cult ← cult recovery 101

Aspects of Recovery

Jan

2013

Recovery from cults is a multifaceted process; initially it is the separation from the group, group practices, and meetings that bound us to the group. Therapy helps address the emotional aspects of group involvement – feelings of betrayal, abuse and vulnerability to recruitment. It helps to develop and understanding of how the group’s doctrine ...

“Cults” and Globalization: Reflections and Questions

Jan

2013

Mike Kropveld Revised from a presentation at the International Symposium on Cultic Studies (Bangkok, Thailand), organized by Graduate School of Philosophy and Religion, Assumption University, Thailand and the Institute of Religious Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China, December 15–16, 2011. In my presentation today, I will give an overview of definitions for cult. Then I will ...

Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups – Revised

Jan

2013

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D. & Janja Lalich, Ph.D. Concerted efforts at influence and control lie at the core of cultic groups, programs, and relationships. Many members, former members, and supporters of cults are not fully aware of the extent to which members may have been manipulated, exploited, even abused. The following list of social-structural, social-psychological, and ...

On Using the Term "Cult"

Oct

2012

Herbert L. Rosedale, Esq.Michael D. Langone, Ph.D. Even though we have each studied cults and educated people about this subject for more than 20 years, neither of us has ever felt completely comfortable with the term “cult.” No other term, however, serves more effectively the linked educational and research aims of ICSA (International Cultic Studies ...

The Definitional Ambiguity of “Cult” and ICSA’s Mission

Oct

2012

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D. (This essay is a follow-up to “On Using the Term Cult.”) A central component of ICSA’s mission is to study psychological manipulation and abuse, especially as it manifests in cultic and other groups. Different people, however, attach different and usually imprecise meanings to the term “cult” (On Using the Term Cult). Those ...

