What's Bad About a Cult?

I think that most people have a negative emotional reaction to the word cult. Or at least that seems to be the case with people of my generation. We think of Jonestown and the hundreds who drank the poisoned Kool-Aid, as well as the children who had the Kool-Aid forced down their throats. We think of Charles Manson and the murders he and his followers committed. We think of the suicides of Heaven's Gate. We think of the Moonies and others who seemed to kidnap the souls of young men and women, and then put those young men and women on the streets to beg and sell flowers. We think of the FLDS and other cults who perpetrate pedophilia. I could go on. The word is associated with people turning into zombies and following orders without question from their leaders. In the political realm we think of the radical 60s and 70s and the political cults which intertwined with the anti-war movement. On a societal level we see the results of these cults and learn to hate the word.
On a personal level, I remember being one of those zombies. I had become intellectually convinced that to hold true a couple of my true values, I had to become a revolutionary. I had bought into a logic which said that the hope of ending all tragedy in the world lay with moving the world forward through communism. I bought into the idea that I had to change myself into a revolutionary who could make change for there to be hope for the world. If I did not do this then I was as responsible for the deaths and poverty around the world because I knew how to change it, and decided not to. The cult I was recruited to then gave a blueprint for revolution that I had just to follow. I only had to learn their methodology, language, etc., and I would become a revolutionary. We had Party lines for just about everything so we could learn how to be this world changer. I was and am a Christian and believe that one should help one's neighbors and that I am responsible for doing this. I do believe we as humans have a responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves. This was and is a key component of who I am and my core identity. So, I strived to become that revolutionary so that I could be true to myself.
However, the activities the cult insisted I must participate in to become that revolutionary, conflicted regularly with other key components of who I am at a core level. I had to lie to the community and my family. I stole when told to do so. I had to miss family events and visits. I declared that I would overthrow the government of my country. These activities clashed with other core values which are part of me. So a constant battle raged within me. My mind was under constant stress. I don't know when it happened, and I suspect that it happened in stages, but eventually my true self began to stay in the background when I had to do things that clashed with it. I would be looking out at myself doing it. Kind of like a character in a play. I was there and wasn't there. It was not a pleasant existence.
I think part of growing up is learning that you can't help everyone, and you can't change everything that is wrong in the world. Different people deal with this in different ways. I turn to my faith and concentrate on who I can help and what I can do. But in a cult you don't have to do this because you are under the illusion that you can and are helping everyone.
When you have a top down, no dissent allowed structure, it is a recipe for abuse. When an organization has no checks and balances, and its' members' lives are totally subsumed by that organization, abuse will happen. The level of abuse, and who does it to who may vary. But create this situation and you are sure to have it. In my case it meant sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and in one case physical abuse - being thrown across a desk and then kicked in the ribs. In these situations you become the abuser or the abused, and sometimes both.
I think ex-cult members (and cult members if they speak up) all have different stories. For me, the above were why I think a cult is a bad thing. It is the loss of control of your own identity and soul.

What is a Cult?

So, what's bad about a cult? Or maybe as much to the point - what is a cult? Ask different people, and you'll probably get different answers. It could be the dedicated following of a movie, a band, a star, or other phenomena. It could be a group with a frightening dedication to a leader. As with many things, much of your point of view in regards to cults, and whether a particular group is a cult, depends on how you define it. Even if you can define the word, can you go further and express what it is that is "bad" or "undesirable" about being in a cult. For many I think the negative reaction to the word is emotional rather than defined.
So, again, what is a cult? I'll start with a dictionary definition. This is from the Merriam Webster online dictionary:

1. formal religious veneration

2. a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also :  its body of adherents

3. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also :  its body of adherents

4. a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>

5. a) great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially :  such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad; b) the object of such devotion; c) a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion.

I have also heard a religious definition be that it is a group of people following an incorrect or faulty theology.

