"Free to leave" is not a condition that makes a group or individual cult-like or not. Even in LGATs, people are free to leave but the manipulation of weaknesses and strengths encourages them to stay involved until they find relief, success or fulfillment of whatever goal brought them there in the first place.

Sorry about new topic - I thought it was going into the AA thread as a reply.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2007 10:10PM by Hope.

hi hope I've told them on the forum tech board (listed at the boottom of the index) that if we click 'reply' it creates a new thread rather than replying, but they didn't do anything about it lol, maybe you could mention it there too

oh this time it worked- just my luck lol

Hi,

I thought it was me goofing up because replying worked other times. Thanks - I'm not as technically challenged as I thought. :)

One of the biggest popular myths surrounding cults is that they someone how hold and kidnap people. It doesnt happen too often, its rare. Surprisingly its rather the opposit.

Hi I am new here, I just wanted to add something about being "free to leave", someone in my family is clergy, in a pretty much close-nit church. I really don't feel safe enough to say who or what church, I will just say it is a pentecostal/charismatic type church. BUT in my opinion even if you are "free to leave"physically in this type of church, You are NEVER really free to leave! You get harrassed by former members if you run into them, they try to pull you back into the "fold" they just want to pray for you in public or throw the bible in your face or flat out pretend they don't know you and the family says God is going to strike myself or my children down, and God does not hear my prayers, and garbage like that. (And this has not just happened to me, other people who left as well). So even though I have been out for a few years, I don't think I will ever be, or was ever "free to leave". I imagine pretty soon all of my relatives & any church friends left (which is not many) will stop seeing me/talking to me once they realize they can not pull me back in.

Alot of groups will condition a person into believing they are free to leave but manipulate them with feelings of guilt, shame, embarrasmsment and other psychological tactics. Its an illusion they they deliberate make.