SpiritualWiki

Politisch unkorrekter Kampfbegriff Sekte

Das Wort Sekte (lat. secta) bedeutet "Partei" oder "Schule". Es geht wahrscheinlich nicht auf das lateinische Verb "secare" (abschneiden) zurück, sondern auf "sequi" (folgen). Es handelt sich weniger um eine Abspaltung als um eine Gefolgschaft.

Die nicht-christliche Antike bezeichnete philosophische oder religiöse Gruppierungen wertfrei und neutral als Sekten. Die ersten Christen wurden in dieser Tradition als "Sekte der Nazarener", eine Richtung des Judentums, bezeichnet.

Sekte wird in den meisten Fällen als Kampfbegriff gebraucht. Die begriffliche Nähe zu 'extrem agierenden dissidierenden religiösen, ideologischen, psychologischen, medizinisch-therapeutischen oder politischen Gruppierungen' kann im landläufigen Verständnis des Begriffs "Sekte" zu einer einseitigen Diffamierung Andersdenkender führen.

In Meyers Enzyklopädisches Lexikon stand 1977 zu lesen:

Mit dem Wort "Sekte" wird heute weitgehend die Vorstellung von etwas Abartigem, Gefährlichem, Widersetzlichem signalisiert.

Im Münchner Rechtslexikon steht zu lesen:

Der Begriff "Sekte" ist in staatsrechtlicher Hinsicht unangemessen, da er eine negative theologische Beurteilung enthält.

Die früher als "Sekten" bezeichneten organisierten Gruppierungen werden heute meist neutraler als "Neue religiöse Bewegungen", "dissidierende religiöse Gruppen" oder "Alternativreligionen" bezeichnet. Kleinere, nicht bzw. marginal organisierte spirituelle Gruppierungen und Einzelpersonen nennt man auch "Anbieter auf dem Lebenshilfemarkt". Bei der vom Mainstream unbemerkten, da nicht organisierten Bewegung der Kulturell Kreativen und Menschen im Milieu der Esoterik, die sich im Rahmen der "freien Spiritualität" bewegen, greift die Zuordnung "Sekte" gar nicht mehr.

Verzicht auf den Begriff Sekte staatlicherseits

Der Kampfbegriff Sekte ist nicht mehr 'politisch korrekt'.
Die 1996 im Auftrag des deutschen Bundestages eingesetzte Enquête-Kommission für 'Sogenannte Sekten und Psychogruppen' verzichtet mit folgender Begründung auf die Benutzung des Begriffs Sekte:

"Wie häufig der Begriff 'Sekte' auch umgangssprachlich verwendet werden mag, ist er doch sachlich unzutreffend und irreführend. […]
Er kommt von lateinischen sequi → folgen, und ist die Übersetzung von griechischen hairesis → Wahl, Gefolgschaft." Mit ihm wurden in der Antike zunächst diejenigen bezeichnet, die einem bestimmten Philosophen in seinen Anschauungen folgten. In der Geschichte des Christentums wurden damit die Gruppen bezeichnet, die außerhalb der allgemeinen Kirche einem bestimmten Glaubensführer und für abweichend erklärten Glaubenslehren oder Praktiken anhingen. Im Mittelalter (vgl. z. B. die Konstitution Ad Deus des Kaisers Friedrich II. von 1220) wurde das 'widerspenstige Anhängen' an eine 'Sekte' in Acht getan und mit dem Tode bestraft (vergleiche z. B. die Bamberger Halsgerichtsordnung von 1507, Artikel 30). Dadurch wurde aus einem religiösen Abweichen ein kriminelles Delikt, wie der protestantische Theologe Paul Tillich (BW 480) schrieb: 'Wer gegen das kanonisierte Dogma verstößt, (ist) nicht nur ein Häretiker, der den Grundlehren der Kirche widerspricht, sondern auch ein Verbrecher gegen den Staat.' […]

Mit der Erklärung der Religionsfreiheit in den europäischen Staaten wurden solche Auffassungen und Einrichtungen abgeschafft. Das deutsche Grundgesetz kennt nur Religionen, Religionsgesellschaften, und Religionsgemeinschaften.

Staatsrechtlich gibt es in dieser Beziehung keinen Unterschied zwischen Kirche und anderen religiösen Organisationsformen. Da außerdem der Begriff der 'Sekte' kaum von allem ihm durch die kirchliche Verlästerung angehängtem Beigeschmack, wie Max Weber forderte, gelöst werden kann, ist er äußerst fragwürdig geworden.

Quelle und Referenz: de.Wikipedia-Eintrag ► Sekte [Status ~2007/2008]

Zitate zum Thema Kulte und Kultführer / Cults and cult leaders

Zitate von D. Hawkins

⚠ Achtung Siehe Power vs. Truth (engl.) Januar 2013

Quotes by D. Hawkins

⚠ Caveat See Power vs. Truth, January 2013

The true [spiritual] teachers can be seen to have no interest in fame or in having followers, prestige or trappings. […] The teachings and not the teacher are what is important. Inasmuch as the teachings do not come from the personage of the teacher at all, it does not make sense to idolize or worship the personage. The information is transmitted as a gift because it was received as such. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 37, 2001

Many 'spiritual' teachings which are expressed in form frequently lead to what is best termed as 'astral' realms of consciousness which in themselves can be seductive, unending, and pleasurable, but they do no lead to enlightenment. Form reinforces the illusion that there is a seeker on some sort of pathway with rungs and signposts and even 'spirit guides' positioned along the way. On the spiritual climb to the peak of Enlightenment, there actually are no entities to meet you along the way. Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, chapter 9, S. 129, 2001

Question: Where does one begin the search for spiritual truth self-realization called enlightenment?
Answer: It is simple. Being with who and what you are. All truth is found within. Use verified teachings as a guide. Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden, S. 175, 2001

About fifty percent of the spiritual teachers are legitimate.

Of all the spiritual teachers in the world, who are regarded as being "gurus", approximately fifty per cent are legitimate. Thus, in actual practice, the chances of finding a true teacher, amongst the many are about fifty fifty. The Eye of the I From Which Nothing Is Hidden, S. 317, 2001

Question: Cults are traps for the unwary. How can they be differentiated from legitimate, spiritual splinter groups?
Answer: Cults calibrate below 200. This may be due to the error of their teachings or the teachings may have merit but the organization itself is not in integrity. Sometimes it is the leader who is the source of the error. Cults appeal to the innocent, the gullible, and the spiritually naïve or ignorant. With discernment and spiritual maturity, the characteristics of cults become obvious. Primarily they are exploitive. The leader is typically controlling, money is important; allegiance to the group is emphasized; and the cult insists of proselytizing and eliminating relationships with spouses, family or friends. There are secrets, a hierarchy, and the use of psychological pressures and persuasions that border on brainwashing.
The leader, rather than the teachings, becomes the focus of energy, gifts, money, favors and adulation, and the mere mention of their name brings "ohs” and "ahs" rather than simple respect. I. Reality and Subjectivity, heading "Teachers and Students", S. 9, 2003

Note ⚡: D. Hawkins run a cult himself.

Specialness, ingroup status, jargon, false promises

Cults ensnare the unwary by their specialness and false promises. Members have an 'insider' status and a special 'lingo.' Truth vs. Falsehood. How to Tell the Difference, chapter 17 "Spiritual Truth", subheading "Cultism", S. 395, 2005

Frequently, serious spiritual students become waylaid by attractive, deviant pathways, schools, and teachings and thereby devote time and energy in fruitless pursuit of spiritual illusions. This may take up years, decades, or even whole lifetimes that sometimes end up in regret or even bitter disappointment. With the current availability of the techniques of calibrating levels truth, such errors can be circumvented. Discovery of the Presence of God. Devotional Nonduality, chapter 12, S. 203, 2007

Truth has no trappings. Many false teachers indulge in theatrical self-presentations that are merely lures and self-gratification of being "special." Dissolving the Ego, Realizing the Self. Contemplations from the Teachings of David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., edited by Scott Jeffrey, S. 154, 1st quote, Hay House, August 2011

The direct path is through consciousness itself. […] When you sit down to meditate, you notice that the mind is constantly racing and running around and a lot of teachings try to teach you have to control it. You can't control it. You don't have any control over the mind. The mind exists of its own nature and it just runs about and does its own thing, just like the body does. There's no point to try to control it. Sedona Seminar Causality: The Ego's Foundation, 3 DVD set, January 2002

Secrets is the other sign [for controlling cults]. Truth has no secrets. That which claims a secret, avoid! God has no secrets. […] All is revealed! The only reason for a secret is to have control over you. I'll get something out of you in return for the secret, which makes you special. The attraction is one of specialness. […] All these things are OK on the way. The only trouble is their power of seduction is quite intense. […] Don't underrate the expertise of that which would mislead you. […] It sounds like the convincingly real. Sedona Seminar Realization of the Self: Final Moments, DVD 1 of 3, minute 1:39, 14. December 2002

Inner integrity compass

Your own commitment to your own spiritual integrity will eventually lead you to leaving that which is non-integrous. You leave that which is non-integrous because you've evolved to that point not because some teacher, guru, leader, master [says so]. Sedona Seminar Realization of the Self: Final Moments, 3 DVD set, 14. December 2002

Seljalandsfoss, Suðurland, Iceland

Question: How do you choose a true spiritual practice to follow?
Answer: Look for these things in a practice:
- Non-linear. Same throughout the ages.
- If it sounds weird, it probably is.
- It seeks nothing for itself.
- It doesn't want to change, control, enroll.
- It is not a pyramid system, or a multi level marketing.
- People are free to come and go.
- The teacher is only a teacher, not some glamorized master.
- It avoids spiritual trappings.
- It does not portray real opinions on outside issues.
- There is nothing to sign up, no membership.
- It has no interest in special clothing, food, your family, your sex life.
- It does not insist on specific spiritual exercises.
- It does not insist on exercises or breathing patterns to lead to altered states.
- It has no doctrines.
- There is no partiality.
- There is no specialness.

