Cult Awareness for College Students
Cults recruit very heavily on college campuses. Know how to spot them
When you meet the friendliest people you have ever known, who introduce you to the most loving group of people you have ever encountered, and you find the leader to be the most inspired, caring, compassionate and understanding person you have ever met, and then you learn the cause of the group is something you never dared hope could be accomplished, and all of this sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true! Don't give up your education, your hopes and ambitions to follow a rainbow." - Jeanne Mills |
What’s so bad about cults? What is a cult? There are many great answers to these questions. You can read more here about cults and how (and why) they are so damaging to people.
There are many kinds of cults, and not all of them are Christian. Scientology is a good example of a non-Christian cult. I was in a Christian cult for 12 years (The International Churches of Christ); I joined in college at age 18. I developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of my membership, from which I recovered through two years of counseling and other healing work. Cults are systemically abusive, and they control almost every aspect of a person’s life. Through various methods of unethical influence, they tell people things like how to act and dress, what personality to have, who they can associate with, how to spend their money, what jobs they can hold, who they can marry, etc. They also generally require that you give a huge chunk of your money and the majority of your time to them, and encourage or demand estrangement from family members. They often compel college students to curtail their studies, or lessen their career goals, in order to do more for the group. These things can be very psychologically damaging, as well as damaging all aspects of life (such as finances, career, and family), and are considered to be chronic abuse. That is why it is so important to avoid getting entangled in a cult.
Cults recruit very heavily on college campuses. Cults know that people in college are vulnerable because of
Here are some things to look out for that could be an attempt to recruit you into a cult, and how to handle them:
If a stranger approaches you and acts very friendly and nice and interested in you, be extremely wary. Especially if they are in a different year than you. If they are in a cult, they will either invite you to an activity right away (either fun or informational) or start talking about a great group they belong to or meet with in the first few conversations you have with them. Even if it’s a close personal friend who tells you they’ve found this ‘great new church’ or something like that, be very wary. The person who introduced me to the group was a close friend from high school. I trusted her and that made me more willing to trust the group, which was a mistake. I knew nothing about cults and how they operate, which made me very vulnerable. My friend was not being malicious; she thought she was saving my soul by getting me to join the group.
If they ask for your phone number, especially on the first meeting, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM. Get theirs instead, or just say ‘no thanks.’ Cult members are taught to push very hard to get people’s phone numbers. In the cult I was in, I had to tell my leader how many phone numbers I was able to get that day! Then I would have to call all those numbers at least once a week. Think of a cult as a multi-level marketing company; the members are taught to be aggressive salespeople, and instead of selling products they are selling their group. If you meet someone who is very aggressive with you, they could very well be in a cult and trying to get you to join it.
If they invite you to a ‘fun’ activity, such as a volleyball game or ‘hang out’ (like a pizza party or something) with a group, ask “how do you know the people in the group?” Even if is an organized cult activity, they may just say, “oh, they are just friends,” which is not the whole truth. (I was not fully honest with people I was recruiting, because “the ends justified the means!”) But often they will be somewhat honest and tell you that these are people they go to church or bible study with. If they tell you that, it's best to decline the invitation. It’s better to be safe than sorry! Or find out the name of the group and research it before attending. You can go to the dean of the college and make sure that the group is legitimate and not a recognized cult group. Most campus officials can tell you which groups are cults and which aren’t. Of course online research is great too.
If they invite you to a bible study or religious meeting and you are interested in it, no matter what group or church it is, again get its name and research it. Many campus cult groups will not tell you the real name of their group. They usually have other names for it so that you won’t find out anything bad about the group from outside sources. Cult members are taught to be very deceitful in their recruiting methods. This is because they are taught that the ends (“saving souls”, “bringing true enlightenment to people” etc) justifies the means. I wrote a forum post about how the cult I was in taught us to lie to people. Are you getting the idea yet how slick and devious these groups can be? The best thing to do with these invitations is to JUST SAY NO. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.
If you do go to an activity, pay very close attention, especially to how the people there treat you. Are they all really friendly to you, and asking your name and coming to talk to you personally? This may seem flattering, but it is a big red flag. The first time I went to a church service of the cult I was in, I had no less than 4 people standing in front of me at the same time after the service, asking me questions and listening to me talk. I should have thought, ‘wow this is weird,’ but all I thought was, these people are really loving; they must be great Christians and this is a great church. Also pay attention to how they interact with each other. Most cult groups do not drink (at least not heavily) or swear, and they will be very—sometimes weirdly—loving to each other and touchy-feely. You may think, wow, what great, friendly, loving people, but this is not normal, and it is not a good sign.
A big sign of a cult or extremist group is criticizing other religions and beliefs. Pay attention to the kinds of things they say. Cults invariably believe that they are the only ones who have the ‘truth’ about life, salvation, etc. If you hear anything that sounds elitist—giving the impression that they are the only ones who have the truth, they are the only ones doing it right, your life will be so much better if you join them—or they are criticizing other groups, RUN and don’t look back!!
If you care about the person who is involved in the group, and you suspect it may be a cult, whatever you do, don't just say, “I think you’re in a cult.” They are prepared for that and will completely blow it off and may even use it as an opening to try to recruit you, or estrange themselves from you. Instead, look it up online and do some research. Then read the book Freedom of Mind by Steven Hassan, which gives excellent advice about how to help loved ones who are entrapped in a cult. Or have a talk with their parents and encourage them to do that.