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She Was Seen as a Victim in the Sarah Lawrence Cult Case. Now She's Charged. March 2, 2021
Isabella Pollok was one of the students at Sarah Lawrence College who prosecutors said was exploited by a classmate’s father, Lawrence V. Ray. Now she is under indictment, too.Benjamin Weiser and Ezra MarcusThe New York TimesMarch 1, 2021A year ago, Isabella Pollok was portrayed by prosecutors as the victim of a Svengali-like older man who […]
Experts In Cult Deprogramming Step In To Help Believers In Conspiracy Theories March 2, 2021
Experts In Cult Deprogramming Step In To Help Believers In Conspiracy TheoriesAll Things ConsideredNPRMarch 2, 2021With disinformation spreading on an unprecedented scale, experts in cult deprogramming are turning their expertise to those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/972970805/experts-in-cult-deprogramming-step-in-to-help-believers-in-conspiracy-theories
NXIVM WHISTLEBLOWERS LAUNCH NEW PODCAST: A LITTLE BIT CULTY February 27, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:As whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series The Vow, Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames have a lot to say and burning questions for people who’ve been through similar experiences. With the launch of their new A Bit Culty podcast, the husband and wife co-hosts explore life after NXIVM and discuss the […]
Can Cult Studies Offer Help With QAnon? The Science Is Thin. February 24, 2021
Many families have become divided over online political conspiracy theories, but the science on “brainwashing” is weak.MICHAEL SCHULSONUndarkFebruary 24, 2021DAYS BEFORE THE inauguration of President Joe Biden, at a time when some Americans were animated by the false conviction that former President Donald J. Trump had actually won the November election, a man in Colorado […]
Here's What We Know About Convicted NXIVM Sex Cult Leader's Legal Strategy to Appeal 120-Year Sentence February 22, 2021
COLIN KALMBACHERLaw & CrimeFebruary 19, 2021Convicted NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere is planning to appeal his 120-year prison sentence based on alleged courtroom error and complaints that he didn’t receive a fair trial.Defense attorney Steven Metcalf made the case for his client, who is currently recovering from COVID-19, during a Thursday appearance on the […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 2/22/2021 (NXIVM, Legal, Polygamy, QAnon, Anti-Vax) February 22, 2021
NXIVM, Legal, Polygamy, QAnon, Anti-VaxxAlbany Times Union: NXIVM leader Keith Raniere recovering from coronavirus"NXIVM leader Keith Raniere is recovering from COVID-19 in his Arizona prison.And the convicted sex trafficker has some new attorneys to help him attempt to legally recover from his federal convictions and 120-year prison sentence.The new lawyers, who will be working on […]
The Original Plandemic: Unmasking The Eerily Familiar Conspiracy Theories Behind The Russian Flu Of 1889 February 22, 2021
Alex Knapp Forbes StaffCovid-19 truthers believe that 5G technology is dialing up the disease. More than a century ago, telegraph poles and other mysterious causes were blamed for influenza. And each gave rise to dubious cures.As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe in early 2020, a conspiracy theory about the disease went viral on social media: […]
Disinformation Fuels A White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor To Quit February 22, 2021
DALIA MORTADARachel Martin.RACHEL MARTINNPRFebruary 21, 2021Jared Stacy is still processing his decision to leave Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Va., last year. Until November, he was ministering to young parishioners in their 20s and 30s.But in the four years since he had joined the church as a pastor, Stacy had found himself increasingly up against […]
QAnon followers are drawn to conspiracy theories by these personality traits -- according to psychologists February 20, 2021
Raw StoryTravis GettysFebruary 19, 2021After the U.S. Capitol insurrection, tens of thousands of Reddit users joined a support group for people who've lost loved ones to the QAnon conspiracy theory.The group that was created in 2019 ballooned from just under 60,000 members on Jan. 6 to more than 133,000 this month, and psychologists have catalogued […]
Conspiracy theories — unmasked! From Winston Churchill to QAnon in a few easy steps February 20, 2021
SalonDo we live in a golden age of wacko paranoia? No, says German scholar Michael Butter: It's always been with us "Many people may believe that we live in a golden age of conspiracy theories. That's not really the case, according to German academic Michael Butter, who teaches American literature and culture at the University of […]
Family Caring Research Study February 20, 2021
Request for participants who have/had family members in controlling/abusive groups - for “Family Caring Research Study” If you are interested in cooperating with the research request below, keep in mind that, unless you have made a legal commitment to the contrary, you may withdraw your participation at any time and for any reason. Occasionally, participation in […]
Queensland moves to criminalise coercive control after murder of Hannah Clarke and her children February 19, 2021
Exclusive: Hannah Clarke’s parents welcome Annastacia Palaszczuk’s appointment of a taskforce to investigate how to legislate coercive controlAmanda GearingThe Guardian February 17, 2021The parents of Hannah Clarke have welcomed moves to criminalise coercive control in Queensland as they approach the first anniversary of their daughter’s murder by her husband.The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, announced the formation […]
Another South Korean religious group investigated over Covid-19 outbreak February 19, 2021
La Prensa Latina MediaOnline News Editor Online News February 15, 2021Seoul, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- South Korean police searched the headquarters of a missionary organization Monday for being behind an outbreak of Covid-19, a new case in the country of a Christian group being accused of violating health emergency laws.Authorities stormed the International Mission headquarters in […]
Unwelcome On Facebook And Twitter, QAnon Followers Flock To Fringe Sites February 19, 2021
Shannon BondNPRJanuary 31, 2021January brought a one-two punch that should have knocked out the fantastical, false QAnon conspiracy theory.After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the social media platforms that had long allowed the falsehoods to spread like wildfire — namely Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — got more aggressive in cracking down on […]
The QAnon Timeline: Four Years, 5,000 Drops and Countless Failed Propheciess February 19, 2021
BellingcatJanuary 29, 2021QAnonTech TeamQAnon is not a static conspiracy theory. Since it first emerged in 2017, it has continuously evolved, focusing on different key topics and adopting elements of other conspiracy theories. As Bellingcat has recently written, this elasticity has been the key to its success.With the inauguration of US President Joe Biden, QAnon’s faithful […]
Ends to a Means February 18, 2021
Why weren’t Haredi Jews troubled by Trump’s conspiracy-mongering? SHAUL MAGIDTablet MagazineFEBRUARY 16, 2021Many months after the presidential election, it is quite clear that Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, support for President Trump was strong. The Satmar enclave of Kiryas Joel in Rockland County, New York, voted 99% for Trump in 2020. In Haredi sections of Borough Park, […]
QAnon merchandise still sold by major online retailers despite social media crackdown February 18, 2021
Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify takes down QAnon merchandise shops after CBC News inquiryThomas DaigleCBC NewsSeptember 02, 2020 E-commerce giants Amazon and eBay continue to offer thousands of products for sale that promote QAnon, even as social media companies crack down on the dangerous and baseless conspiracy theory.A search for "QAnon" on Amazon's Canadian retail site […]
On social media, vaccine misinformation mixes with extreme faith February 17, 2021
Even with renewed efforts by tech companies, religious-themed misinformation is among the hardest to policeElizabeth DwoskinWashington PostFebruary 16, 2021 In an insular world on the social media app TikTok, young Christians act out biblically inspired scenes in which they are forced to take a vaccine for the coronavirus, only to end up splattered in fake […]
CHARBONNEAU: QAnon Canada: quieter, subtler February 17, 2021
David CharbonneauCFJC Today KamloopsFebruary 16, 2021 QANON IN THE U.S. has taken on the militaristic quality of a religious crusade with Q as the prophet and Trump as the Messiah. In Canada, the response has been more muted.QAnon has been wildly successful and expanded beyond what the apocalyptic prophet Q intended. The identity of Q […]