Sedona Seminar Identification and Illusion, 3 DVD set, 14. August 2004

Do not become attached to the teacher. Look rather at how to apply the teachings to your life. Sedona Satsang Q&A, Sedona Creative Life Center, 2 CD set, 10. May 2006

Your spiritual condition doesn't have anything to do with the country. […] Dedicate your love to love itself, instead of to any person or teacher. Divinity is love. That is all you need. Sedona Satsang Q&A, Sedona Creative Life Center, 2 CD set, 13. September 2006

If you look at God as Great Father or Great Mother, then S/He would delight in your enlightenment. God experiencing the joy of His own Divinity is both the pathway and the destination, both the traveller and the destination. Sedona Satsang Q&A, CD 2 von 2, 10. January 2007

Zitate von anderen Quellen – Kultstrukturen

Persönliche Bekenntnisse

Weibliche Sexsklaven von "erleuchteten" tibetisch buddhistischen Lamas

Zusätzliche Hinweise:

Gewalttätige und sexistische Aspekte des tibetisch-buddhistischenen Systems S. 75
Die Frau wird als "spirituelles Hilfsmittel" gesehen, ausgebeutet und spirituell entmündigt und verdrängt. S. 76

Meine Einwilligung, in eine geheime sexuelle Beziehung einzutreten, basierte vor allem auf der Verpflichtung zu Hingabe und Gehorsam, die für alle, die in der nächsten Umgebung des Lamas lebten, von zentraler Bedeutung ist. Ausserdem machte die Forderung, den Lama als göttlich anzusehen, es mir praktisch unmöglich, sein Urteilsvermögen bezüglich aller Fragen, die meine eigene spirituelle Entwicklung betrafen, anzuzweifeln. June Campbell (*~1945) schottische Religionswissenschaftlerin, akademische Feministin, ehemalige Kagyu-Nonne, persönliche Übersetzerin des tibetischen Lamas Kalu Rinpoche, Göttinnen, Dakinis und ganz normale Frauen. Weibliche Identität im tibetischen Tantra, S. 165, Theseus, 1997

5% Gurutypen ⇔ 95% Anhängerschaft

Während Bhagwan seinen Jüngern Bescheidenheit predigte, besaß er selbst eine Autokette von Rolls-Royce.

Fünf Prozent der Menschen sind intelligent, die restlichen 95 Prozent sind unsere Anhänger. ⚡ Osho [Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh] [BW 570⇒180⇒90] (1931-1990) indischer Philosophieprofessor, umstrittener Guru, Begründer der NeoSannyas-Bewegung, zitiert in: Artikel Psychopathen: Raubtiere ohne Kette, präsentiert von dem deutschen Nachrichtenmagazin Der Spiegel, 25. September 2013

Empfehlungen

Paraphrasierte verkürzte Version:

Nun glaubt nicht, nur weil ich es euch gesagt habe. Erfahrt selbst. Sollte die Wissenschaft eines Tages eine meiner Lehren widerlegen, so glaubt der Wissenschaft.
Glaubt nicht dem Hörensagen und heiligen Überlieferungen, nicht Vermutungen oder eingewurzelten Anschauungen, auch nicht den Worten eines verehrten Meisters; sondern was ihr selbst gründlich geprüft und als euch selbst und anderen zum Wohle dienend erkannt habt, das nehmt an.

Glaubt nicht an irgendwelche Überlieferungen, nur weil sie für lange Zeit in vielen Ländern Gültigkeit besessen haben.
Glaubt nicht an etwas, nur weil es viele andauernd wiederholen.
Akzeptiert nichts, nur weil es ein anderer gesagt hat, weil es auf der Autorität eines Weisen beruht oder weil es in einer heiligen Schrift steht.
Glaubt nichts, nur weil es wahrscheinlich ist. Glaubt nicht an Einbildungen oder Visionen, die ihr für gottgegeben haltet.
Glaubt nichts, nur weil die Autorität eines Priesters oder Lehrers dahintersteht.
Glaubt an das, was ihr durch lange eigene Prüfung als richtig erkannt habt, was sich mit eurem Wohlergehen und dem anderer vereinbaren lässt.

Gautama Buddha [BW 1000] (563-483 v. Chr.) indischer Avatar, Lehrer der Erleuchtung, Zentralfigur des Buddhismus, Kalama Sutta

Glaubt den Büchern nicht, glaubt den Lehrern nicht, glaubt auch mir nicht. Glaubt nur das, was ihr selbst sorgfältig geprüft und als euch selbst und anderen zum Wohle dienend erkannt habt. Gautama Buddha [BW 1000] (563-483 v. Chr.) indischer Avatar, Lehrer der Erleuchtung, Zentralfigur des Buddhismus

Mitglied der Internationalen Gesellschaft
für Krishna-Bewusstsein, Moskau, Russland

Grundsätzlich empfehle ich buddhistischen Praktikern, nicht jede Handlung und Entscheidung ihres spirituellen Lehrers als göttlich und nobel anzusehen. In allen buddhistischen Lehren gibt es klar definierte Vorgaben und einen eindeutigen Verhaltenskodex, an den sich ein spirituellen Mentor halten muss. Wenn man als spiritueller Lehrer falsche Handlungen begeht und sich in nicht angemessener Weise verhält, ist der Student oder Schüler berechtigt, dieses Verhalten zu hinterfragen und zu kritisieren.
Wenn man als spiritueller Lehrer falsche Handlungen begeht und sich in nicht angemessener Weise verhält, ist der Student oder Schüler berechtigt, dieses Verhalten zu hinterfragen und zu kritisieren. Der Guru, der geistige Lehrer, ist für sein oder ihr falsches Benehmen verantwortlich. Es liegt in der Verantwortung des Schülers, sich nicht in die fehlerhaften Handlungen, die der Lehrer begeht, mit hineinziehen zu lassen. Denn letztlich werden beide dafür schuldig gesprochen. In den meisten Fällen ist der Schüler zu obrigkeitshörig und zu gehorsam, weil er sich dem spirituellen Lehrer auf unangemessene Weise hingegeben hat. Es ist nicht richtig, die Führung durch eine andere Person blind zu akzeptieren. In allen Fällen beschädigt und verdirbt eine solche Haltung die Integrität des Schülers. Teil der Schuld liegt am spirituellen Meister, wenn es ihm selbst an Integrität mangelt, um gegenüber dieser Schwäche des Schülers immun zu sein. Dalai Lama XIV. (Tenzin Gyatso) [Tanchu Dhondup] [BW 570] (*1935) tibetischer Mönch, geistliches Oberhaupt des tibetischen Buddhismus, Linienhalter der Gelug-Schule, Friedensnobelpreisträger, 1989, Quelle unbekannt

Glaubt nicht an das, was ihr gehört habt; glaubt nicht an Traditionen, nur weil sie über viele Generationen hinweg überliefert worden sind;
glaubt nichts, weil es als Gerücht kursiert oder weil viele darüber sprechen;
glaubt nichts nur deshalb, weil es angeblich durch irgendeine schriftliche Äußerung eines alten Weisen bestätigt wird;
glaubt nicht an Mutmaßungen;
glaubt nicht nur an die Autorität eurer Lehrer und Ältesten.
Wenn eure eigenen Beobachtungen und eure Analyse mit den logischen Erwägungen des Verstandes übereinstimmen und das Geprüfte das Wohl aller fördert, erst dann akzeptiert es und lebt dem entsprechend. Gautama Buddha [BW 1000] (563-483 v. Chr.) indischer Avatar, Lehrer der Erleuchtung, Zentralfigur des Buddhismus, Kalama Sutta

Ein guter Meister mag tatsächlich vollkommen erleuchtet und seines göttlichen Wesens gewahr sein, doch ist er außerdem auch menschlich. Selbst von Christus heißt es, er sei ein Mensch (Jesus) mit zwei Naturen gewesen: einer menschlichen und einer göttlichen. Außerdem bedeutet die Tatsache, dass die Seele und der höhere Geist eines Guru einer strengen Schulung unterzogen wurde, nicht, dass auch sein Körper und sein gewöhnlicher Geist vollkommen ausgebildet sind. [...] Der vollkommene Meister kann erst dann Perfektion im weltlichen Sinne manifestieren, wenn die Menschheit als Ganzes, in der er verwurzelt ist – ja, im Grunde, wenn jegliche Manifestation – sich zu ihrem eigenen höchsten und vollkommenen Zustand empor entwickelt hat. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt bezieht sich seine Vollkommenheit nur auf das transzendentale Bewusstsein, nicht auf die konkrete Manifestation. Deshalb sollte man sich vor einem im Konkreten "vollkommenen Meister" tunlichst hüten. ⚡ Ken Wilber [BW 490] (*1949) US-amerikanischer Philosoph, Vordenker des 3. Jtds., transpersonaler Bewusstseinsforscher, Entwickler der Integralen Theorie, Autor, Meister, Gurus, Menschenfänger. Über die Integrität spiritueller Wege, Frankfurt, Verlag Krüger, 1995

Autoritär geprägte Hingabe-Unterwerfung in Kultstrukturen

Im Zentrum der traditionellen Guru-SchülerIn-Beziehung liegt die Hingabe, die in unterschiedlichem Maße Teil jeder autoritären Struktur ist. Im Idealfall unterwerfen sich die SchülerInnen vollkommen dem Willen des Gurus. Das versetzt Gurus in die Lage, extrem autoritäre Macht über ihre Gefolgschaft auszuüben. Joel Kramer (*1937), Diana Alstad, US-amerikanisches Autorenehepaar, Masken der Macht.Die Guru Papers [Frog / North Atlantic Books, 1993], S. 92, Verlag Zweitausendeins, 1995

Es gibt viele meisterhafte, ganzheitsorientierte, wunderbare, integere Lehrer [in der Welt] da draußen.
Und es gibt viele unvollkommene, nicht so gradlinig-ehrliche Scharlatane. Sie lassen lediglich die Weisheit von anderen Menschen wieder aufleben und verpacken sie auf raffiniertere Weise neu. Sie brauchen dich tatsächlich, um an sie zu glauben. Man muss ihnen tatsächlich glauben. Sie brauchen dich, um zu denken, dass ihre sieben Schritte DIE sieben Schritte seien.
Einer der Indikatoren für einen echten Lehrer ist, dass er keineswegs darauf aus ist, dass du seine Produkte kaufst, weder buchstäblich noch im übertragenen Sinn. Sie sind cool. Du glaubst, was du glauben willst. Sie schreiben nur ihre Weisheit nieder, ohne auf deine Kaufwilligkeit angewiesen zu sein. […]
Der "hervorragende Lehrer" wird dich bis zu einem gewissen Grad retten, er wird dir Heilung bringen und Antworten geben. Wir müssen uns unterstützen, wir brauchen einen Stamm. Es gibt viele verschiedene Arten von Antworten, aber NIEMAND hat das Heilmittel für dich. Audiointerview with Danielle LaPorte (*1969) kanadische Unternehmerin, inspirierende Sprecherin, Bloggerin, Autorin, Danielle LaPorte – You Are Your Own Guru, präsentiert von ManTalks, Gastgeber Connor Beaton, YouTube Film, Minute 20:04, 51:43 Minuten Dauer, eingestellt 19. Juni 2017

