How do I join a cult?

Forest Cat · Apr 18, 2023

Judge said:
You want to join a cult? Imagine you finally realizing that this is a bad thing while two people hold you down as they pour the "kool-aid" down your throat against your will. You sure you are ready for that kind of amusement?

Jonestown - Massacre, Guyana & Cult | HISTORY

The “Jonestown Massacre” took place on November 18, 1978, after more than 900 members of an American cult called the Peoples Temple died in a mass suicide-murder under the direction of their leader Jim Jones (1931-78). The mass suicide-murder took place at the Jonestown settlement in the South...

www.history.com

Those cult leader types sure are very good at talking. And scheming. Jim Jones managed to talk several hundred people into drinking poison. That really shouldn't be possible. I saw a documentary about it, he had done several test runs, telling people it was poison and getting them to drink it, but it wasn't poison so everyone was fine afterwards. So when it actually was poison, many may have believed that everything would be fine that time too.

Magna · Apr 18, 2023

Bad idea all around. I agree that reading about cults if it interests you is a much better and safer option. Also, fully recognized cults aren't the only organizations or groups that exclusively hold cultish practices. There are many different types of organizations and groups in the world spanning from religions to current social "movements" or "communities" that very much hold certain cult-like practices even if they're not considered full on cults. That's why learning more about them would be beneficial.

As a matter of fact and on topic to this thread, perhaps it would be beneficial for anyone who knows of good books, videos, etc on the subject of cults, recognizing cults and cult-like practices in general. Anyone?

Misery · Apr 18, 2023

Judge said:
You want to join a cult? Imagine you finally realizing that this is a bad thing while two people hold you down as they pour the "kool-aid" down your throat against your will. You sure you are ready for that kind of amusement?

Jonestown - Massacre, Guyana & Cult | HISTORY

The “Jonestown Massacre” took place on November 18, 1978, after more than 900 members of an American cult called the Peoples Temple died in a mass suicide-murder under the direction of their leader Jim Jones (1931-78). The mass suicide-murder took place at the Jonestown settlement in the South...

www.history.com

Yeah that's the other thing about this.

You may go into it with the intention of faking it, but THEY have no intention of faking their end at all. And with any cult that often involves things you outright cant refuse. Because they'll just force it. And "it" could be anything at all. The leaders absolutely dont play by the rules, and their fanatical followers will often do whatever they say, so you cant expect them to do something like refuse to do that to you because it's not right or something. They're totally under the control of the leaders. They *will* do as they're told. That's exactly why cults are so dangerous.

Judge · Apr 18, 2023

Forest Cat said:
Those cult leader types sure are very good at talking. And scheming. Jim Jones managed to talk several hundred people into drinking poison. That really shouldn't be possible. I saw a documentary about it, he had done several test runs, telling people it was poison and getting them to drinking it, but it wasn't poison so everyone was fine afterwards. So when it actually was poison, many may have believed that everything would be fine that time too.

Such deception and lies seem so often be a big part of cults. I suspect most of them wouldn't survive without indulging in such subterfuge. While so many tortured souls look to cults to solve their problems, they just end up in a much worse situation.

Misery · Apr 18, 2023

Magna said:
Bad idea all around. I agree that reading about cults if it interests you is a much better and safer option. Also, fully recognized cults aren't the only organizations or groups that exclusively hold cultish practices. There are many different types of organizations and groups in the world spanning from religions to current social "movements" or "communities" that very much hold certain cult-like practices even if they're not considered full on cults. That's why learning more about them would be beneficial.

As a matter of fact and on topic to this thread, perhaps it would be beneficial for anyone who knows of good books, videos, etc on the subject of cults, recognizing cults and cult-like practices in general. Anyone?

Honestly, if you want to learn more, the best thing to do is probably just to watch some documentaries on cults that have been exposed. There's tons of videos out there on this type of subject, and the creators usually explain how and why the cult's tactics work, and the kinds of things they do. Watch a few of them and you'll quickly see patterns emerge (though the video creators will often just tell you what the patterns are).

Forest Cat · Apr 18, 2023

Judge said:
Such deception and lies seem so often be a big part of cults. I suspect most of them wouldn't survive without indulging in such subterfuge.

And many cult members are also vulnerable people, searching for something better, having a very difficult life and so on. Easy to prey upon. It's a terrible thing.