In addition to these definitions, there are social psychology models for destructive cults which practice mind control -- I know, I know, these are loaded words also. I think the more I have delved into this the more questions I ask. But, for now I will mention some models that are accepted in the social psychology world. The first one is the BITE model which Steve Hassan uses to help people determine whether or not a group is practicing destructive mind control. It includes behavior control, information control, thought control, and emotional control. Rather than further elaborate the URL:

https://www.freedomofmind.com/Info/BITE/bitemodel.php

elaborates better than I could ever do. I would also recommend Steve's books.

Dr. Margaret Singer puts forth six conditions for mind control, and the proposition that in a thought reform program the self concept is destabilized, and the group/leaders attack one's evaluation of self. The six conditions are:

1.   CONTROL OVER TIME: Especially thinking time; The group uses techniques to get a person to think about the group, and the beliefs of the group as much of their waking time as possible.
2.   CREATE A SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS: The group gets people away from their normal support systems for a period of time. The group provides models of behavior (cult members), uses in-group language, uses of songs, games, and stories the person is unfamiliar with or they are modified so that they're unfamiliar. New people tend to want to be like others (acceptance, feeling part of a group).
3.   MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO SUPPRESS OLD SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: The group manipulates social rewards and intellectual rewards. The rewards support positive self-concept for conformity to new thought system. The punishments attack a person's self-concept  for non-conformity. The effects of the reward/punishment behavior modification include accepting a particular world view, and participating in procedures for peer monitoring w/feedback to group. Psychological, social & material sanctions influence the target's behavior. When there is control of external feedback, the group becomes the only source and there are no reality checks. Participation, conformity to ideas/behavior, zeal, and personal changes are rewarded. Criticalness, independent thinking, and non-conformity to ideas/behavior are punished. Punishments can include peer/group criticism, withdrawal of support/affection, isolation, and negative feedback. The person becomes dependent upon the group for external validation of their social identity. This results in confusion, disorientation, and/or psychological disturbances.
4.   MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO ELICIT NEW BEHAVIOR: Models will demonstrate new behavior. Conformity: dress, language, behavior. Using group language will eventually still the thinking mind.
5.   MUST BE A TIGHTLY CONTROLLED SYSTEM OF LOGIC: No complaints from the floor; Pyramid shaped operation with leader at the top; Top leaders must maintain absolute control/authority; Persons in charge must have verbal ways of never losing; Anyone who questions is made to think there is something inherently wrong with them to even question; Phobia induction: something bad will happen if you leave the group; Guilt manipulation.
6.   PERSONS BEING THOUGHT REFORMED MUST BE UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING MOVED THROUGH A PROGRAM TO MAKE THEM DEPLOYABLE AGENTS, TO BUY MORE COURSES, SIGN UP FOR THE DURATION, ETC.: You can't be thought reformed with full capacity, and informed consent. You don't know the agenda of the group at the beginning or the full content of the ideology.

Finally I'll mention Dr. Robert J. Lifton's eight criteria for Thought Reform:

1. Milieu Control.  This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

2. Manipulation.  There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.

3. Demand for Purity.  The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection.  The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

4. Confession.  Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group.  There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders. 
5. Sacred Science.  The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute.  Truth is not to be found outside the group.  The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism. 
6. Loading the Language.  The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand.  This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking. 
7. Doctrine over person.  Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group. 
8. Dispensing of existence.  The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not.  This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology.  If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the  members.  Thus, the outside world loses all credibility.  In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.  (Lifton, 1989)
Dr. Singer's and Dr. Lifton's books are well worth reading.
So with those definitions, I'll go back to my first question - what's bad about a cult? in my next post and try to answer that for me. You are welcome to have other opinions.

Introduction

When I was eighteen years old, I decided to volunteer full-time for a year with an organization called the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals, before going to college. The group purported to be an organization providing free health care to migrant and seasonal farm workers. Although they did do this, they were also a front group recruiting people into the Provisional Communist Party, which is a political cult. I was recruited and spent fourteen and a half years in the cult, working 24/7 with various front groups from 1979-1994. During that time I missed my sister's wedding. I missed spending time with three of my grandparents who died while I was to busy. I missed my mother's graduation when she earned her PhD in Education. I missed countless family events, and greatly hurt my family. For these things I am sorry. I will never get to redo those years. I was fortunate enough to reconnect with my family and they forgave me. We are now close again. I went to college and earned an electrical engineering and then a law degree. I am married to a wonderful man and have my own law practice. My husband and I have a ministry to developmentally handicapped adults and I do pro bono work in the same area. We are devoted Christians and I have been truly blessed. I have spent a lot of time figuring out my years in the political cult and trying to understand my actions. This blog is about sharing those thoughts with those who may be interested. They are my own thoughts and my own conclusions.