Personenkult

Personenkult bezeichnet die übergebührliche Verehrung und Glorifizierung einer in der Regel noch lebenden Person, die eine – behauptete oder tatsächliche – Vorbildfunktion hat. Definition von de.Wikipedia

Referenz: de.Wikiquote-Eintrag ► Sekte

Definition von Sekte (Kult)

Hansjörg Hemminger definiert eine Sekte folgendermaßen:

Von einer Sekte kann man jedoch erst sprechen, wenn eine Gruppe eine geschlossene soziale Struktur aufweist. Sektierertum ist ein soziales Phänomen, nicht eine Eigenschaft von Individuen – obwohl es eine sektiererische Mentalität bei Einzelpersonen gibt. Ohne soziale Organisationsform wird die sektiererische Mentalität jedoch zur Enge, Rechthaberei und Verbissenheit – die es nicht nur bei Sekten gibt. Sozial organisiert und als Gruppennorm führen diese Eigenschaften jedoch zu den sozialwissenschaftlichen "Sektenmerkmalen":
☛ Monopolanspruch auf die Wahrheit gegenüber anderen Gemeinschaften der gleichen Tradition
☛ Monopolanspruch auf Rettung, Erlösung oder Heil
☛ Größenideen, irreale Machbarkeitsvorstellungen und überwertige Ideen
☛ Schwarz-Weiß-Struktur des Denkens
☛ Starre Geschlossenheit nach außen hin, ungewöhnliche Gruppenkohäsion
☛ Unterschied zwischen "innerer Wahrheit" und Außendarstellung (doppelseitige 'Wahrheit')
☛ Totalitäre Innenstruktur der Gruppe mit "steiler" Hierarchie
☛ Starker Zugriff der Führung auf die Gestaltung des Alltags bei den Anhängern
☛ Personenkult um die Zentralgestalt der Gruppe
☛ Innere Überwachungs- oder Spitzelsysteme, geheimdienstähnliche Methoden
☛ Starkes Elite- und Sendungsbewusstsein der Gruppe
☛ Selbstidealisierung und Dämonisierung anderer
☛ Finanzielle, berufliche und familiäre Abhängigkeit der Anhänger von der Gruppe bzw. der Führung

Gruppen, die mehrere oder viele dieser Merkmale aufweisen, gelten heute umgangssprachlich als Sekten.

Quelle: ► Ausarbeitung von Hansjörg Hemminger, Was ist eine Sekte PDF,
präsentiert von der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (EKD), undatiert

Siehe auch: ► Wahre Lehre und ► Bewusstseinskontrolle

Quotes by various other sources – Cult structures

Personal avowals

Usual pattern of disgraced gurus

I have witnessed […] fallen spiritual leaders be publicly exposed, subsequently disappear, and invariably pop up in a new location several years later only to repeat the same pathological patterns that led to their downfall the first time around. The taste of power often seems to be so inebriating and irresistible that offenders are doomed to repeat their history again and again. Article What Happens When Your Guru Disappears?, presented by Eliezer Sobel (*1956) US American publisher, editor, journalist-blogger, author, 27. March 2015

Traps on the recovery from cultic indoctrination

Cult indoctrination takes time. The mind is not manipulated and programmed overnight. The same is true for the recovery process. A newly awakened person may understand that they were being taught lies as truth, but rarely do they recognize how their very thought and emotional processes have been changed and shaped by the cult group. It's very common to come out of a cult with a strict black and white way of thinking. This "us vs. them" mindset, taught by cult leaders, tells us that there is only one right answer and one right way of doing things. Added to that, many ex-members exhibit an obsessive way of focusing. They feel an ingrained sense of urgency to work against the cult and ignore the "normal" world. This is especially true for those, who like me, were taught the ideology that Armageddon is to take place at any moment. Instead of managing multiple aspects of life, (education, job, family, relationships, hobbies) it is easy for a person to fixate on their activism to the detriment of themselves and their loved ones. Sadly, these tendencies can be a hindrance to true recovery. Blog article Heal Yourself first, then Help Others, presented by Steven Hassan's Blog, Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, 31. March 2016

Appeal

Male leaders committing sexual abuse to minors or women of lower ranks

It is very important to recognize that men in leadership positions can sexually prey on vulnerable girls and women because the people who honor their leadership, also create the space and give them to power to do so! […]
We are each responsible for the injustices of the men we place on pedestals! And we are each accountable. Blog article Gandhi to Asaram: Who Empowers the Sex Crimes of 'Gurus?'', presented by Genderbytes, Rita Banerji, Indian philosopher, photographer, gender activist, feminist author, 4. September 2013

Research conclusions

⚑ No one ever joins a "cult." People join interesting groups that promise to fulfill their pressing needs. They become "cults" when they are seen as deceptive, defective, dangerous, or as opposing basic values of their society.

⚑ Cults represent each society's "default values," filling in its missing functions. The cult epidemic is diagnostic of where and how society is failing its citizens.

⚑ If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. As basic human values are being strained, distorted and lost in our rapidly evolving culture, illusions and promissory notes are too readily believed and bought – without reality validation or credit checks.

⚑ Whatever any member of a cult has done, you and I could be recruited or seduced into doing – under the right or wrong conditions. The majority of "normal, average, intelligent" individuals can be led to engage in immoral, illegal, irrational, aggressive and self destructive actions that are contrary to their values or personality – when manipulated situational conditions exert their power over individual dispositions.

⚑ Cult methods of recruiting, indoctrinating and influencing their members are not exotic forms of mind control, but only more intensely applied mundane tactics of social influence practiced daily by all compliance professionals and societal agents of influence.
Article by Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D. (*1933) US American professor emeritus of social psychology, Stanford University, author, What messages are behind today's cults?, presented by the magazine Monitor on Psychologypublished by the US American American Psychological Association (APA), May 1997

Insights

Devotee abuse

What's going on is much more than people sleeping around and misusing funds or whatever. It is abuse of someone in their most defenseless than a devotee rapt in adoration before a master. So what kind of wisdom could they possibly have if they are first indulging in that kind of abuse and then denying it in sometimes criminal ways? We really do have to face the full extent of their failure, and that is very painful, because we then have to face our illusions about them and the ways in which we colluded with them in our hope for magical solutions and transformations on the cheap. Interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Teachers and Seekers: An Interview with Andrew Harvey, presented by the US American media company Yoga Journal, Catherine Ingram, issue 123, S. 60, July/August 1995

Stained glass depiction of Joseph Smith's First Vision.
He claimed that a heavenly being told him that all
churches of his day were corrupt and abominable.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason
and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

Buddha [LoC 1000] (563-483 BC) Indian Avatar, teacher of enlightenment, central figure of Buddhism, Kalama Sutta, The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

If one has a teacher who is not qualified, who is engaging in unsuitable or wrong behavior, then it is appropriate for the student to criticize that behavior. H.H. 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso [LoC 570] (*1935) Tibetan monk, leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Peace Nobel Prize laureate, 1989; cited in: Face to Face. Confronting the Guru-Disciple Relationship, presented by the US American quarterly magazine Gnosis, Ihla F. Nation, spring 1996

The standard definition for cult¹ is, "A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object." In this context, almost anything can be taken as a cult, particularly if we define religion as Paul Tillich has as "anything for which we have ultimate concern."
My own view is that every religion or ism can be regarded as potentially cultic, if we use the pejorative usage of that term. Even a sport like surfing can have a cult-like following or a charismatic leader in politics can be seen as cultic. It all depends on how we are using the term. Blog article Studying Cults. A Forty-Year Reflection, presented by integralworld.net, David Christopher Lane, Ph.D. (*1956) US American professor of philosophy and sociology, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, lecturer in religious studies, author, May 2017

⚡ Quotes by former (family) members of the Unification Church (S. M. Moon)

Cult of personality

A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and, at times god-like public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Definition by en.Wikipedia

Personal testimonies of prominent cult dropouts of the Unification Church

Donna Collins' closeness to the Moon family, allowed her to witness a "frightening, totalitarian" atmosphere with them.
She acknowledged "the tremendous discrepancy between the Moon family and the top hierarchy with money."
Her conclusion: Unificationism is wrong.

Moonies – glassy-eyed mindless robotic fundraisers
In 1981 the UK Daily Mail newspaper described the members of the Unification Church, led by Korean totalitarian cult leader Sun Myung Moon [LoC 515⇒160] (1920-2012) as "robots, glassy-eyed and mindless, programmed as soldiers in this vast fund-raising army with no goals or ideals, except as followers of the half-baked ravings of Moon, who lived in splendor while followers lived in forced penury."
The longest unsuccessful libel suit in British legal history against the newspaper cost the plaintiff Unification Church, then represented by Dennis Orme, more than 1$ million in court costs.²

Donna Orme-Collins was the first "Blessed Child" of the Unification Church in the West. Her parents, Doris and Dennis Orme (*1938) founded and directed the Unification Church (UC) in England in the 70ties and helped launch Moon's print media endeavors in the United States in the 80ties.

My mother [Doris Waldner married Orme, 1969] had a spiritual conversion, which to her was real. She thought this was the answer. They were going to change the world and save humanity. There was an idealism in the organization then that isn't there today. All races are one. All religions are one. These are noble things. It's not like they were joining the KKK.
When I [the first "blessed" Western child] was born, my dad was surprised I was crying at all. I was supposed to be perfect – born without sin.

My parents never saw me, and I was always being handed off to other people. They'd take me out of the closet for meetings, or for holidays.

Moon [LoC 515⇒160] said I must learn the language of the fatherland [Korea] and the spirit world, and fulfill my role as the first blessed child [in the West].

I pleaded with my father not to send me back [to Korea a 2nd time], but Moon told him something bad would happen to me if I didn't go. They took me back to the airport screaming.

Cognitive dissonance, elitism and regular swearing among the "True Family".

He [Moon] and his kids didn't live by the teachings. His sons would come in and swear all the time. They were having steaks flown in from America. I'd been eating rice and kimchee for three years and getting serious dysentery. It was a joke. I started asking myself, 'What is godly about all this?'

At age 13 rebel child Donna was called in for an humiliation audience with Sun Myung Moon.

He got livid that somebody would have the nerve to question him and screamed at me for 30 minutes. I was bawling and shaking uncontrollably. Then he'd hold my hand, and say, 'I am your parent. One day, you will be a great woman for God.' I calmed down and said, 'Thank you. Thank you.' And then I'd write in my diary about how great it was to be with the True Father.

At age 15 Donna Collins went to her first public school, a highschool in Washington D.C..

I started to date and live a double life. I was just being an ordinary person, but I had to make up all these lies when people would ask what my dad did for a living, or why I lived in Korea and was named Young Oon.

After leaving the UC at age 22 Donna Collins reaches her parents.

