The issue of Landmark being called a "cult" is really something of a "straw man" argument.
Experts have said repeatedly that Landmark is not a cult. Note Lifton's basic definition in "Cult Formation."
See [
www.culteducation.com]
Landmark lacks "a charismatic leader who increasingly becomes an object of worship," Jack Rosenberg aka Werner Erhard is off in the Caymans with his girlfriend.
Only through a broader more general definition could Landmark be called a "cult."
See [
www.culteducation.com]
What causes so many people to see landmark as a "cult" or "cult-like" is its seminar structure and dynamics, which easily fits within the context of what Lifton calls "thought reform."
See [
www.culteducation.com]
This is the destructive element of the group and also the seemingly essential core of its success.