I do think that there is `something' called brainwashing / conditioning. I don't entirely understand the process, though. But one observation I have made is that those who are brainwashed don't know they are; if you suspect you have been conditioned to think a certain way then this is healthy and a sign you are not brainwashed. Those in cults probably think everyone else is bra
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Another thing caught my attention. The petition talked about `psydoscience' and `occult practice'. This is a strange combination of terms. A skeptical athiest might use the term psudoscience to describe the claims of Fa Lun Gong, but a religious person (particularly of the conservative Christian tradition) would use the term `occult' to describe it. The use of BOTH terms in the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is my first post, so I'll go into the deep end here. I am a rationalist, freethinker secular person but I have been practicing and teaching Chi Gong and Chinese martial arts for over 35 years. I have never known anyone to suffer side effects from such practices in themselves - but the `group contect' may be at work here. Many people in cults have `collapsed' as a result of hys
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"