I'd challenge them [my parents], asking, 'Why does he own all these villas and chateaus around the world and there are members of the church who don't have enough to eat, and need medical care?'

After separating themselves from Moon, Dennis and Doris Orme, who had worked for over three decades in and on behalf the UC, were impoverished senior citizens.

Assisted by New York lawyer AFF (later ICSA66) president Herbert Rosedale the Ormes threatened to sue the US for neglect of availing retirement funds. Moon paid an out of court cash settlement for silence to the Ormes. Since then they moved to Australia into a hideout.

They were left destitute for a while. They were used. A lot of people joined the church because they met people like my parents. Most members never meet Moon. But my parents were very charismatic. They laid the foundation for his church.

My dad now believes Moon is the Son of Perdition – the Antichrist.

My parents still think the nuclear family is weird. To them, it's insignificant. After living on this roller coaster for so long, trying to save the planet every day of their lives, it's not that exciting to just live and be human.

Source:
► Interview with Donna Orme-Collins (*1970) English-American ex-member of the UC, author,
Life as Moonchild Far From Blessed, presented by the Californian newspaper San
Francisco Chronicle, Phoenix, Don Lattin, 11. February 2001
See also:
► Article Growing Up With The Moonies Good Housekeeping, by Donna Collins, as told to William Falk, December 1999
► Article by James A. Beverley, Unification Church: Inside Moon's Unhappy Family Church founder's ex-daughter-in-law pens
grim tome about life on the inside, New York, 16. November 1998
► Article The True Family's Real Values, presented by the publication Spirit Watch, Rafael Martinez, US American director
of "Spiritwatch Ministries", undated

In 1995, Nansook Hong, the wife of Moon's eldest son and heir-apparent, Hyo Jin Moon, escaped from the Moon family estate in Irvington. Her husband was an adulterer, an alcoholic, a cocaine addict, who regularly abused and beat his wife. The crown prince grew up spoiled and neglected in the dysfunctional Moon family which is divided by intrigue and hypocrisy.

Following her meticulously planned flight from the UC the church launched a hostile ill-advised campaign against Ms. Hong.
After her divorce from Hyo Jin Moon the former "true" daughter-in-law received a settlement of $600.000 and $9,000 per month [possibly $150,000+ a year] as child support for raising her five children from the UC.
In September 1998 Ms. Hong's autobiography In the Shadow of the Moons. My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family was published by Little, Brown & Company.
See also a list of quotes from Nansook Hong's book: The Dysfunctional Messiah?, presented by the Cult Education Institute rickross.com, date unknown

Coercive brainwashing ⇔ conditioning

Much has been written about the coercion and brainwashing that takes place in the Unification Church. What I experienced was conditioning. You are isolated among like-minded people. You are bombarded with messages elevating obedience above critical thinking. Your belief system is reinforced at every turn. You become invested in those beliefs the longer you are associated with the church. After ten years, after twenty years, who would want to admit, even to herself, that her beliefs were built on sand? Nansook Hong (*1966) Korean-American divorced wife of Hyo Jin Moon (†2008) eldest abusive and addicted son of cult leader Sun Myung Moon, author, In the Shadow of the Moons. My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, autobiography, Little, Brown & Company, September 1998

I feel that I was duped. I had certainly the naive idealism that I wanted to work for God. […] I did come to the conclusion that Rev. Moon cannot be the messiah. He is a conman. Nansook Hong (*1966) Korean-American divorced wife of Hyo Jin Moon (†2008) eldest abusive and addicted son of cult leader Sun Myung Moon, Real Reverend_Sun_Myung Moon and Real Unification church... , presented by the US American WBZ-TV News 4, aired ~1998, YouTube film, minute 26:04, 27:15 minutes duration, posted 22. November 2011

I felt a certain sense of obligation to the members who have no idea what these people are like and they give and dedication their lives to these people [the Moons]. In writing this book [In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, 1998] I had to reflect from the very beginning what my life was and what my past was. And it was therapeutic.³ Nansook Hong (*1966) Korean-American divorced wife of Hyo Jin Moon (†2008) eldest abusive and addicted son of cult leader Sun Myung Moon, The Shadow of the Moons, presented by the Book TV booktv.org, produced by the US American cable television network C-SPAN, aired 23. September 1998, 29:05 minutes duration, posted 7. November 1998

Various customer reviews on Nansook Hong's inside account posted on Amazon.uk and Amazon.com:

Nansook Hong's autobiography In the Shadow of the Moons. My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, 1998

Group denial

[T]he book makes public many issues which a number of Unification Church members have struggled with in private for a long time. As such, it forces these problems to the surface where there is an opportunity for them to be addressed and resolved. 5 September 1998

Blind devotion in a personality cult

This is not a typical case of spousal abuse; it is what happens when followers of a religion practice blind devotion and worship a man instead of God. 5 September 1998

Passion and courage to reveal the truth

Never before has someone so high up in the Moonies had the passion, courage and spirit of generosity to reveal the truth. Perhaps only former members and those familiar with cults will comprehend the magnitude of this achievement. 22 September 1998

Civic courage is rarely seen in cults.

Some may view her as a greedy, vengeful woman, looking for some means to get back at the Moons for their terrible abuse, but as an insider, I say bravo for her courage, something so many ex-members have not been able to muster. 28 September 1998

Former member facing the awful truth

I have been a Unification Church member for many years, and reading Nansook's book has been a devastating experience for me. Through the spiritual pain that I now feel, I believe what Nansook has written. We must always face the truth, if we are ever going to have any kind of a really decent life. By writing her book, Nansook has given a gift of much needed truth to everyone. Robert Oliver "Rob", Salt Lake City, Utah, 30. August 1999 and UK, 24 September 1999

Message of the autobiography 100% onfirmed by a witness exposed to the inner circle

I've been a victum of Moon's organization for approximately 15 years. Throughout my years in his church I was repeatedly abused, reprimanded, punished and coerced to live the way they wanted. I have been a member here in New York City since the beginning, and have witnessed it all. I've worked with and around the so called sinless "true family". I know first hand how the church spin doctors go around covering up all the sins of the true family. I still have not been able to leave the church officially due to the prospect of losing my family. […] I personally vouch and testify that all of the issues covered in this book are 100% true. NoStrOdoMouS, New York City, New York, 22. July 2001

Denial and fear to speak out

This is the sort of thing that is kept even from members of the church, the closer you get to Moon, the more things are discovered. I think people are aware of what is said in this book are afraid to speak or there are those who have absolutely no idea because they 'refuse' to accept it, or call it lies. 5 December 2008

Dream guidance to the messiah Moon

In a dream, I was told, I would meet the Messiah on October 6, 1981 and was told in the dream to go out and look for it. […] I met the Unification Church missionary [...] on October 6, 1981, exactly the very day I was told in the dream! 3 September 2012

"Hardcore" devotist thoroughly disillusioned

I myself was very devout and was often called "hardcore" by other children in the church, but as I got older I became disillusioned with what I was seeing in the group. It's a shame that I didn't read this book a decade ago. I would have been spared a lot of grief. 21. September 2011

Moon and Hak Ja Han

I needed to read through Moon's speaches again, because I had been in trance while he was lecturing for hours and hours and hours. And as a leader I had these non-edited transcriptions of his speeches. And I needed to see how crazy he was. And part of my healing – and partially because I was a leader and I did feel guilt and shame over things that I had done, that I had helped this cult leader to get a foothold in the United States – I felt this need to help others to get out. It was something my father was very upset about and begged me, "Leave it go. Move on." And I said, "Dad, these are people I know and I want to help." And I realized my parents were traumatized by my involvement in the group. They wanted the nightmare to be over. Just knowing that there was danger, because I was speaking up against this billion dollar group, this horrible group. But I had to face my authentic self and my conscience. […] It was very therapeutic for me to help others to get out as I was meeting with Moonies and hearing them parrot the exact same sentences that I had parroted. […] I naively thought that I could get rid of the Moonies in 2.5 years. Video presentation by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steven Hassan's talk on Helping Individuals Born in High-Demand Groups and Cults, sponsored by ICSA Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 25.-27. June 2015, presented by the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, minute 1:17:43, 1:20:19 duration, posted 11. July 2015

Data on cult leader Sun Myung Moon

► NOTE: Moon publicly declared himself to be the Messiah at the opening session of the Assembly of World Religions held in San Francisco, CA in 1992.
► NOTE: The Reverend Moon's hubris culminated later that year [1985] in a secret ceremony in which he actually crowned himself and Hak Ja Han Moon as Emperor and Empress of the Universe. The Reverend Moon was aware enough of how an act of such monumental egotism would be received by the world that he banned photographs from being taken at the actual ceremony. Since there was no authority higher than the Reverend Moon, the Messiah had to crown himself Emperor of the Universe. Nansook Hong's autobiography In the Shadow of the Moons. My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, 1998
► NOTE: Moon blamed the apparent dysfunctionality of his "true" and "sinless" family to the lack of "blood, sweat and tears" of his followers who failed to meet the backbreaking daily fundraising quota requested of them by him.
► OBITUARY: The Rev Sun Myung Moon obituary. Korean founder of the Unification church – the Moonies, presented by the British daily newspaper The Guardian, Christopher Reed, 2. September 2012

Moon's outrageous claims:

Jesus begged him to complete his mission on Earth. Moon crowned Jesus "Lord of Heaven." Moses, Abraham, Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Mohammed gave him messages. The Founding Fathers of America endorse his ideology.

Jesus then begged "Rev." Moon to complete his mission on Earth and Moon accepted. Moon then did Jesus a big favor and married him to some old Korean hag on the astral plane and God finally allowed Jesus into paradise and Moon crowned him "Lord of Heaven."
Alas, Jesus' new position was to be short lived as soon one of Moon's teenage sons was killed in a car accident so Moon stripped Jesus of his lofty new title and crowned his 17 year old son the new "Lord of Heaven" instead. I'm not sure what Moon has Jesus doing now, sweeping floors? […]
Moon is that nutty. He claims that many of the Founding Fathers and other past presidents totally support him. Now how in the world can we fact check any of his claims? San Diego, California, 5. September 2011

95% of the UC members in the United States have left the enslaving corporation.

Nansook ought to be viewed as a heroine for the courage she displayed exposing the Moon's for the fraud that they are. It ought to be pointed out that 95% of the individuals who joined the Unification Church in America over the last 30 years are no longer affiliated. Most members leave and persue other avenues in life. No one is joining today and the Church is an empty shell in comparison to days past. 7. September 1998

Apologist missive on behalf of cult leader S.M. Moon and UC members in programmed denial

I feel Miss Hong does a disservice to Rev. Moon and to the legions of conscientious people who at one time or another have found meaning in his words. He is not a fraud or a con-man, and I believe Miss Hong knows this. He may not be the messiah; he may well be deluded and suffering from a messiah complex. But anyone who has witnessed his incredible work ethic, his marathon prayer sessions or his interminable lectures (still going strong at 78) must know he believes in his mission. 28 September 1998

Moon's corporation is taking advantage of idealistic youth.

