Cults

Heard an interesting story on NPR today about Jim Jones, some dude wrote a whole book about it.

The impression I got was this...Jones sought an outlet and subsequent validation for his paranoia toward life and himself. While we all have this paranoia, this continually augmented existential dread, Jones put answers in the place of questions. He provoked this instinctual 'fear' among his followers, and provided answers to questions of which have no answers.

He wanted more from life...some alterior solution to recognizing the inevitable truth of our banal existence. We all want this, do we not? It is the very reason why many are so intrigued by the paranormal.

tldr; cults give people a reason to live...just another form of escapism from the truth that is we have no objective reason to live

Cults work by brainwashing followers and preying upon devotion. It might be out of power, control, or money, while the techniques that are used by them vary, you can see the similarities in different types of cults that are not limited to just religion.
The things to look out for are blind devotion without room for critical thinking, Doubt is healthy in critical thinking and if doubt is a sign of lack of faith then chances are it's a cult.
Other signs to look for are isolation from anyone that is not a part of that faith, giving up possessions or money out of "necessity" and "call to arms" tactics. What that is, for example, a Pastor giving you an ultimatum of sorts, "give yourself fully to god and reject the temptations of the world or you won't be able to progress in the church and are hindering your service to god. I was in a cult of sorts for a few years.

>>18884542
Agreed, we eventually are all going to have to come to terms with the thoughts of existentialism or do our best to distract ourselves from it.

>>18884545
Other cults could be businesses, political cults, even groups.

I like what you said about the ultimatums...I feel like many of the religious folks just don't wanna go to hell. Just like a student wanting an A, they go to class everyday not because they give a fuck about the class material

I am ripe pickins for a cult. I'm desperately looking for something, anything, to believe in. If someone would just take control of my life and tell me what to do, that would be an enormous relief, honestly.

>>18884573
Have you tried the Freemasons? They're not a cult, but they provide all the positives of one (something to live for, brotherly love, progression) without any associated negatives (ostracization, giving up possessions, etc.)

Watched 2 Scientology docs recently and have been getting increasingly interested in the subject

Humans are just incredibly naive and gullible. It is so easy to dupe masses of people into doing all kinds of shit simply by appealing to their egos, insecurities and greed. Explains why a lot of celebs and American self-help junkies are drawn to Scientology.

How anyone can get involved in Scientology is beyond me. And it is a fascinating subject for that very reason. The utter nonsense of it and yet people willingly deceive themselves to the point of destroying their own lives in the deluded hope that their sci-fi fantasies will come true.


I look at David Miscavige and see a pure sociopath and the ultimate "little man syndrome". And that is the key. Psycho's have been duping sheeple into all kinds of bad scenes throughout human history. Politicians, despots, conmen.... its all the same.

>>18884545
Sounds like the Jehovah's Witnesses.

>>18884500
>non-Christian

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>>18884500
>non-Christian

https://youtu.be/K4oEYQhtsYw

Does a pretty good job of covering it

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So I base this on personal experience infiltrating and fucking with cults. (an absurd way to not have to pay rent and mooch off of weirdos.) They're full of retards to the point that the average cult is barely functional and the leaders are either delusional (believing they have power over their idiot followers, who do not understand their orders) or depressed. If you want to start a cult, please, do it right. Do not be open to everyone, only take people who get along, have a clearly stated goal or objective and MAKE SURE THE CULTISTS HAVE A CLUE!

If you think you can round up a bunch of slaves to pick beans for you, hou're deluded. I'm sure you can do it, but it won't pay off. Bean farming is a cover for drug running, fact is, slaves cost more than minimum wage, it doesn't work out.

>>18884638
It's not just them it's every religious group out there. At some point they all will truly believe that what they have obtained is "truth," and every one else has a false truth, or wrong way of living. They all will instill their ideas but it just leads to a form of narcissism. If it's christian than it just narcissism with a dash of hypocrisy.

>>18885294
Story time! *gets popcorn*

>>18887099
>Story time!

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I've infiltrated and mooched off of some cults before. Here's some advice if you want to start a cult. Do not be all inclusive. Have some fucking recruiting standards. I'd wager that half the time, the utter retardation of the average cultist is what slowly drives the culter leader insane and full of rage, depression, or both. Many times cult leaders turn to alcoholism and drug abuse, and other unhealthy habits, as a coping mechanism for dealing with their cultists. If this happens to you, just take all the money and booze and run, don't wait until it's too late. They don't need you, and you don't need them. You were stronger and happier without the cultists, and they're not worth the work.

I always see these threads at 3am. Do you guys want me to post my in depth cult analysis that Ive posted before?

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>>18888060
Sure pal, im still lurking.

>>18884573
c-cute

>>18884500
The core trick is to get the cultists to tie their sense of self-worth and identity to the the cult. If you get them to feel proud/satisfied when they adhere to doctrine, and ashamed/wrong when they don't, you have control over their beliefs and so over them. They will subconsciously choose to believe whatever you tell them to because their self worth hinges on them believing it.

>>18884500
Like religions but smaller.

>Making you feel special by being part of an elite that knows it all and the rest of the people are garbage.
it's exactly the same with select clubs like Rotary and stuff.

CUNT

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>>18884500
>How do cults work?
trick weak minded, lonely people in need of something. Usually as basic a place to live or general social acceptance

>What's the tricks, psychology behind them?
Basic brain washing. Abuse mixed with fear mixed with sprinkling in good things like acceptance or allowing others to do those first two things to others. Do that to an aforementioned weak willed person and their psyche will break

>Could you do it? How would you do it?
Probably not, I might be an asshole in some ways but I dont have that kind of manipulation in me (or the charisma for that matter). I do know people that are like that though and theyre real dicks

>>18884500
For the ones I'm familiar with.

Trick one, secret knowledge/ substance/ ritual/sex orgy.

Anything that's usually taboo enough to be a novelty.

Trick two the cult leader has to be exponentially smarter than the cultists.

Trick three naked sincerity and cohersion.

go to the gay scene, the smaller the country, the better.
example, the glasgow, or jersey (as in, actual jersey, and guernsey, the channel islands not the place in america)
or dublin, particularly, is a nest of unattractive drag queens, taking the piss out of Wicca.

any way, those scenes seem highly conservative. indoctrinate people into a certain way of being.