Cult leaders as snake oil salesmen
Women marked with permanent scars in the flesh. People living in complete isolation with all aspects of their lives monitored and controlled. False religions where passing the collection plate actually means donating all personal property. Are these examples of darkness in the Middle Ages or behind the curtain of a totalitarian country? No, these situations are happening in the US in 2020.
hard to detect
How did we get here? There have always been scammers who ignore the core values of honesty, transparency, and consideration for others in the name of quick money and personal gain. Often these charlatans are easy to spot, like the smooth-talking door-to-door salesman who won’t take no for an answer. However, there are many more, which are much harder to see as they are disguised as self-help gurus or new age leaders just looking to help someone find their human potential.
At first, everything is glorious similar to a new love story. At that time, the charlatan finds his mark or source of money. Behind their ultra-smiles and boundless willingness to help, their carefully defined brainwashing techniques often begin. Praise turns to cruel criticism, voluntary help leads to forced labor, and financial fees or donations become much higher. The months turn into years or even decades and the brainwashing is complete.
attack the accuser
When questioned or investigated by family, friends, or legal authorities, cult leaders defend themselves with arguments of free enterprise, freedom of religion, or simply the freedom to live as one chooses. Then the process of targeting the attacker begins, such as Scientology’s Fair Play Policy of stalking and harassing anyone who criticizes their false religion or Synanon leaving a rattlesnake in a lawyer’s mailbox, which happened to Paul Morantz.
Years ago, the Center Foundation introduced a series of advisory groups that were ranked in order of performance. However, beyond expressing emotions in a supportive environment, leaders engaged in putting people down for their personal weight, physically assaulting members who were slow to accept feedback, and telling others where they could work, with whom they could get out or if they could keep them unborn. babies.
hard to fight
Law enforcement is often in a bind. Under pressure to keep the streets of our cities and towns free of the most obvious thieves, they often ignore the danger of cults until the threat is overwhelming. When conflict between local townspeople in rural Oregon escalated with followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, marshals determined the cult group had more firepower on their ranch than law enforcement around the world. state of Oregon combined, so much to illustrate.
In the US, we often focus our attention on the supply side of misdeeds rather than the demand side. Of course, we need to criminally prosecute and civilly sue the leaders of these cult groups for their crimes. However, charlatans will always exist as they originate within the defects of the human heart. What about the demand side? As long as there is a market for illegal drugs in the US, there will always be suppliers ready to satisfy the consumer’s desire.
We need to stop seeking human fulfillment at the hands of scammers, who are only interested in making a quick buck and having power over a loyal and needy herd. Human growth comes from our family, friends, community, and spiritual connection in religions with a proven history of ethical behavior. Certainly there are problems in the major religions. However, many of those problems are being resolved.
false prophets
Keith Raniere, David Miscavidge, and Richard Corriere are not prophets. Instead, they are enterprising men who trade the false promise of human growth for their own power and financial gain. Let’s start by looking close to home and see the glorious nuggets of self-fulfillment that surround us. Isn’t the smile of serving food at a homeless shelter or taking a walk in nature worth more than surrendering your personal freedom to a scammer? I think you know the answer.