Mr. Moon and his minions took full advantage of the idealism and youthful energy of the young people they targeted for their movement – who were fundraising fodder for a fake Messiah.
Hong's book is an excellent expose of this deeply flawed cult and its leaders. Harlan Simantel, Portland, Oregon, 14 October 1998

In 1993, at age 37, Ye Jin Moon (*1960), the oldest Korean-American daughter of Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012), split from the "True Family".
In 1996, at age 29, Moon's third daughter Un Jin Moon (*1967) parted from the Moon clan. She married another man, leaving her Moon-assigned abusive husband behind. As a result she had been declared spiritually dead to church members.⁴
Estranged from her parents, she told the US American television program 60 Minutes that she knew Moon had at least one illegitimate son. When she disclosed to her "true" misogynistic parents that her husband beat her, they responded that she deserved it. The same happened to her sister-in-law Nansook Hong.

Suddenly, the blinders came off. I could see how strange life inside the movement was – the things we did, the way we thought. When you begin to break free from that kind of brainwashing, it's almost like an out-of-body experience. Samuel Park (*1966) Korean US American illegitimate and unacknowledged son of Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012), cited in: ''EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Love Child Rev. Sun Myung Moon Desperately Tried to Hide How the family values crusader made the publisher of the Washington Times raise his secret son.', presented by the progressive US American magazine Mother Jones, Mariah Blake, 9. December 2013

Source: ► Blog article Reverend Moon: Cult leader, CIA asset, and Bush family friend is dead, presented by the blogspot Free Press,
Bob Fitrakis, 4. September 2012
"The man accused of being the biggest brainwasher in America has moved into mainstream Republican Americana."
Anson Shupe, Ph.D., professor of sociology, Purdue University, long-time Moon-watcher

⚡ Quotes by former Buddhist nun June Campbell

Personal testimony of a former Tibetan Buddhist nun

See Campbell's book:

Traveller in Space. Gender, Identity and Tibetan Buddhism, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1996, revised edition May 2002

I spent 11 years without talking about it and then, when I had decided to write about it, another seven years researching. […] Once I started unravelling my experiences, I began to question everything. I realised that in order to be myself I had to leave it all – completely and utterly. […]
I wanted to weave together my personal experience with a more theoretical understanding of the role of women in Tibetan society to help me make sense of what had happened to me.
[After publishing] I was reviled as a liar or a demon. In that world [of Tibetan Buddhism] he [tulku Kalu Rinpoche] was a saintly figure. It was like claiming that Mother Teresa was involved in making porn movies. June Campbell (*~1945) Scottish religious scholar, academic feminist, Kagyu nun and personal translator of the Tibetan Lama Kalu Rinpoche (70ties), public lecture, sponsored by nonsectarian College for Buddhist Studies, Sharpham, Devon, beginning February 1999, cited in: I Was A Tantric Sex Slave, presented by the centre-left British online newspaper The Independent, Paul Vallely, 10. February 1999

Questioning the concept of enlightenment, traumatized former Kagyu nun Campbell waited 18 years before she revealed her experiences as a tantric sex slave of Kalu Rinpoche within the misogynous Tibetan monasticism.

Recommendations

June Campbell

Don't agree to a long-term secret relationship; it's a burden you'll have to carry all your life, and in the end you'll have to be true to yourself and face up to why you entered into it. If you're afraid of what might happen next, or how you'll deal with the stresses of secrecy, try to take control of your life again. If you're being passive and compliant because he's your teacher, do as I did eventually:
➤ think for yourself, take action, and end it.

Never allow part of yourself to be hidden away under threats of "bad karma" or anything else. The truth never made "bad karma." If you need to, look for supportive people to help you. If you've started to feel that in some way you're special, that maybe you've been chosen to fulfill some kind of destiny, well, think again. These kinds of thoughts won't help you to become strong in yourself. They may seem to explain things now, but they'll only hold you back in the long run. Interview with June Campbell (*1945) Scottish religious scholar, academic feminist, Kagyu nun and personal translator of the Tibetan Lama Kalu Rinpoche (70ties), The Emperor's Tantric Robes, presented by the US American quarterly magazine Tricycle. The Buddhist Review, winter issue 1996

Insights gained from a secretive tantric enslavement by high Tibetan lama Kalu Rinpoche

June Campbell, the enforced sex consort of celibatary monk Kalu Rinpoche for several years, first risked publishing about her experiences with him after his death.

The imposition of secrecy [...] in the Tibetan system, when it occurred solely as a means to protect status, and where it was reinforced by threats, was a powerful weapon in keeping women from achieving any kind of integrity in themselves, for it seems clear that the fundamental and ancient principles of Tantric sex – the meeting together of two autonomous individuals as partners for sexual relations to promote spirituality – was tainted by the power wielded by one partner over the other. So whilst the lineage system [the gurus’ chain of initiation] viewed these [sexual] activities as promoting the enlightenment state of the lineage holders, the fate of one of the two main protagonists, the female consort, remained unrecognized, unspoken and unnamed. […] [T]his imposed hidden role meant that, within the Tibetan monastic system which dominated the Vajrayana, for other women practitioners, there were no overt role models and no open system of exchange between women. June Campbell (*~1945) Scottish religious scholar, academic feminist, Kagyu nun and personal translator of the Tibetan Lama Kalu Rinpoche (70ties), Traveller in Space. Gender, Identity and Tibetan Buddhism, chapter 6 At One with the Secret Other, S. 103, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1996, revised edition May 2002

The concept of the guru's perfection alongside what is perceived to be dubious behavior

One understanding of the "enlightened guru" is that everything about his behavior, no matter how strange or morally wrong, is a manifestation of enlightenment.
That view may have been sustainable in Tibetan society – even promoted – but I think it's certain that Western society will be unable to sustain it. It's my view that if people resist looking at this question, certain groups will become more and more insular in Western society, in an attempt to protect themselves from challenge and to avoid change. They'll
➤ never go beyond a simplistic view of the guru as perfect,
➤ and the gurus themselves will never go beyond wielding complete power and being adored.
To my mind this kind of insularity would either hasten the demise of the whole system, or create closed, cult-like groups that have no influence on society at all. [...]
[T]he Tibetan system's not unique in there being a link between power, religion, and gender. And it's not the first system in the world to face change or be challenged. [...] [I]n essence we have the same problems in the West to do with abuses of power. Interview with June Campbell (*~1945) Scottish religious scholar, academic feminist, Kagyu nun and personal translator of the Tibetan Lama Kalu Rinpoche (70ties), The Emperor's Tantric Robes, presented by the US American quarterly magazine Tricycle. The Buddhist Review, winter issue 1996

⚡ Critical quotes on guru systems – Andrew Harvey

Personal avowals

I've come to believe that most of the masters and gurus are actually the patriarchy's most brilliant way of keeping these always – revolutionary truths of divine identity and equality under wraps. The last thing the patriarchal societies have ever wanted was for women or homosexuals or the untouchables or the poor to get hold of these truths, because then all power elites would crumble. And unfortunately the guru systems have nearly always been indirect servants of power [force]. Interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Teachers and Seekers: An Interview with Andrew Harvey, presented by the US American media company Yoga Journal, Catherine Ingram, issue 123, S. 59, July/August 1995

Harvey who had promoted his colleague, the controversial serial sexual offender and "spiritual teacher" ⚡ Marc Gafni (*1960) discovered and made known that he had supported yet another fraud during his career as a teacher.

One of these emails [to me] said, "Look, I am challenging you to do your due diligence and really to talk to a group of the women who (have claimed to) have experienced abuse of a very serious spiritual and sometimes physical kind from Marc Gafni. […]
I dillidallied for several weeks and then I plucked up my courage and I had a series of conversations with several women who knew Marc and suffered greatly, it seems, at his hands. I have to tell you that those hours of listening were the most painful and devastating of my life, because I heard stories of the most frightening kind of mind control and the most comprehensive kind of occult and physical abuse alleged by these women. But so clearly witnessed and testified to by these very brave women who spoke to me that I could no longer hide in my own skepticism and I had to come to a choice and I had to make that choice […] from what I heard. […] I am asking all of you to do due diligence and to read what you are able to find on the web, if you look. Why I am lending my voice is for a larger reason than unmasking potentially Marc Gafni. […] There is a pathological inability in the New Age [i.e. Integral movement] to even begin discussing the nature of what you could call evil, the vast destructive forces of darkness in a) human nature and b) the cosmos." Audio podcast by Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Reflections on the Marc Gafni Situation, minute 2:24, presented by The Shift Network Blog, posted 31. December 2015, reposted by themarcgafniinquiry.com, 25. April 2016
Note: Original link deleted

Caveat
Harvey was a promoting author for Mother Meera and co-author with Sogyal Rinpoche before he discovered their frauds in 1994.

It is my belief that 90 percent of the so-called masters in the modern world are not enlightened at all but are in fact occult magicians. The occult magician will use his or her occult powers to ensnare the devotee in a posture of adoration by feeding them visionary experiences, which may seem to open things up for the devotee but actually keeps one dependent on the guru. It's a kind of drug pushing as dangerous on the spiritual level as cocaine or heroin is on the physical. Because people don't know the difference between the divine and the occult, nor how accurately the occult can mimic the divine, nor how easily occult powers can be cultivated by the unscrupulous and ambitious. They take these powers and experiences to be unmistakeable signs of divine presence and go on worshipping as divine these people who have, in fact, shown that they are neither good, nor kind, nor humble, nor generous. Interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Teachers and Seekers: An Interview with Andrew Harvey, presented by the US American media company Yoga Journal, Catherine Ingram, issue 123, S. 60, July/August 1995

Insights
True spiritual guides welcome constructive criticism.

I think that the true spiritual guide admits that he or she is still in process, that they are always aware of their own shadow and of the limitations of their upbringing, their cultural conditioning, their cultural religious views. The true spiritual guide never claims to be unified with the divine. The human being can merge with God but can never become God. […]
I have come to believe, too, that real spiritual guides welcome disagreement and doubt, for two reasons.
1. One is because those who are really awake know that they can learn from anyone, and
2. the other is that doubt is part of the necessary finding out of the secret hiding places of the false self.

Interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Teachers and Seekers: An Interview with Andrew Harvey, presented by the US American media company Yoga Journal, Catherine Ingram, issue 123, S. 62-63, July/August 1995

Harmful addiction to transcendence

[M]ost of the ancient traditions in their more obvious forms are addicted to transcendence, are addicted to a privileging of the light over the forms that are born out of the light. So [they] are fundamentally concerned with helping us get into radical connection with the light, with the danger of dropping relationships, the world, justice, our relationship with all other creatures, in the process. […] [T]his radical addiction to transcendence is a very great subtle temptation [that] most people on the Path do not avoid. […]
[A] marrying of the Divine Light consciousness with the mind and the heart and the body […] cannot be done without an immersion in the shadow [of the mystical traditions' addiction to transcendence, the body hatred, sexual shame, the collective defeat triggering denial, disbelief, disillusion] and a profound desire to our own personal shadow, [the traumas, the personal addiction to an addicted society]. So the descent of the light into the mind, the heart, and the body can only be accomplished by a surrender to this very difficult, very grueling process.
Audio interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Evolutionary Mysticism, MP3 Transcript, presented by the US American multimedia publishing company Sounds True, Insights at the Edge, host Tami Simon (*1963) US American founder and director of Sounds True, minute 36:18, 59:24 minutes duration, aired 22. June 2010

Future outlook on the guru systems

Though there are exceptions despite the system, I think the guru system, as it is now, is flawed at its core. Anyone in that system is going to run extreme dangers, whether they are the guru or the devotee. I think the next five years will see a massive shattering of the idols. What is now a light summer rain of scandal is going to become a blizzard. The guru system in its current state of dangerous corruption will be revealed. Interview with Andrew Harvey (*1952) Indian-British religious scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, teacher of mystic traditions, architect of Sacred Activism, poet, novelist, author, Teachers and Seekers: An Interview with Andrew Harvey, presented by the US American media company Yoga Journal, Catherine Ingram, issue 123, S. 61, July/August 1995

Further reference: ► Article Killing the Guru and Finding God: the Andrew Harvey Story,
presented by the blog patheos.com, Tom Rapsas, 23. September 2012

Englische Texte – English section on Cults

Six conditions to create a climate conducive to indoctrination

༺༻	Cultic psychopathologic conditioning
1.	Keep the person unaware that there is an agenda to control or change the person.
2.	Control time and physical environment (contacts, information).
3.	Create a sense of powerlessness, fear, and dependency.
4.	Suppress old behavior and attitudes.
5.	Instill new behavior and attitudes.
6.	Put forth a closed system of logic.

Source:
► Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. (1921-2003) US American adjunct professor of clinical psychology, University of California, Berkeley,
Cults in Our Midst. The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace, Jossey-Bass, September 1996, revised edition 11. April 2003
Focussing on family therapy, coercive persuasion, schizophrenia, brainwashing

Reference: en.Wikipedia entry ► Cults in Our Midst

Methods of seduction, manipulation and binding used by cults and psychopaths

༺༻	Enslaving operations applied by psychopaths, cultleaders and cults	Reference/s
1.	Deconstruct existing support and/or dependency systems and replace them with new support and dependency systems	Lifton, Singer, Schein, Galanter, Taylor relative to cults Carver, Rotter, Shaffer/LaPlante, Evans relative to family systems / interpersonal relationships
2.	Develop, reinforce, and then appeal to an un-admitted and denied sense of powerlessness, then helplessness, then hopelessness	Lifton, Schein, Hoffer, Singer, Taylor, Bandura, Seligman, Bowen, Golomb, Jackson, Branden, Carver, Rotter, Skinner, Watson, Lidz, Henry, Laing
3.	Love-bombing in the early stages followed by withdrawal thereof followed by increasing pressure to conform to get "love," followed by threat of abandonment over non-conformance	Singer, Taylor, Beattie, Cermak, Schaef, Rapson/English, Mellody
4.	Manipulate and trigger already established – and then enhanced – introjections of guilt, shame, worry, remorse, regret and anxiety	Lifton, Schein, Singer, Hoffer, Taylor, Tangney/Dearing, Jackson, Lidz, Bowen, Branden, Golomb, Henry, Laing
5.	Stimulus deprivation and/or amplification, rapid deep breathing (to induce hyperventilation), repetitive motion exercises, chanting, meditation, guided imagery and/or trance induction to create dissociation, de-realization, depersonalization and/or excitotoxic (nerve-damaging) anxiety	Singer, DeBellis, Cozolino, Gazzaniga, Heim/Nemeroff, Kaszniak, Panksepp (neurobiology)
6.	Sleep deprivation, diet control, restriction of urination and/or defecation ("re-potty training") to stress, break down the ego and infantilize	Lifton, Singer, Taylor
7.	Compel personal history examination, revision and group sharing to induce painful affects and peer-influenced appraisals thereof	Lifton, Schein, Singer, Hoffer, Taylor, Ross
8.	Group jargon to enhance in-group identification and out-group rejection, as well as to make it increasingly difficult for members to communicate effectively with outsiders	Schein, Singer, Hoffer, Taylor, Griffin/Moorhead, Kets de Vries (organizational dynamics)
9.	Peer pressure to conform to group norms, including group think and group jargon	Lifton, Schein, Singer, Galanter, Hoffer, Taylore, Griffin/Moorhead, Kets de Vries, Rokeach, Henry
10.	Employing the Karpman Drama Triangle dynamics: covert control as both rescue and subtle – or less subtle – persecution to victimize the lower-level recruits and induce compliance via the discomfort of subtle threat	Karpman, Beattie, Weinhold/Weinhold, Whitfield, Garrett
11.	Deception, debilitization, dependency and dread to weaken member's egos and increase compliance	Schein, Singer, Schore (affect regulation)
12.	Authoritarian, dominance and submission ploys, games and exercise to identify "proper" and accepted, sadomasochistic roles for leaders vs. followers	Lifton, Singer, Galanter, Taylor, Altemeyer, Baumrind, Benjamin, Sullivan, Rotter, Berne, Byrne, Bernstein, Carver, Golomb, Lidz, Henry, Laing/Esterson, Lifton, Peterson/Zurbriggen (non-cult interpersonal dynamics)
13.	Establishing ambiguities and conflicts to destabilize existing core beliefs, utilizing paradoxical injunctions, threat of harm or abandonment and other means to induce double binds	Bateson, Laing, Watzlawick et al.
14.	Inducing identity-diffused, ego-dis-integrated, borderline organization via compartmentalization of unconsciously opposing, compelled beliefs ("shoulds," "musts," "oughts," "have-to's") to support the mutually opposing fears of abuse and abandonment that make it impossible to resolve group-induced conflicts	Kernberg, Meissner, Masterson et al., Garrett
15.	Inducing anxious attachment to place member/victim in a state of learned helplessness⁵	Bowlby, Shaver/Mikulincer, Cassidy/Shaver Seligman, Schore, Mellody, Whitfield, Rapson/English
16.	Employing increasing and finally, absolute, control of information and communication among members/victims	Lifton, Schein, Singer, Hoffer, Galanter, Taylor
17.	Compelling regression on both the Piagetian and Eriksonian scales, from formal operational (dialectical) processing, autonomous identity and elective generativity to concrete operational (black and white, all or nothing, dichotomous/absolutistic) processing, infantile trust and lack of autonomy, respectively	Piaget, Erikson, Beck, Ellis, Meichenbaum, Schore, Rokeach
18.	Employing relentless loading of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system to set up the leader's ability to trigger the fight, flight, freak or freeze response to support learned helplessness whenever desired	Selye, Wolpe, Seligman

Ten most common spiritually transmitted diseases – Mariana Caplan

Listing ten cultic features

༺༻	Spiritual dysfunction	Symptoms – keywords
1.	Fast-food spirituality	Mix spirituality within a speed-driven culture, quick fix mentality, multitasking, instant gratification, belief that transformation and transcending the human condition can happen quick and easy
2.	Faux spirituality	Tendency to dress, talk, and act according to the cliché of spirituality, imitation and mimicing spiritual realization
3.	Confused motivations	The desire to grow genuinely and purely is interspersed with lesser motives: spiritual ambition, wish or need to be loved and belong, to be special, to be better than, to be chosen, to fill internal emptiness, to end one's suffering
4.	Identifying with spiritual experiences	The spiritual ego identifying with one's spiritual experiences and claiming one's spiritual path, pseudospirituality, false belief that one is embodying peak insights (lasting for longer periods), that one is enlightened and therefore apt to perform as a spiritual teacher
5.	Spiritualized ego	The "bullet-proof" egoic personality becomes deeply embedded with spiritual concepts; invulnerable to help, new learning, other perspectives, constructive feedback; impenetrable humans stunted in their spiritual growth
6.	Mass production of spiritual teachers	Trendy massproduced, marketeering spiritual traditions led by self-deluded people who deem themselves enlightened masters selling and teaching a quick fix method
7.	Spiritual pride	Longterm practitioners who have attained some wisdom justify their refusal to grow further, spiritual superiority: "I am better, more wise and above others because I am spiritual."
8.	Group mind	Groupthink, tribal-mindedness, cultic mentality, ashram disease, insidious virus with elements of co-dependence, subtle unwritten rules how to think, talk, dress, and act correctly, not conforming individuals, attitudes, and circumstances are being rejected
9.	Chosen-people complex	Belief in having found The One (who fits for All), that "Our group is more spiritually evolved, powerful, enlightened and better than any other group."
10.	Deadly virus "I Have Arrived"	Belief that one has reached the final goal of the path, ceasing of further spiritual progress

Source: ► Mariana Caplan, Ph.D., US American professor of yogic and transpersonal psychologies, psychotherapist, author, 10 Spiritually Transmitted Diseases, presented by the US American liberal-oriented online newspaper The Huffington Post, posted 15. June 2010, paraphrasing the author's book Eyes Wide Open. Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path, Sounds True, 1. October 2009

Cult scoring of self-help group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Disclosing Bill W. as a cult leader, womanizer, liar, swindler, and narcissist

Confirmed in article Bill Wilson. Little Known Facts About Bill W., presented by the publication alternatives-for-alcoholism, Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed., US American mental health professional, recovering alcoholic, 2007-2012

Bill Griffith Wilson [Bill W.] had already failed in business and in life, and he was already far less than perfect — he was an alcoholic, a fraud, a failed Wall Street hustler, a quack healer, a phony holy man, a felonious embezzler, a stock swindler, a madman, an evil cult leader, and a narcissistic pathological liar — so he didn't really need to keep on cheating on his wife Lois just to make the other A.A. members feel comfortable. Article by A. Orange, The Other Women, last updated 21. July 2013

⚡ Bill Griffith Wilson [Bill W.] and the 12 steps program Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)'''

