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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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“Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe December 3, 2020
Before we all spent our days on Zoom, the spiritual community used the power of its Facebook group and webcams to spread a gospel of eternal love—and build its founders’ business along the way. Is it a cult that has manipulated some members’ understandings of their own genders, as ex-followers allege, or the outermost extremes […]
Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults November 29, 2020
HBO MaxNovember 24, 2020“Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults” is a thorough examination of the infamous UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and loved ones. What started in 1975 with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon ended in 1997 with the largest suicide on US soil and […]
Selling Female Pleasure at a Cost November 29, 2020
Bloomberg QuicktakeMarch 29. 2019"OneTaste is a global wellness company that is evangelical about women’s sexuality. They teach a practice called orgasmic meditation and argue it is the way to a happier, healthier and more fulfilled life. But it doesn’t come cheap. Some say it has transformed their lives for the better, while others say it […]
Costa Rica expels foreigners for naming king of remote Indian November 28, 2020
Source: Associated PressPublication date: 2002-07-18http://yellowbrix.com/pages/newsreal/Story.nsp?story_id=31371394&ID=newsreal&scategory=Internet&Off-site LinkSAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rica’s president has ordered the expulsion of a group of foreigners, apparently linked to an Indian guru, after they paid members of an Indian reservation in return for the right to name a king, the country’s security minister said Thursday.The foreigners, members of […]
'Psychic’ woman arrested for fraud on Crete November 28, 2020
Ekathimerini.comNovember 27, 2020A 50-year-old woman who claimed to possess the skill of divination was arrested on Friday for fraud on the island on Crete and the extortion of sums of money from a 46-year-old woman over a two-year period.She was arrested after an investigation by police, who searched her house in the town of Hania […]
The Cult of Kek: An Archaic Belief System for an Alt-Right “New Age” November 26, 2020
Chamila LiyanageFair ObserverNovember 26, 2020"Pepe the Frog landed a role in the alt-right’s project to restore traditional hierarchical society within a racial state. “Boy’s Club” cartoons, is familiar on the internet. The alt-right started to use it to symbolize their battle against political correctness as well as the principles of liberty, equality and justice — the […]
Head of Russian division of Aum Shinrikyo terror group sentenced to 15 years in prison November 26, 2020
TASSNovember 26, 2020Mikhail Ustyantsev was apprehended on May 1, 2018, during organization of a meetingROSTOV-ON-DON, November 26. Mikhail Ustyantsev, leader of the Russian division of the Aum Shinrikyo (currently known as Aleph) international terror group, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, Southern District military court press service told journalists Thursday."By the ruling of the […]
$15,000 Fine After Secret Hasidic Wedding Draws Thousands of Guests November 25, 2020
“This was amazingly irresponsible,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the event in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.Liam StackNew York TimesNovember 24, 2020Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered to celebrate a wedding inside a cavernous hall in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood earlier this month, dancing and singing with hardly a mask in sight. The wedding was meticulously planned, and so […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/21-22/2020 (Love has Won, Patricia Hearst, SLA, Brainwashing, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Legal, Religious Freedom, Predatory Alienation, Unification Church, Proud Boys) November 25, 2020
Love has Won, Patricia Hearst, SLA, Brainwashing, Jehovah's Witnesses, Legal, Religious Freedom, Predatory Alienation, Unification Church, Proud BoysDr. Phil: My Sister Is Running A Cult With A Bunch Of Followers,' Woman Claims; Sister Denies Accusation"Sisters Chelsea and Tara say that growing up, their sister Amy was a sweet girl who got good grades. Then, by her early 20s, she […]
Millionaire Preacher Skips Bail in South Africa, Fueling International Dispute November 25, 2020
