Women scarred permanently in the flesh. People who live in complete isolation with all aspects of their lives monitored and controlled. False religions where passing the collection plate actually means donating all personal property. Are these examples of darkness in the Middle Ages or behind the curtain of a totalitarian country? No, these situations are happening in the US in 2020.
Difficult to detect
How do we get here? There have always been scammers who ignore the core values of honesty, transparency, and consideration for others in the name of quick money and personal gain. Often times, these charlatans are easy to notice, like the smooth-talking door-to-door salesperson who doesn’t take no for an answer. However, there are many more, which are much more difficult to see, as they are disguised as self-help gurus or new age leaders who are only looking to help someone find their human potential.
In the beginning, everything is glorious, similar to a new love story. At that moment, the charlatan finds his mark or source of money. Behind their ultra smiles and boundless willingness to help, their carefully defined brainwashing techniques often begin. Compliments turn into cruel criticism, help from volunteers leads to forced labor, and financial fees or donations become much higher. The months turn into years or even decades and the brainwashing closes the circle.
Attack the accuser
When family, friends, or legal authorities question or inquire, cult leaders go into defense mode with arguments of free enterprise, freedom of religion, or simply the freedom to live as one chooses. Then the process of attacking the attacker begins, such as the Scientology Fair Play Policy of stalking and harassing anyone who criticizes their false religion or Synanon by leaving a rattlesnake in a lawyer’s mailbox, which happened to Paul. Morantz.
Years ago, the Center Foundation launched a series of advisory groups that were ranked in order of performance. However, beyond expressing emotions in a supportive environment, leaders engaged in belittling people for their personal weight, physically assaulting members who were slow to accept comments, and telling other people where they could work, with who could leave or if they could remain unborn. babies.
Hard to fight
Law enforcement is often in a bind. With the pressure to keep the streets of our cities and towns clear of the most obvious thieves, they often ignore the danger of cults until the threat is overwhelming. When conflict between rural Oregonians escalated with followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, sheriffs determined that the cult group had more firepower on their ranch than law enforcement agencies from the entire state of Oregon combined. both for lighting.
In the US, we often focus our attention on the supply side of wrongdoing rather than the demand side. Of course, we must criminally prosecute and civilly sue the leaders of these cult groups for their crimes. However, charlatans will always exist as they originate within the defects of the human heart. What about the demand side? As long as there is a market for illegal drugs in the US, there will always be suppliers ready to satisfy the consumer’s desire.
We need to stop seeking human fulfillment at the hands of scammers, who are only interested in making a quick buck and having power over a loyal and needy herd. Human growth comes from our family, friends, community, and spiritual connection in religions with a proven history of ethical behavior. There are certainly problems in the mainstream religions. However, many of those problems are being resolved.
False prophets
Keith Raniere, David Miscavidge, and Richard Corriere are not prophets. Instead, they are enterprising men who trade the false promise of human growth for their own power and financial gain. Let’s start by looking closely at home and seeing the glorious nuggets of self-fulfillment all around us. Isn’t the smile of serving food at a homeless shelter or taking a nature walk better than handing over your personal freedom to a scammer? I think you know the answer.