༺༻	Cultic characteristics	Score 10 10-6	Remark	Score 10 5-1	N/A
1.	The Guru is always right.	10
2.	You are always wrong.	10
3.	No exit.	10
4.	No graduates	10
5.	Cult-speak	10
6.	Group-think, suppression of dissent, and enforced conformity in thinking	10
7.	Irrationality	10	Deserves ~100
8.	Suspension of disbelief	10
9.	Denigration of competing sects, cults, religions, groups, or organizations	10
10.	Personal attacks on critics	10
11.	Insistence that the group is THE ONLY WAY.	10
12.	The group and its members are special.	10
13.	Induction of guilt, and the use of guilt to manipulate group members.	10
14.	Unquestionable dogma, sacred science, and infallible ideology.	10
15.	Indoctrination of members.	8
16.	Appeals to "holy" or "wise" authorities.	7
17.	Instant community			4
18.	Instant intimacy	7
19.	Surrender to the group.	10	Deserves ~50
20.	Giggly wonderfulness and starry-eyed faith.	7
21.	Personal testimonies of earlier converts.	10
22.	The group is self-absorbed.	6
23.	Dual purposes, hidden agendas, and ulterior motives.	10
24.	Aggressive recruiting	10
25.	Deceptive recruiting	10
26.	No humor	10
27.	You can't tell the truth.	10
28.	Cloning — You become a clone of the group leader or other elder group members.	10
29.	You must change your beliefs to conform to the group's beliefs.	10
30.	The end justifies the means.	8
31.	Dishonesty, deceit, denial, falsification, and rewriting history	10
32.	Different levels of truth	10
33.	Newcomers can't think right.	10
34.	The group implants phobias.	10
35.	The group is money-grubbing.	10
36.	Confession sessions	10
37.	System of punishments and rewards	10
38.	Impossible superhuman model of perfection	10
39.	Mentoring	10
40.	Intrusiveness	10
41.	Disturbed guru, mentally ill leader	10	Deserves 20
42.	Disturbed members, mentally ill followers	10
43.	Create a sense of powerlessness, covert fear, guilt, and dependency	10
44.	Dispensed existence	10
45.	Ideology over experience, observation, and logic	10
46.	Keep them unaware that there is an agenda to change them	10
47.	Thought-stopping language. Thought-terminating clichés and slogans	10
48.	Mystical manipulation	10
49.	The guru or the group demands ultra-loyalty and total commitment.	10
50.	Demands for total faith and total trust.	10
51.	Members get no respect. They get abused.	10
52.	Inconsistency. Contradictory messages	10
53.	Hierarchical, authoritarian power structure, and social castes			5
54.	Front groups, masquerading recruiters, hidden promoters, and disguised propagandists	10
55.	Belief equals truth	10
56.	Use of double-binds	10
57.	The group leader is not held accountable for his actions.	10
58.	Everybody else needs the guru to boss him around, but nobody bosses the guru around.	10
59.	The guru criticizes everybody else, but nobody criticizes the guru.	10
60.	Dispensed truth and social definition of reality	10
61.	The guru is extra-special.	10
62.	Flexible, shifting morality			5
63.	Separatism			5
64.	Inability to tolerate criticism	8
65.	Charismatic leader	7	Not any more
66.	Calls to obliterate self.	10	Rates more
67.	Don't trust your own mind.	10
68.	Don't feel your own feelings.	10
69.	The group takes over the individual's decision-making process.	8
70.	You owe the group.	10
71.	We have the panacea.	10
72.	Progressive indoctrination and progressive commitments.	10
73.	Magical, mystical, unexplainable workings	10	Deserves more
74.	Trance-inducing practices.	10
75.	New identity – Redefinition of self – Revision of personal history.	10
76.	Membership rivalry				./.
77.	True believers	10
78.	Scapegoating and excommunication			2⁶
79.	Promised powers or knowledge	10
80.	It's a con. You don't get the promised goodies.	10
81.	Hypocrisy	10
82.	Lying. Denial of the truth. Reversal of reality. Rationalization and denial.	10
83.	Seeing through tinted lenses.	10
84.	You can't make it without the group.	10
85.	Enemy-making and devaluing the outsider.	10
86.	The group wants to own you.	10
87.	Channelling or other occult, unchallengeable, sources of information.	10
88.	They make you dependent on the group.	10	Deserves far more
89.	Demands for compliance with the group.	10
90.	Newcomers need fixing.	10	Deserves ~100
91.	Use of the Cognitive Dissonance technique	10
92.	Grandiose existence. Bombastic, grandiose claims.	10
93.	Black And white thinking.	10
94.	The use of heavy-duty mind control and rapid conversion techniques.				./.
95.	Threats of bodily harm or death to someone who leaves the group.			5
96.	Threats of bodily harm or death to someone who criticizes the group				./.
97.	Appropriation of all of the members' worldly wealth				./.
98.	Making cult members work long hours for free			1
99.	Total immersion and total isolation			2
100.	Mass suicide				./.

Sources: ► Archived article by A. Orange The Other Women, A. Orange, last updated 21. July 2013
► Alcoholics Anonymous as a Cult. Scorecards 1 to 100, presented by the defunct orange-papers.org, updated 21. October 2013

References: ► Bill Wilson, compiled by Jan Irvin, US American ethnomycologist, independent researcher, political analyst, blogger, lecturer, author, founder, curator, and host of Gnostic Media Research & Publishing, undated
► Online book The Orange Papers. One Man's Analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous and ► Blog article by jonsleeper, Leaving AA, staying sober:
new perspectives on recovery, 30. September 2014
► Article alcoholics anonymous & the new world order, presented by the blog sparklesdelicious, 26. October 2007
► Article Bill Wilson. Little Known Facts About Bill W., presented by publication alternatives-for-alcoholism, Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed., US American
mental health professional, recovering alcoholic, 2007-2012

References: en.Wikipedia entry ► Bill Griffith Wilson [Bill W.] and ► Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Setting up a cult – Promotion of spiritual teachers

Techniques for promoting spiritual teachers

༺༻	Action···Approach	Legend	D. Hawkins' system
1.	Psychological transfer	Encouraging followers [awakened ones] to psychologically transfer divine qualities and goals onto the teacher [awakened one], thereby locking both into a dynamic system of projection, dismissing any show of spiritual autonomy. Placing the teacher on the top end of the spiritual master spectrum (avatar, etc.), inflating the teacher image, confining clients in the student role.	✓
2.	Fashion and style	Teachers who dress fashionably or perform in a certain style apply the marketing tool of the first impression made by appearance and presentation.
3.	Name change	To change the teacher's name to an exotic sounding one is part of presenting oneself as a spiritual master.
4.	Nationality	Connections with places like South/Middle America, India, Tibet, Africa, Egypt, the Far East or Pacific Islands, cathedrals may enhance the teacher's marketing campaign.	✓
5.	Behaviour	Important is that the teacher behaves peacefully and lovingly in public whereby they are building up a huge unexpressed psychological shadow. If abusive behaviour of the teacher becomes public it can be justified by presenting it in the context of "crazy wisdom", presenting imbalance and erratic behaviour as a valuable lesson in non-attachment to expectations regarding the teacher. Sitting and staring at the audience beyond the comfortable degree gives students the opportunity to project their inner spiritual images onto the teacher, catalyzing a strong attachment.-'	✓
6.	Vocabulary and phraseology	Most listeners come from the heart not from the head, willing to accept a casual message. Contradictions are forgiven since they illustrate the paradoxical nature of the spiritual path. Words and phrases (like "oneness", "infinite love", "loving ourselves", "loving what is", "meditation", "quantum ******", "non-duality", "opening the heart", "letting go", "being yourself", "finding what is true", "authenticity", "opening the chakras", "touching the void", "reaching within", "connecting", "opening the heart", "advaita", "it is simple", "everything is inside") keep the audience impressed.	✓
7.	Self-confidence and charisma	Effective teachers bind students in the certainty of conceptual truth. An abundance of self-confidence and charisma and a good sense of humour is very appealing to (potential) customers. A dosis of narcissism in the teacher is also attractive. The teacher may not to express doubt or admit not knowing something. Students with a profound acceptance of their own ignorance can wake up and walk off.	✓
8.	Comprehensive teaching materials and opportunities	Constant self-marketing via lectures, courses, regular "satsang" meetings, and holiday retreats (along with videos and audio recordings of the complete enlightenment package), books, guided meditations, internet updates allows the teacher a very good living. Up-selling. To keep individuals in the fold it is vital to offer an online presence on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and a monthly newsletter (both paper and online) or even a magazine.	✓
9.	Lineage and direct transmission	Inducing the belief that the teacher predominantly energetically transmits spiritual awakening. To keep one's fold it serves when the teacher comes from a long successful – contrived or genuine – lineage of transmitters.	✓
10.	Pseudo-objective corroboration	Teachers with the creative nous may formulate a pseudo-objective evaluation systems to "calibrate" levels of truth – applied by dowsing or muscle testing. This way the teacher is lifting himself by his own bootstraps. Calibrating critics of the teacher or their system as low on the scale i.e. not worthwhile to further examinate their arguments.	✓
11.	Promoting the rareness of spiritual awakening	The enlightenment lottery is captivating. Getting students and clients to believe that enlightenment is so rare that it may not happen until future lifetimes.	✓
12.	Extraordinary powers	The guru's physical presence, favorably their hug or touch, is the ultimate powerful placebo effect. Close followers may spread rumours about the teacher's magical and mystical feats.	✓
13.	Third-party endorsements	The New Age (New Consciousness) is a close-knit community with different teachers endorsing each others' books and teachings on a tit-for-tat basis (not stopping short of self-fabricated endorsements by Mother Teresa).	✓
14.	Building a hierarchy of followers	To separate the teacher from the bulk of their students it is vital to establish hierarchical access to the more successful teacher. If the inner sanctum students witness the teacher's halo slip a bit behind closed doors, they will not disclose it or leave, since they have so much time and money invested. Rankist hierarchies are convenient organisational control structures. Wealthy customers can buy access by making large donations.	✓
15.	Educational/ charitable foundation	The teacher can talk about the need for a better world. Telling one's customer base that the teacher's message can really make a difference. Charitable donations can be used to support oneself as well. These money making exercises can offer substantial tax breaks.	✓
16.	Opening an ashram or spiritual center	Placing an ashram on the map adds credibility to the teacher's organization. It allows to run weekend retreats and workshops more economically.
17.	Website	In the 21st century it is vital for masters to have a web presence offering many close-up photos of the teacher (looking very spiritual) and tasters for the different talks given by the master. The domain may be the teacher's name and end with ".org", which will associate the teacher with non-profits or do-good organizations.	✓
18.	Multiplying teacher and retaining control	Once the teacher has grown their organization and/or spiritual teaching it is important to multiply themselves, so that the trusted inner circle of customers can repeat what the teacher is doing on behalf of their center and spiritual message.	✓
19.	Donation ⇔ set prices	Donations make the teacher look more authentically spiritual as it distances him from the world of commerce. Chances are that donation will outstrip costs. A "suggested donation" amount make guilty people into giving more.
20.	Supplementary sales	Not only the teachings but also items [paraphernalia] with the teacher's energetic vibration [pictures, charts, crystals, energized water, pendants, key-rings] can be marketed to help develop whatever.	✓
21.	Rewarding sycophantic followers	The teacher keeps feeding the spiritual egos of their inner circle of devotees by telling them how well they are doing on the spiritual path. This ego-investment will have them staying loyal to the teacher and turn into effective controllers for other followers thereby putting the possibly tainted guru back on their pedestal.	✓

