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 ...

CultNews101.com

CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/18/2019 September 18, 2019
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Australia, Doomsday Cult, Book Review, NXIVM, Magical ThinkingCrikey: Leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses ordered to destroy confidential records"A letter obtained by INQ has shed light on the secretive methods the Jehovah's Witnesses are undertaking to erase the impact of child sexual abuse within the sect.""A body representing the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Australia has written to all elders of […]
Recovery Workshop for Second and Multi-Generation Former Members of Different Coercive and Radical Cultic Groups September 17, 2019
Recovery Workshop for Second and Multi-Generation Former Members of Different Coercive and Radical Cultic Groups On Friday 1st November (4-7), Saturday 2nd November (9.30-5) and Sunday 3rd November 2019 (9-4)In Grindleford, Hope Valley, DerbyshireCost: £350 including Assessment, Workshop & Workbook [accommodation and meals not included]Purpose & RationaleTo help you raise awareness and understanding of the […]
Two Russians Given U.S. Entry Bans For Allegedly Torturing Jehovah's Witnesses September 16, 2019
RFE/RLSeptember 11, 2019 Two high-ranking regional officers in Russia's Investigative Committee have been banned from entering the United States for alleged "gross violations of human rights."A September 10 State Department statement said Vladimir Yermolayev, head of the Investigative Committee in the city of Surgut; Stepan Tkach, a senior investigator; and their immediate family members "are […]
The Former Extremists Trying to Fight Extremism September 16, 2019
Some who have renounced their past in neo-Nazi or jihadist movements now hope to save others from the same fate. But there are risks to this approach—not least to the “formers” themselves.GILSINANThe AtlanticSeptember 9, 2019They have TED talks and TV shows and research centers. You can even book some for events through a talent agent. […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/16/2019 September 16, 2019
EnlightenNext, Andrew Cohen, Faith Healing, Sri Lanka, Bikram Yoga, Sexual Abuse, Legal, Baba Ramdev, Ayurveda Patheos: Strange and Curious Sects: EnlightenNext"One of EnlightenNext’s members was Luna Torlo, Cohen’s mother. At first, she was enthused about her son’s mystical awakening – but their relationship soured as he grew dictatorial, and ultimately she fled the cult and broke off contact with […]
Director Zaida Bergroth On Cult Drama 'Maria's Paradise': "The Idea Was To Concentrate On The Love And Power" - Toronto Studio September 16, 2019
Damon WiseSeptember 15, 2019DeadlineThere were quite a few films about cults at this year’s TIFF, and one of the more provocative meditations on human manipulation came from Finland. Titled Maria’s Paradise, Zaida Bergroth’s film was inspired by the true story of Maria Åkerblom, who ran a cult in rural Finland that caused a major scandal […]
Former NXIVM sex-cult recruiter hopeful her message can help others September 16, 2019
Sarah Edmondson suffers from PTSD as she struggles to recover from the trauma of her time in a sex cultDENISE RYANVancouver sunSeptember 15, 2019Sarah Edmondson spent a dozen years as a top recruiter in NXIVM, an executive success and self-improvement program that was later revealed to be a sex-cult catering to the whims of its […]
Ethiopia: Why Ethiopia's Rastafari Community Keeps Dwindling September 15, 2019
Maria Gerth-NiculescuAll africaSEPTEMBER 9, 2019Rastafarians from around the world have been settling in Ethiopia for the last 50 years, after being given land by Emperor Haile Selassie. Today, life in "the promised land" is far from the paradise they had imagined.A purple tint covers the evening sky over Shashamane, home to Ethiopia's remaining Rastafarians. Inside […]
I was the first woman to publicly accuse gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. But I was also abused in my own church. September 15, 2019
Rachael DenhollanderWashington PostSeptember 9, 2019 Rachael Denhollander was the first gymnast to come forward against sports physician and convicted sex offender Larry Nassar. This is her story of experiencing abuse in church when she was 7 years old.I still remember it like it was yesterday.The church was small, just a few hundred people, and everyone […]
