
LONDON WC1N 3XX
TEL: 0870 777 3800