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- Cults often result in atrocious crimes against humanity and a loss of life.
- Anyone can become a victim, finding themselves under the complete control of charismatic leaders.
- We spoke to an expert about the key characteristics of a cult and how to know you're being lured into one.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Cults have long been in existence and there are various ways to tell whether you're being lured into one.
Anyone can become a victim, says Dr Alex Asakitikpi, an anthropologist and sociologist, who says it's not easy to leave once you've been integrated.
From an outsider's perspective, the general belief is that cults merely trap those who are gullible and weak-minded. That couldn't be any further from the truth.
According to Asakitikpi, those who fall victim hardly ever know that they are being lured into a cult.
Shadowy organisations that we have seen recently include the doomsday cult in Kenya, where over 200 members were found dead after a pastor, called Paul Mackenzie, ordered congregants to starve to death, with the end-goal being to meet Jesus.
Another recent and closer example includes the secretive religious sect in Cape Town, dubbed the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which pretended to make members better Christians.
The church and its leader, Lee-Man Hee, have been marred by controversy, with members claiming they were warned against speaking of the organisation to family and friends.
It is, therefore, worthwhile to know how to identify a cult and how not to get sucked into one.
What is a cult?
The American Psychological Association defines a cult as "a religious or quasi-religious group characterised by unusual or atypical beliefs, seclusion from the outside world and an authoritarian structure".
It adds that cults tend to be secretive, well-organised and, most times, hostile to non-members.
Asakitikpi says cults are a sectoral group that could be ideological, religious, philosophical or political, and tend to have radical views which are in stark opposition to mainstream ideals and ideas.
Key characteristics
"There's always a tendency to keep what they do outside of the public domain," Asakitikpi says. "Once it is able to shroud its activities in isolation, it serves to do whatever it wants with their members."
Another characteristic closely related to secrecy is isolation.
When unknowing members join a cult, leaders of the organisation work hard at ensuring that they are isolated from their family and friends. This makes it much easier to control the mind of the victims, both individually and collectively.
Asakitikpi said:
"If they are living in densely populated area, they will most likely have a high chance of preventing inquisitive eyes from seeing what they are doing."
Cults normally present ideological differences with mainstream ideas. It can, for example, include instructions from religious leaders, to bar their members from accessing institutions that serve the public.
"They may want to [dictate] that their members should not acquire material things, that they should not go to public education [institutions] or hospitals and, sometimes, in extreme cases, victims might be instructed not to get married," Asakitikpi said.
Cult members often have a high level of commitment to the leadership, as they believe the charismatic leader holds the life and death of the individuals involved.
Members are often expected to follow the instructions of the leader - without question.
"When we see this type of authority over members and their high commitment to the leadership, we may begin to see the need to investigate such groups," Asakitikpi said.
Are you in one?
The biggest misconception about cult members is that they are gullible, weak-minded and naïve - this is not true.
Asakitikpi told New24 that, often, those who ended up as victims of cult integration were not initially aware that they were joining a cult.
"Most of the time, when they join the group, they have good intentions and believe that the organisation will meet their economic need, or satisfy their philosophy, and give them a space where they can have some relationship with the supernatural," Asakitikpi said.
In such organisations, mind control tactics are common, where victims are convinced that the leaders hear directly from a supernatural being and that what they say comes from this 'divine source'. They become brainwashed, subservient and fully entrenched in that group.
Usually, people outside of the cult, but close to the victims, are the ones who can identify that their loved ones have become victim to the sect. However, even when confronted, some victims will often still be in denial.
In extreme cases, cults end in death, with leaders convincing members that they are meeting their maker, or that the world is about to end.
Recovering from a cult
For those who make it out, integrating back to their normal self is a tough journey.
"Some people believe they are not just brainwashed and there is some spiritual activity which takes place for them to become 'zombies'," Asakitikpi said.
"They can't think for themselves. They cannot make decision for themselves. This why most intervention strategies often involve their loved ones in the process as well."
