Bonnie from another thread has written the following:

Quote

I don't know if it's the times, the area I live in, or just the fact that I found this forum, but I'm beginning to think that cults are as great a danger to children as drugs and alcohol.

I really wish that someone would initiate a cult-awareness program in the public school system on a national level. I don't think the public schools give children the tools to enable them to analyze and make rational decisions about a lot of the information that is given them. I think they are very vulnerable to coercion because of this. We all know about anti-drug programs in schools; I think that a cult prevention program would be as useful.

So much harm is delivered to people under the guise of organizations which claim to have a model for self-improvement. I'm particularly horrified by the "boot-camp" type programs for troubled youth.
As a teen (quite a while back) I was sent to several of these by people who believed they had my best interests in mind. (I also went to some voluntarily, on my own.) Whenever the abuse and deprivation started at these residential treatment centers, I resisted fiercely and ran away, so I never stayed long enough for them to damage me.

Is there anything we can do to help prevent these kinds of tragedies?

[b:5b6b0b266a]Some contraversial issues may revolve around:[/b:5b6b0b266a]

A. People may be less equiped to logically discern a wolf in sheeps clothing as compared to say 50 years ago because of:[/color:5b6b0b266a]
1. A perceived lack of values in society when compared with prior times, which weakens a potential cult candidate's terms of reference in discernment when presented with an inviting proposition;

2. The language and faulty philosophy of "political correctness" which is designed to filter truth or fact for fear of offending groups;

3. A general loss in the skills of critical thought over the years as the value of critical thought in society is now secondary to intuition;

4. The philosophy of "Me" in society provides a ready hook for cults who khow how to appeal to this desire in people

B. Cults may be more potent now than before because:[/color:5b6b0b266a]
1. They benefit from globalisation - guru teaching from India - Human Potential Movement from USA to Europe and Australia;

2. Their numbers and spread may have reached a stage of "critical mass" Ie: the growth of Human Potential from the late 1960's to now

3. Is society producing more interlectual psychopathic types who create these groups now?;

4. Most cults operate through a perversion of existential philosophy and their influence on society in this area feeds the "Me" society and in effect, pump priming enrolment;

So, as Bonnie has mentioned their is a good analogy of drugs and cults - both are spreading,
both restrict free will and cause emotional and physical harm
and both affect children and teens.


[b:5b6b0b266a]Do we establish in schools?:[/b:5b6b0b266a]
1. a Values Education program

2. Teaching philosophy and logic

3. Cult awareness program similar to drugs

4. All of the above

What do people think?

Cultic persuasion and under-age children
[board.culteducation.com]


Oz