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Selena Cortes-Guerrero
Professor Gideon
English Comp.
December 3, 2012
Why Do People Join Cults?(COBU)
When one thinks of a cult the most obvious answer one can come up with is that a cult is a bunch of crazy people who all believe similar beliefes norms. That an individual who joins a cult is “messed up” or simply not all there mentally. However research shows cult members are relatively normal just lost, lonely, or confused. By definition a cult is “a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing, and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the group’s leader..”(Langone p.1.
When people join a cult some do it without even being aware of it, to join a group where everyone understands you, “cares” for you, where you have a family structure , sounds pretty good to the people who these cults are trying to recruit. Take the Church of Bible Understanding founded by Stewart Traill, Traill would focus his recruitment on younf adolecents by zoning in on their weaknesses(cultbustergalactia p.1) trying to break down that barrier these chilfren had put up because of personal problems, or family problems. Traill was using the same methods previous cult leaders relied on to get more followers. By “understanding” what these trouble youths were going through Traill could build a friendship with them and lure them into the cult. Stewart Trail did not wake up one day and decide “hey im gonna start a cult” his special way of thinking derived from his childhood. Traill’s father was a Presbyterian minister who believed he was the reincarnation of Elijah and that he was aware of the exact date of Christ’s return. It’s no wonder Traill has a radical way of thinking in his adult life simply because he is his fathers son. He picked up on his father’s beliefs. Once in a cult the good times simply vanish, cult members are brainwashed into believing certain beliefs by
Professor Gideon
English Comp.
December 3, 2012
Why Do People Join Cults?(COBU)
When one thinks of a cult the most obvious answer one can come up with is that a cult is a bunch of crazy people who all believe similar beliefes norms. That an individual who joins a cult is “messed up” or simply not all there mentally. However research shows cult members are relatively normal just lost, lonely, or confused. By definition a cult is “a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing, and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the group’s leader..”(Langone p.1.
When people join a cult some do it without even being aware of it, to join a group where everyone understands you, “cares” for you, where you have a family structure , sounds pretty good to the people who these cults are trying to recruit. Take the Church of Bible Understanding founded by Stewart Traill, Traill would focus his recruitment on younf adolecents by zoning in on their weaknesses(cultbustergalactia p.1) trying to break down that barrier these chilfren had put up because of personal problems, or family problems. Traill was using the same methods previous cult leaders relied on to get more followers. By “understanding” what these trouble youths were going through Traill could build a friendship with them and lure them into the cult. Stewart Trail did not wake up one day and decide “hey im gonna start a cult” his special way of thinking derived from his childhood. Traill’s father was a Presbyterian minister who believed he was the reincarnation of Elijah and that he was aware of the exact date of Christ’s return. It’s no wonder Traill has a radical way of thinking in his adult life simply because he is his fathers son. He picked up on his father’s beliefs. Once in a cult the good times simply vanish, cult members are brainwashed into believing certain beliefs by