Shepherd Bushiri, the founder of a megachurch in South Africa, fled to his home country, Malawi, amid fraud and money laundering charges, leaving the two nations to argue over his fate.Monica MarkNew York TimesNovember 19, 2020JOHANNESBURG — Shepherd Bushiri, a multimillionaire pastor with a network of churches across Africa, has claimed he can walk on […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/23/2020 (World Mission Society Church Of God, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Faith Healing, UK, Bountiful, Polygamy, Book, Canada) November 25, 2020
World Mission Society Church Of God, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Faith Healing, UK, Bountiful, Polygamy, Book, CanadaGreat Light Studios: When You Lose Family Or Friends To The World Mission Society Church Of God"The WMSCOG (the mother god cult) is a group that has a record of splitting up families and disrupting relationships. Jordan shares some encouragement for […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/24/2020 (NXIVM, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Legal, Korea, Peru, World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, Cult Recovery) November 25, 2020
NXIVM, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Legal, Korea, Peru, World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, Cult RecoveryVanity Fair: The NXIVM Loyalists Are Not Backing Down" ... Despite the spate of revelations about NXIVM, though, some of its followers have remained loyal to the organization, according to a new New York Times report. As the […]
Russia Carries Out Mass Raids on Jehovah's Witnesses, Makes Arrests November 25, 2020
U.S. News & World ReportNov. 24, 2020MOSCOW (REUTERS) - LAW enforcement authorities carried out mass raids on the Jehovah's Witnesses across Russia on Tuesday and made a number of arrests as part of a new criminal case against the group, the Investigative Committee said.The law enforcement agency said it had opened an investigation as it […]
Documentary Film - Truther or: I Am Not a Conspiracy Theorist November 25, 2020
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H41Vk0F7y00]Perhaps no single event has set off more conspiracy mania than the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. Truther or: I Am Not a Conspiracy Theorist explores this movement by profiling some of the central figures who have successfully spread their doubts and theories throughout the globe.The film opens at Ground Zero, where conspiracy […]
What Is a Cult, Anyway? November 25, 2020
Gabriel AndradeMerion WestNovember 23, 2020“The word ‘cult’ is tossed around quite frequently in media, but few can offer a precise definition.”In a recent edition of his show Real Time, Bill Maher compared President Donald Trump to Keith Raniere. Raniere was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison, on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to […]
CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/25/2020 (Obituary, Shincheonji, Korea, Legal, Falun Gong, Russia, White Supremacist) November 25, 2020
Obituary, Shincheonji, Korea, Legal, Falun Gong, Russia, White SupremacistObituary: Cathleen Mann, PhD"Cathleen Mann, PhD, had consulted in about a hundred cases involving cults, undue influence, psychological influence, and related areas. She had been qualified by a court of law as an expert in 15 states, testifying in 40 cases. She had an independent practice in Lakewood, […]
Former White supremacist: This is how to tackle hate and bigotry November 25, 2020
Chris BuckleyNovember 12, 2020Watch the full conversation with SE Cupp and her panel of experts on "What Comes Next?" here. Christopher Buckley of LaFayette, Georgia, is an Afghanistan war veteran. He is a former White supremacist. Now he spreads awareness and educates the public about the dangers of extremism through his work with the nonprofit […]
Russia arrests more Jehovah's Witnesses on charges of "extremism" November 25, 2020
ALEXANDRA ODYNOVACBS NEWSNOVEMBER 24, 2020Moscow — Russian authorities have carried out dozens of raids and detained several people as they pursue a new criminal case accusing the country's Jehovah's Witnesses of extremism, the national Investigative Committee said Tuesday. The Christian denomination is suspected of illegally resuming its work in Russia despite an official ban.The country's […]
Special prosecutor closes investigation into B.C. polygamist community November 25, 2020
Investigators spent years looking into allegations in Bountiful, B.C., home of a fundamentalist Christian sectThe Canadian PressNovember 24, 2020 A special prosecutor in British Columbia has declined to approve any further charges against people associated with the community of Bountiful, B.C., where a fundamentalist Christian sect practices polygamy.The B.C. Prosecution Service says in a statement […]