396- Cult(ish) I

Upon watching this video by Drew, aka Genetically modified Skeptic, about MLM's and comparing their modus operandi to that of cults, it occured to me that I often post about my traumatic upbringing in my father's religious cult, but never explained certain definitions. 

So, today, I'd like to help you, my readers, better understand why I discuss it so much, why it is considered a traumatic experience - why it should be if anyone still didn't get the picture about it - and what are differences between a religious cult, a mainstream religion, and also, non-religious cultish behaviors.


First, I'll warn you that in this entry I'll touch topics that most don't really ever wish to discuss, and second, that these may infuriate opinions. This cannot be helped, and I won't remain silent about them, as it's high time these truths come out.

The first point I want to discuss is that of religions cult VS mainstream VS cultish. 

There is no precise difference between a religious cult and mainsteam religion ; they both maintain people, always or most of the time, in a set of beliefs, religious dogmas, with varying degrees of fear and conditioning - the real term behind the popular mind-washing.  

The precise difference between these relies on numbers of followers, and acceptance in the general public. At one time or another, a now well-known and accepted mainstream religion was a cult, an offshoot of the previous One religion, which in turn, sprouted out of something else, and almost invariably borrowed on another one or set of beliefs, all the way back to pagan roots and the most likely scenario is that these beliefs and religions organized themselves originally as humans attempted to understand nature and the world around them.

The second real difference between a mainstream religion and a religious cult is also about how much control is exerted over the followers ; and how difficult it is to leave if one starts to doubt the precepts therein. Overall, a cult will be harsher in rules and make it very tough for people to leave, but this is known to currently occur, or to have happened, also in mainstream religions.

Cultish is a term for a group that may have similar behaviors in controlling its members, but without the religious dogmas, which must, by definition, entail belief and worship of one, several or many deities/ god(s) / superhuman power / something greater than us, that rules, guides, has an active or passive interest in us, and who would punish us if we strayed from its guidelines/rules/duties/doctrines/ and any other such word to describe the precepts and blind faith required from the believer, and fear of these retributions. 

Thus, religious cults and mainstream religions share common points, more than cultish behaviors. but these latter may be just as controlling, and we all must be aware of these aspects.

To further help you, in my next entries, I'll discuss point by point, Steven Hassan's BITE model of Cult Mind Control, and also remind you of the operant conditioning model (discussed in entry 230), and shall show how they are used to maintain fear and control over people.

Before you turn to the next post, I'd like to conclude with the main common point shared by MLM('s (MultiLevel Marketting schemes) from Drew's video, cultish groups, religious cults, mainstream religions : it is to control people and hide certain truths, be they for direct or indirect profit, be it to coherece and maintain people subjugated under someone's power, or any other design. 

An example of an MLM's pyramid:

In any event, learning about these can help you avoid certain groups, or spark, at least, curiosity, if not rebellion, and help you embark on your path out from under their grip, or, at the very least, not to add any money to their massive cash load. They are far too rich!


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