The front groups I worked with included the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP) and the Eastern Farm Workers Association (EFWA). Both are a part of the National Labor Federation (natlfed), which was built by the Provisional Communist Party. Other groups in natlfed include the Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA), Western Service Workers Association (WSWA), Western Farm Workers Association (WFWA), Northwest Seasonal Workers Association (NSWA), Western Massachusetts Labor Action (WMLA), Midwest Workers Association (MWA), and Mid-Ohio Workers Association (MOWA). I was operations manager of EFWA in Upstate NY from 1981-1993. Most of the full-time organizers I worked with during the time I was part of the Provisional Party were good and intelligent people. We worked hard building small independent community organizing drives which provided some material benefits, such as food and clothing, to those who needed it. Sometimes we took actions around specific issues which effected low income people in the community. These organizations are still active and continue to do what they have been doing this for 40 years on about the same scale. Although that was our objective practice we believed that we were building a revolution which would change things and we thought we had the only answers to all the problems of the world. We didn't. Even today, after years of doing the same thing and more or less staying the same size, natlfed continues to assert that they have a long term viable solution to change the conditions of low income people in the United States. I vehemently disagree and I also think the manner in which they provide material relief is very inefficient when compared to other organizations. After leaving natlfed I have participated in non-profit organizations which use the resources donated to them in a more efficient manner with more results.

The full time volunteers at natlfed, who have been doing this for a long time believe that they are fighting a revolution which will build a voice for low income workers and overthrow the US government. They have voluntarily put themselves under a discipline, which looked at objectively, is nothing more than mental and emotional abuse. They submit to it because they have come to believe that the “organization” (the Provisional Party and the community groups it built) is the only hope for poor people in the country to have a decent life. They think that by canvassing, building workers benefits councils (WBCs), building workers committees and unions out of the WBCs, and building a support base for this in the community, they will win a revolution in the US. They believe that by submitting to the Party discipline they will become the organizers and revolutionaries who can make the revolution happen and save the world. The sad reality is that for the 40 years the organizers have been doing this, the only results are the small community organizations you see. There is no reason to think that in the next 40 years anything different will happen. The national leadership of the organization, who give the orders, have no experience in making change other than building these small community organizations, and no credentials which would lead anyone to objectively believe they have the knowledge, capability, experience, and/or insight to build anything else. The ones that said they had the experience were lying. I hope to do future posts detailing the research to support this. Although they have a plan which sounds good, and a vision of a better world, they have no goal posts or method of evaluating the program objectively. Simply having a plan and a vision does not mean that you are going to change the world or get to that vision. There is no evaluation process or accountability in the group. To have a viable plan to meet a goal you have to be able to measure progress, evaluate that progress, and be able to objectively evaluate your practice. They believe that if they keep doing it, the right conditions and situation will arise which will sweep them to power as they've built the base. I highly doubt this.