For further reading:
There are many kinds of cults, and not all of them are Christian. Scientology is a good example of a non-Christian cult. I was in a Christian cult for 12 years (The International Churches of Christ); I joined in college at age 18. I developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of my membership, from which I recovered through two years of counseling and other healing work. Cults are systemically abusive, and they control almost every aspect of a person’s life. Through various methods of unethical influence, they tell people things like how to act and dress, what personality to have, who they can associate with, how to spend their money, what jobs they can hold, who they can marry, etc. They also generally require that you give a huge chunk of your money and the majority of your time to them, and encourage or demand estrangement from family members. They often compel college students to curtail their studies, or lessen their career goals, in order to do more for the group. These things can be very psychologically damaging, as well as damaging all aspects of life (such as finances, career, and family), and are considered to be chronic abuse. That is why it is so important to avoid getting entangled in a cult.
Cults recruit very heavily on college campuses. Cults know that people in college are vulnerable because of
- their lack of life experience
- their search for truth and something fulfilling, especially in the area of religion
- their desire for new friends in the strange new college environment
- their separation from the influence of their families
Here are some things to look out for that could be an attempt to recruit you into a cult, and how to handle them:
If a stranger approaches you and acts very friendly and nice and interested in you, be extremely wary. Especially if they are in a different year than you. If they are in a cult, they will either invite you to an activity right away (either fun or informational) or start talking about a great group they belong to or meet with in the first few conversations you have with them. Even if it’s a close personal friend who tells you they’ve found this ‘great new church’ or something like that, be very wary. The person who introduced me to the group was a close friend from high school. I trusted her and that made me more willing to trust the group, which was a mistake. I knew nothing about cults and how they operate, which made me very vulnerable. My friend was not being malicious; she thought she was saving my soul by getting me to join the group.
If they ask for your phone number, especially on the first meeting, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM. Get theirs instead, or just say ‘no thanks.’ Cult members are taught to push very hard to get people’s phone numbers. In the cult I was in, I had to tell my leader how many phone numbers I was able to get that day! Then I would have to call all those numbers at least once a week. Think of a cult as a multi-level marketing company; the members are taught to be aggressive salespeople, and instead of selling products they are selling their group. If you meet someone who is very aggressive with you, they could very well be in a cult and trying to get you to join it.
If they invite you to a ‘fun’ activity, such as a volleyball game or ‘hang out’ (like a pizza party or something) with a group, ask “how do you know the people in the group?” Even if is an organized cult activity, they may just say, “oh, they are just friends,” which is not the whole truth. (I was not fully honest with people I was recruiting, because “the ends justified the means!”) But often they will be somewhat honest and tell you that these are people they go to church or bible study with. If they tell you that, it's best to decline the invitation. It’s better to be safe than sorry! Or find out the name of the group and research it before attending. You can go to the dean of the college and make sure that the group is legitimate and not a recognized cult group. Most campus officials can tell you which groups are cults and which aren’t. Of course online research is great too.
If they invite you to a bible study or religious meeting and you are interested in it, no matter what group or church it is, again get its name and research it. Many campus cult groups will not tell you the real name of their group. They usually have other names for it so that you won’t find out anything bad about the group from outside sources. Cult members are taught to be very deceitful in their recruiting methods. This is because they are taught that the ends (“saving souls”, “bringing true enlightenment to people” etc) justifies the means. I wrote a forum post about how the cult I was in taught us to lie to people. Are you getting the idea yet how slick and devious these groups can be? The best thing to do with these invitations is to JUST SAY NO. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.
If you do go to an activity, pay very close attention, especially to how the people there treat you. Are they all really friendly to you, and asking your name and coming to talk to you personally? This may seem flattering, but it is a big red flag. The first time I went to a church service of the cult I was in, I had no less than 4 people standing in front of me at the same time after the service, asking me questions and listening to me talk. I should have thought, ‘wow this is weird,’ but all I thought was, these people are really loving; they must be great Christians and this is a great church. Also pay attention to how they interact with each other. Most cult groups do not drink (at least not heavily) or swear, and they will be very—sometimes weirdly—loving to each other and touchy-feely. You may think, wow, what great, friendly, loving people, but this is not normal, and it is not a good sign.
A big sign of a cult or extremist group is criticizing other religions and beliefs. Pay attention to the kinds of things they say. Cults invariably believe that they are the only ones who have the ‘truth’ about life, salvation, etc. If you hear anything that sounds elitist—giving the impression that they are the only ones who have the truth, they are the only ones doing it right, your life will be so much better if you join them—or they are criticizing other groups, RUN and don’t look back!!
If you care about the person who is involved in the group, and you suspect it may be a cult, whatever you do, don't just say, “I think you’re in a cult.” They are prepared for that and will completely blow it off and may even use it as an opening to try to recruit you, or estrange themselves from you. Instead, look it up online and do some research. Then read the book Freedom of Mind by Steven Hassan, which gives excellent advice about how to help loved ones who are entrapped in a cult. Or have a talk with their parents and encourage them to do that.
For further reading: