QuoteupsidedownnewspaperI imagine even the most nefariously brainwashed would have to concede that in the end it was their own choice to act. Jonestown suiciders took their own lives. Suicide bombers pulled the pin. Short of kidnapping, long-term indoctrination, and threats, accountability would be meaningless. The initial brainwashing, in my opinion, often holds little to no choice fo
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuoteupsidedownnewspaperIrrespective of one's beliefs or not in brainwashing and mindcontrol, in order to at least combat the effects of a possible brainwashing and/or mind-control situation, one would have to assume oneself responsible for believing oneself brainwashed or mind controlled. I cannot figure out what you mean in that post. Maybe you can say the idea in a different way, and/or
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Good job on that post of yours! I was thinking what a good post it was as I was reading it =p
Forum: Destructive Churches

Hi Zeets, Even though those guys are not interested in recruiting you, that doesn't mean that they are automatically not a destructive group (IE: "Cult"). This group potentially being considerable as destructive group, by definition, depends on whether or not anyone is being exploited or victimized by their activities, and/or whether or not "undue influence" is bei
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This post edited for clarity and detail on June 9, 2006. Abusive Online Groups and Relationships: It's possible for people to be "brainwashed" over the internet. During my research on a certain dangerous religious group, a leading cult expert examined some of the text written by this group's leader and advised me that was written in a way that can create a hypnotic state
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

wow..... It sounds like exactly what you said! Narcissistic personality disorder gone 300 times out of control in the boyfriend's mother, perhaps, and now the woman runs her family like a hypercontrolled little cult. owch. I hope that guy can get away from her and REALLY get some recovery done. If you're still interested in him, maybe you can get him to be with you and just get
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

That's shitty. Sorry to hear that. Cult-like stuff can really limit and hurt people's lives. It sucks to have to be the one get close to someone, and then to watch that person's fantasies damage what could have been a great life.
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

I noticed this post in this thread a bit late (you made it a month ago). A relationship between your son and an individual can have an undue controlling influence like a cult has, yes. I hope things are going better?
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

I know nothing directly about this. However, I will point out: Quote from that web site: QuoteChanging subconscious beliefs that may be sabotaging well-intentioned actions is similar to reprogramming a personal computer. Using PSYCH-K techniques, a kind of "mental keyboard" to your own brain, you can increase "cross talk" between the two brain hemispheres, thereby achie
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Nasty. My first thought was to share information about them with the local community. The web site above looks to have the kind of information you would want them to know. I do not have many specific ideas on what ways to go about this, however. :/. Also, I wonder if the restaurant can be pursuaded to stop promoting it. That might be worth considering, especially if you have any oth
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My first thought is that as a former member, you already have a good deal of inside information that would not be available to someone who was just interested in beating up a randomly-selected destructive cult. You, yourself, may be the most well-suited person to researching and documenting them, as opposed with anyone you might find on this message board. Because you are a former member, you
Forum: Destructive Churches

A last update for this thread: Here is a fresh example of Warren's type of information manipulation. It's not too often that I know all of the circumstances behind something he is addressing, and this is one of those times. He posted this in his own message board, and I'll point out the manipulation as it appears: QuoteFrom: Community_Moderator Sent: 5/22/2006 10:13 PM
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Christopher C. Warren has now pasted the full texts from Scientology magazine articles (Freedom Magazine) that drag exit counselors (and Rick Ross especially) through the dirt into his nccgcybercommunity message board. Some of the NCCG members are going to limit their field of trusted information about exit counselors to only the information presented in the NCCG message boards. Those NCCG mem
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotesummerhi.i would like to ask if someone ever heard of or joined apostolos campus ministry (ACM). last few months, i met 1 of their missionary in my university campus and i joined the 1 to 1 bible studi. i like the teaching and found it fresh to me. however, at a last class of the beginner lesson (11 lessons altogether), the missionary told me that their pastor (a korean) is actuali Jesus. t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteWe know without a shadow of a doubt we are being hacked, that information is leaking through from hacked private material to nccg_concern, and whether nccg_concern is the hacker himself or not (I have never said he was, incidentally), there is no doubt he is in cahoots with criminals (ignorantly or deliberately, I have no idea). And as to whether he is a satanist ot not is also unknown to me
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The group leader of the "NCCG" group in Sweden (documented at www.geocities.com/nccg_concern ) recently made a series of highly paranoid and ranting posts in his group messageboards. The group leader is making these posts in response to a specific incident. I did not see in any of the posts where the group leader explains this incident. There were a few indirect references to it, bu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotenellie Please be careful. I know people personally who have been hurt by this man. Feel free to write if you want to know more, Robin i replied to this person at the email address listed on this board. i did so in a way that did not reveal my geographic location in the email headers, just to be safe (this messageboard itself had a means to do that). i never received a reply. eithe
Forum: Destructive Churches

sounds like a pile of crap to me. (to be blunt). this reminds me of something the leader of a group I am researching below might come up with.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

An answer i typically see tossed out for this kind of question is: --- A lawyer who understands this kind of legal stuff would be the one to ask. What you're describing at your job sure does sound annoying and nasty. Bleh.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuotespectrumIt is really good for you to continue to 'publicise' your one-to-one cult experience with Cherie. Do you think she will ever be able to get some psychological help for herself? I am wondering if anyone could recommend a source or a web site for her to communicate with? In other words, what is a good source for help for cult leaders. <not entirely serious mode&g
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

This website you are at now is full of stuff that should be helpful. Read all of the links on this page, and you'll have some ideas when you're done:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A number of female NCCG members are in the process of relocating to the cult's compound in Sweden to become wives for the group's leader. The people who are relocating have been seen to hide what is going on from their families and friends, and could potentially represent the relocation as being employment-related.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotem.t.hallI don't know what to do really, Ive just dropped out for now. I'll venture a mildly biased reply to this one.. You dropped out? GREAT! Now stay away from them, and make sure your real family knows that you love them :) And yeah ... I figure you saw that big list of links that rrmoderator pointed you to. Hopefully that tells enough of the story. PS: I had this
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

IMO brainwashing most certainly exists, but there are different degrees of it. A basic definition of brainwashing, as I have come to understand it through my own experiences, is a systematic process by which a person's resistance to thinking in the way that is desired by the group is removed, using processes that simply work on humans because of humans' complicated psychological natu
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

The symptoms are suggestive of involvement with a problem group imo. You might want to read up on as much as you can, and maybe talk to a professional.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotespectrumNow, now, now, children! Be nice to each other. Everyone has a right to their opinion! Yes they sure do. And as autonomous people who choose to voice those opinions among their selected audience, they also have the right to experience the consequences, if any, of voicing them.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Maybe it's just me, but there does seem to be a shortage of exit counselors in the world. hm?
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Yeah... You've probably already heard/read this in other places. Having a high intelligence is simply not one of the things that protects people, in general, from being sucked into a cult. Some have even said that higher intelligence may predispose you to it, depending on your situation (I don't personally have a position on that one though, I haven't known enough cult-affected
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

EJWTexas, First thing I want to say is, congratulations on getting out of there. Secondly, I'm wondering how you're doing. If you come back, let us know.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuotewriterchickI have read all the researxch and been corresponding with the group. I would like to visit as part of a piece I am writing. However, I would like to make sure that I am safe. I was specifically wondering if they used drugs to excert control. I know they eat raw beets and that a chemical in the beets makes people highly open to suggestion. Is there anything else that they do (
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"