What do Amish, Mennonite, rumspringa mean? A guide to terms used in Lancaster County's Plain community September 15, 2019
ABIGAIL KINGLancaster OnlineSeptember 13, 2019 When discussing the Amish, it's easy to get confused by some of the terms used.(And it's especially confusing when television shows like "Amish Mafia" and "Breaking Amish" become the baseline in pop culture.) The Amish use several terms that come from Pennsylvania Dutch and haven't quite made it to mainstream […]
Building a temple in Russia may be a heavy lift in a nation not eager to even see LDS chapels September 15, 2019
Peggy Fletcher StackSalt Lake TribuneSeptember 10, 2019This is the third part in a three-part series examining how Western faiths, including the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are having to adapt to survive and grow in a nation where the government, with encouragement from the dominant Russian Orthodox Church, continues to put up […]
I Left the Cult Next Door September 14, 2019
My mother and I stopped speaking after I broke with the man we called the Apostle.Tracy SimmonsWall Street JournalSeptember 12, 2019 For the past five years, I have received a daily email filled with stories about those who succumb to extreme religious ideologies. Whether it’s the Nxivm sex-cult trial in New York earlier this year […]
How a 'Fake Guru' Set Up a 'Wild Wild Country'-Style Commune in the Mexican Jungle September 14, 2019
Former followers of Ozen Rajneesh accuse the guru of being a 'fake,' cheating them out of thousands of dollars, and mishandling the disappearance of a commune member.Hilary BeaumontVICESeptember 6, 2019Michael Gerard, 23, first heard about the guru Ozen online in August 2014, when he was searching for a cure to his depression.The tall, thin student […]
Preparing for Armageddon September 14, 2019
CBC News NetworkSeptember 15, 2019(Available only in Canada)In the United States, people called “preppers” are doing all they can to survive a global disaster. With concerns ranging from civil unrest to nuclear war to natural disasters, these communities are responding to the stress of an uncertain future.In Preparing for Armageddon, presenter Stacey Dooley spends time […]
NXIVM Cult Case Defense Attorney Wants to Become a Prosecutor September 14, 2019
AMANDA OTTAWAYCourthouse News ServiceSeptember 13, 2019 BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CN) – Convicted sex-cult leader Keith Raniere will not be sentenced until 2020, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said at a hearing in Brooklyn Friday. Sporting a new buzz haircut, convicted sex trafficker and former NXIVM cult leader Raniere wore wrinkled tan scrubs and sneakers to court, […]
Are We All Cult Members Now? September 14, 2019
JEFF SCHECHTMANWho What WhySEPTEMBER 13, 2019"Every day there are stories about how interactions between people have become increasingly tribal — prompting individuals to trash facts, science, and objective reality in the service of a cause or a set of beliefs.It’s almost as if society has been taken over by cults.In this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, we […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/13/2019 September 14, 2019
Falun Gong, Word of Life Church, Meditation app Headspace, Hope for Wholeness, Conversion Therapy, LGBT Business Insider: Inside Dragon Springs, the high-security compound in upstate New York that's home to a 'cult' tyrannized by China"About 100 people are said to be living in a 400-acre property in upstate New York, in the shadow of the Shawangunk […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/14-15/2019 September 14, 2019
Transcendental Meditation, Prosperity Gospel, Benny Hinn Ministries, Imperial Valley Ministries, Trafficking, Taborites, Communists TM-Free Blog: Convicted child pornography collector was a MUM trustee and major donor to TM organizations"According to the Repository, Marshall "Marsh" Belden was "known for his charitable efforts in Stark County and restoration and development projects in downtown Canton." But the tax filings of […]
Toronto film festival 2019: ‘Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator’ movie review September 14, 2019
Sara StewartNY PostSeptember 12, 2019Looks like Bikram yoga may not be hot for much longer.Bikram Choudhury, the famous founder of the sweat-soaked practice, has come under fire in the U.S. for sex abuse allegations over the past few years, though his branded technique is still being taught in studios around the country. He’s also still personally teaching […]