Tuesday February 14, 2012

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  • 0

    Brainiac

    Various reasons. My guess is such people have very little self-esteem and no well-defined boundaries. They are looking for somewhere to belong. They probably don't see the organization they are joining as a cult, and by the time they are sucked in, their sense of reality is gone.

    Cult recruiters are very skillful at identifying such people. I've met a few and I always thought how uncanny it is how some people have a knack for spotting just the right sort of person that can be manipulated.

  • 0

    WhatJapanThinks

    Because they saw the adverts for them on Japan Today.

  • 0

    some14some

    for getting mental disorders cured for free or at nominal fee...Brainiac has offered some useful comments though.

  • 0

    fireant

    WhatJapanThinks - Good comment.

    I agree with Brainiac - looking for someplace to belong and being welcomed by the leaders/members of like-thinking people while the rest of the world seems to be rejecting or ignoring them.

  • 0

    Altria

    Google and Wikipedia should help you out!

    Or are you looking for personal anecdotes?

  • 0

    Bgood41

    Cult refers to "the act of worship". However, along this process; there are certain amount of abusing in the form of mind control (brain washing) have been utilized on the followers. Normally, the cult member's value system (victim)has been replace by the group identity. In most case, they can not decide by themselves without their leader's direction. You can find the cult belief system even among major religions in the world today. By the way, religion should lead us to reconnect with God and be free to be accountable for our own actions.

  • 0

    papasmurfinjapan

    Honestly, for the most part I think people join cults for the same reason people join mainstream religion - A desire to be accepted, feel loved, belong to a group with similar moral values. Many are yearning for moral guidance in what they consider to be a morally bankrupt society.

    For people who value spiritual progression over monetary gain or social status, fundamentalist religion provides a fertile ground for spiritual exploration that is difficult with less demanding forms of worship.

    In the process of their spiritual quest, however, the cult's brainwashing kicks in and they soon find themselves so involved in the religion it makes it nigh on impossible for them to wriggle their way out of it.

  • 0

    papasmurfinjapan

    Actually I just noticed the ad at the top.

    Am I the only one that finds it quite amusing that an advertisent for the church of scientology is at the top of a thread talking about cults??

  • 0

    outofmydepth

    people who join cults have no direction, no personality, really not much in their lives. they think by joining a cult their lives will have meaning. yeah, just look at how much meaning costs for most of these cults - monetarily, mentaly, spiritualy, moraly - i could go on. it is a heavy price to pay for "belonging." For me, I wouldn`t want to pay the heavy price. Just look at AUM, the branch Davidians, and now the polygamists in Texas and Colorado. people have lost their moral compass and are looking outside themselves for salvation. just look into yourself and practice the golden rule and you will be alright.

  • 0

    AdrianinDallas

    ALL religion is a "cult." No gods have ever existed; it's all wishful thinking on the part of adults who haven't grown up (while insisting they have).

    Those not suffering from the mental illness that is religious "belief" know that purposely infecting children with the virus that is such "beliefs" is child abuse. Cults are havens of child abusers. (Hello, Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), et al!)

  • 0

    papasmurfinjapan

    just look into yourself and practice the golden rule and you will be alright

    Amen

  • 0

    Cos

    Frankly, I've always had more fun at cults than at gaijin bars. You meet all sorts of people, all ages, there are parties, you play games. I could even practice hypnosis and talk to ghosts. In Japan, it's one of the few things you can do with all your family, attend a cult. I agree that cults and religions don't differ, and most of them exist at two level, the first one is a quite positive social circle and mutual support, the second is about fanatism and brainwashing.

    I've always considered the speech was theater. That God exist or not is not the question problem, I'm certain that no God asked ask cults to be organized nor told the gourous to control others. The problem is when you let the cult think instead of yourself.

  • 0

    telecasterplayer

    I joined for the all-you-can-eat Friday Night Chinese Buffet. Stay away from the Kool-Aid, though..

  • 0

    whynothow

    people who join cults have no direction, no personality, really not much in their lives. they think by joining a cult their lives will have meaning

    People join cults for the the same reason they spend hours everyday on news sites, commenting, debating with a buch of faceless geeks.

  • 0

    whynothow

    bunch

  • 0

    Nessie

    Dear God,

    Why do people join cults?

    Yours in faith,

    Jesus Christ

  • 0

    capone

    shouldn't this question have been directed towards people who actually joined cults ?

  • 0

    Everton2

    For the same reasons people join the KKK, Catholic Church and the Republican Party

  • 0

    MichaelJP

    Is Scientology legal in Japan??? I need to start my own cult. Chicks dig cult leaders.

  • 0

    umbrella

    because they desire to give away their cash?? To get some sex??

  • 0

    Triple888

    Human rights! Any human can choose what they believe in! So such thing as a cult! Authorities should not interfere with peoples' personal lives.

  • 0

    Everton2

    Triple888 Cult leaders are simply skillful manipulators. The road to cultism is littered with the bodies of those who have fallen victims to doctrines that have encouraged suicide and civil disorder on a mass scale. I don't have to point out the many examples because i am sure you are fully aware of them. To say that these people should be left to their own devices is at best dangerous to all of us. This is why we have laws to protect those who are unable to recognize the intrinsic con that is contained in some teachings, that may lead us to do things that are contrary to our natural tendencies.

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