My most serious criticism of natlfed is that they deceptively and manipulatively recruit their full time volunteers using techniques of mind control. They believe that communist revolution must be made to solve problems and that since everyone grew up in the bourgeois world they've been brain washed and must therefore undergo a process called TV-TV to understand that revolution is needed. TVTV stands for tab volunteer, viable volunteer, tab cadre, viable cadre. A tab volunteer is someone who comes through the door for their own reasons and volunteers on their own schedule. Natlfed front groups through classes on their methodology and why other groups won't change things, finding out more about the person, and telling the person why change is needed for them to meet personal goals, tries to get them to make a schedule and work with a front group towards a change. They concentrate on the failings of other groups rather than what they have accomplished and are accomplishing. Once someone is a viable vol, they start learning more about historical efforts for change in the US and natlfed's philosophy. They get experience with taking more responsibility in the front group. During that time, if the person is deemed to have potential as a full-time organizer, information is gathered on them and centralized. Conversations with them are planned and reported back on. Many times the conversations are very aggressive telling the potential recruit they’re doing nothing of import with their life and therefore should be doing more with a natlfed group. Eventually someone tells them that they are smarter than the average Joe and probably realize that the group they are working with alone won't change everything and that a revolution is needed. They're told that that is what the group along with others in the country are doing. They then learn about communism and what it takes to make a revolution, and are asked to increase their commitment and go full-time. After a year probationary period as a party member they become a viable cadre and a full party member. All of this is kept secret. No one is told the next level until natlfed thinks they will agree. They are told that since communists are not allowed to hold leadership positions in trade unions, the Provisional Party must be kept secret. This ensures that the philosophies and programs of the Party are never open to criticism by anyone who has the knowledge to provide constructive criticism.

During the recruitment process people are encouraged to spend more and more time with the organization and less with their family and friends. For instance, they are told that their family is also affected by conditions, and if they really love their family it is more important to canvass than go to a family event. Full-time organizers work 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and often sleep less than 7 hours a night. You can google it and find out what the effects of sleep deprivation and 24/7 work without a break are. The full-timers don't get time to think about themselves and their lives or reflect on either the results of their hard work or where their lives are going. They do not decide themselves whether they can take a vacation. This is decided for them as vacations have to be approved from the leaders of the party as revolutionaries do not take vacations. I do hear that they go home for short family visits to manage family relations now. They do not decide the strategic direction of the organizing drive - this is directed from above. They are told the only value they have is the effect they have on the world, and if they want to have a positive effect then they will do what the natlfed leadership tells them. The natlfed leadership tells them they are the only ones in the country with the experience, etc. to make change.

Just like other cults, natlfed organizers are caught inside of a philosophy. If you are unfamiliar with destructive cults and their characteristics, think about destructive and abusive relationships where people are isolated from their families and friends, constantly have their self-esteem tromped on, are told no one will love them if they leave the relationship, etc.. An analogy – If you looked at a family relationship 1) where one spouse could dictate what the other spouse had to do and the other spouse had to follow orders; 2) where the one spouse could dictate in what location the other spouse lived; 3) where one spouse could dictate the work that the other spouse has to do; 4) where one spouse could dictate what the other spouse says to friends and relations in response to questions about the relationship; 4) where one spouse wrote scripts for the other spouse to memorize or read for most contacts with other people; 5) where one spouse insisted that the work they had for the other spouse was much more important than them seeing their friends, going to concerts, or other activities – would you label that an abusive relationship? I would. Well, that is what ordinate full-timers do to their subordinate full time organizers in the Provisional Party. The only reason the subordinates submit is because they think they’re learning to be revolutionaries and to change the world. Yet there is not objective evidence that this is the case. So how do they convince the subordinates of this? The answer is mind control techniques, and social influence. I hope to do my best to explain this in subsequent posts. For now, I’ll refer you to a good site – freedomofmind.com. Steve Hassan has been studying this for years. There are also other books you can find on social psychology and influence.

Other techniques used for the national leadership to keep control is undermining the local organizations. Whenever one of the local organization begins to really build and take actions which would lead to some success they are undermined. For example, people may be moved to other organizations or organizers turned against each other. A junior organizer may be told that his/her superiors aren’t doing their job and he/she must work from below to change this. At the same time the senior organizer is told that the junior organizer may be a police agent. This keeps control in the national leadership’s court.

I have a problem with this type of recruitment and abuse. I do not believe it is right. A person is valuable because of the person they are, not because of what they do. Each one of us is unique and should be valued. There is plenty of information on-line on natlfed, and the provisional communist party. I’d advise anyone thinking about volunteering with or donating to natlfed front groups to research this. If you are truly looking for the best way to use your talents and resources to help people (I'll refrain from my speech on each person being a unique person and not just part of the mass) I would advise checking out many different organizations and comparing what you can accomplish. I think the full-time volunteers natlfed front groups are good people. But, you can be nice, intelligent, good people, and still be part of a destructive cult.