Summary derived from: ► Blog article by John Smith, US American blogger, Spiritual Marketing Techniques, presented by the publication Reality Maps formerly known as Energy Grid Magazine, Andrew Paterson, October 2002
See also: ► Salvationism: Problematic Redeemer ◊ Messiah ◊ Savior complex

Setting up a cult – Promotion of spiritual teachings

Techniques for promoting spiritual teachings

༺༻	Action···Approach	Legend	D. Hawkins' system
1.	Conceptual spiritual path	Successful marketing of any spiritual teaching to customers can evolve their minds and their egos on the spiritual journey. In an ego-obsessed society teachings that encourage to develop the spiritual ego are popular, because they do not challenge the ego. Paradoxically, ego-centric systems are being presented as ego-dropping systems. Containing a creation story, giving students purpose and a special significance, triggers attachment/dependency to both the teacher and the teachings.	✓
2.	Promising immortality	Death is a big fear for most people. Any system of spirituality that promotes some kind of immortality is attractive to potential customers. Teachings that promise physical immortality have a short term a lucrative approach. It is more difficult to justify over time.
3.	Focusing on the teacher	The teacher is original. Their teachings are a unique product given that they keep pointing to them as a key component in the awakening process.	✓
4.	Implying certainty	Any belief system that offers certainty with conceptualisation is going to be very popular. Prophecy and prediction can be extended to the future.	✓
5.	Promising health and happiness	Most like to believe that the final destination of the spiritual path is a state of eternal bliss, perfect health and sublime happiness — enlightenment. This delineates a huge payback (strong motivating factor) for following the spiritual path. Disillusioned and unhappy with normal life, many people turn to the spiritual path.
6.	Special/secret techniques and teachings	Offering a special type of teaching or meditation/fantasy technique that is kept secret. Convincing customers/students they will find awakening by applying these particular teachings/techniques will result in strong attachments. As secrets are being disclosed in the age of the internet "direct transmission" along with the teachings/techniques given personally by the teacher or appointed students are the key to "activate" the awakening process.
7.	Promoting emotional expression	In society where sexual and loving emotions are restricted communities based on teachings that encourage free emotional expression appear attractive and freeing. See also #11.
8.	Strict codes of conduct	In most people the impulse for belonging/bondage is stronger than the impulse to freedom/accountability. Strict codes of conduct and attire appeal to the first group. They also suit the spiritual ego that wants a formula to do everything right.
9.	Copyrighting and trademarking	Offering the message under a special name which is copyrighted/trademarked. Labeled teachings can be owned and controlled by the teacher. Questions about copyright/trademark can be blamed on the organisation or its lawyers. Explaining legal restrictions on the teachings can be justified as protection from being bastardised by a third party.	✓
10.	Material outcomes	Advertising and implying to customers' egos that their material needs and wants (including physical health issues) will be met. Spiritual awakening is understood as an addition to human powers, bank balance, potentials, and wholeness. This approach also justifies any opulence of the teacher relative to their customers.
11.	Hijacking feel-good techniques	Customers associate a feel-good fix with the teacher and the teachings when feel-good techniques such as meditation, mantras, relaxation, dance, tantra, fasting and breath control are being hijacked. Controlling the feel-good fix sufficiently without allowing customers to awaken i.e. leave the cultic circle.
12.	Testimonials	Promoting (marketing) spiritual teachings/teachers requires testimonials and case-studies for the media. In the age of social networking, this often happens spontaneously. Obtaining endorsements for teacher/teachings from celebrities or clients (placed on book covers).	✓
13.	Self-validation	Offering the teachings plus their sublime value will validate them for heady customers. When the most evolved spiritual master presents the teachings in high-brow terminology he implies that those who do not understand this are "not ready".	✓
14.	Sequential presentation	Spreading out the teachings in a series of courses spanning from beginner to advanced levels over a few years. "Graduates" are unlikely to quit due to their investment and sense of achievement.
15.	Pseudo-scientific justification	Linking teachings with modern physics increases credibility with those who is not scientific literate. (Key terms used in the teachings: "quantum", "relativity", "scalar waves", "quantum entanglement", "Bell's Theorem", "photons".)	✓
16.	Jargon (exotic/foreign terms)	Presenting teachings filled with ancient terminology (containing foreign words like "karma" and "maya") impresses clients/students. Followers who have adopted this vocabulary will feel increasingly spiritual themselves. "Insider" phraseology allows for a stronger communal spirit.	✓
17.	Schooling in exotic locations	Offering holiday and Mecca-type retreats in exotic places. Customers outside the confines of their everyday lives tend to be more relaxed and focused.	✓

Summary derived from: ► Blog article by John Smith, US American blogger, Spiritual Marketing Techniques, presented by the publication Reality Maps formerly known as Energy Grid Magazine, Andrew Paterson, October 2002
See also: ► Salvationism: Problematic Redeemer ◊ Messiah ◊ Savior complex

Eight criteria to identify cultic coercion – Robert Lifton

Eight criteria to measure the level of coercion in families, groups, nations
using manipulative techniques to gain (total) control over their members

༺༻	Cultic focus	Action item
1.	Milieu control	"We control what you experience, and how you experience it."
2.	Loading the language	"Our own special language [group jargon] helps you to think the way we want you to think."
3.	Mystical manipulation	"We'll make sure our system works for you – even if we have to fake it."
4.	Sacred science	"It's true because we say it's the Truth."
5.	Demand for purity	"Only those good enough can 'get it.'"
6.	Confession	"We promise we won't use your past against you … really …"
7.	Doctrine over person	"When your facts don't match our Truth, your facts are wrong."
8.	Dispensing of existence	"The Truth is worth more than life, especially an outsider's life."

Sources:
► Book: Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (*1926) US American psychiatrist, researcher of the psychological causes and effects of war and political
violence, developer of the theory of thought reform, author, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, chapter 15 "The Future
of Immortality", Norton, New York, 1st edition 1961, New York, chapter 22, 2nd edition 1987, Chapel Hill, 1989
► Book excerpt: Dr. Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform
► Article The Basics – Lifton's Eight Criteria of Thought Reform, presented by the Open Minds Foundation, Spike Robinson,
5. December 2016

See also: ► Power vs. Truth

Acid test for fundamentalist systems

Questions to inquire the fundamentalist mind

༺༻	Questions to ask to pin fundamentalist cults
1.	Is the system closed to modification?
2.	Is there a covert [political] agenda in the system?
3.	Does the system deal in absolutisms?
4.	Does the system denounce opposing points of view or seem paranoid?
5.	Does the system avoid critical thinking?

Source: ► Stephen Larsen, US American psychologist, founder of the Center for Symbolic Studies, author,
The Fundamentalist Mind. How Polarized Thinking Imperils Us All, Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1. January 2007

References: en.Wikipedia entries : ► Fanaticism ► Fundamentalism ► Moral absolutism ► Relativism

See also: ► Questions and ► Absolutism and ► Critical thinking and ► Absolutism, relativism, fundamentalism, and fanaticism

Commonly known criteria of cults

Cult features

༺༻	Cult feature	Legend
1.	The leader is the ultimate authority.	Members are not permitted to criticize their leader, even if the criticism is true.
2.	The leader is above the law.	Members are held to a different moral standard, specifically in regard to sex.
3.	The group is elitist.	The group/cult is the solution for all the world's problems.
4.	The·group·is·paranoid·about·the·outside·world.	Members believe the end of the world is near.
5.	The group uses "Thought reform" methods.	Serious questions are answered with cliches.
6.	The group suppresses skepticism.	Members are only allowed to study their organization through approved sources.
7.	The group relies on shame cycles.	Members need their group/cult in order to feel worthy, loved, or sufficient.
8.	The group delegitimizes former members.	Members are prevented to think of legitimate reasons for leaving their group.
9.	The group performs secret rites.	The group/cult has secret teachings or ceremonies people don't discover until after they joined.
10.	The administration defies financial transparency.	Members and people are not allowed to know what the group does with their money.

Characteristics associated with cultic groups

Checklist on cult characteristics as defined by J. Lalich and M. Langone

༺༻	Cult feature
1.	The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.
2.	Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.
3.	Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).
4.	The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marrying or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).
5.	The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).
6.	The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.
7.	The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).
8.	The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).
9.	The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt iin order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.
10.	Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.
11.	The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.
12.	The group is preoccupied with making money.
13.	‪‪ Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.
14.	Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.
15.	The most loyal members (the "true believers") feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

Source:
► Checklist of Cult Characteristics, undated
► Blog article Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups (Janja Lalich, Ph.D. and Michael D. Langone, Ph.D., 2006),
presented by blogspot Scott Nevins Memorial, 31. March 2015
► Janja Lalich, Ph.D. (*1945) US American professor of sociology, California State University, Chico, expert on cult groups, charismatic
authorities, power relations, coersion and social control, author, Madeleine Tobias, Take Back Your Life. Recovering from Cults and Abusive
Relationships, Bay Tree Publishing, Berkeley, 2nd edition 17. August 2006
Above checklist was adapted from the checklist originally developed by Michael Langone, Ph.D., US American counseling psychologist specialized in research about "cultic" groups and psychological manipulation, executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), editor of the journal Cultic Studies Review, author of Captive Hearts, Captive minds. Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships, Hunter House Publishers, 1994 and Recovery from Cults. Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1st edition 17. June 1995

See also: ► Quotes by S. Jeffrey – Cultic features

Basic cult danger scale – Isaac Bonewits

Isaac Bonewits' cult danger scale

༺༻	Cult operation	Specifics
1.	Internal control	Amount of internal political power exercised by leader(s) over members
2.	Wisdom claimed	by leader(s); amount of infallibility declared about decisions
3.	Wisdom credited	to leaders by members; amount of trust in decisions made by leader(s)
4.	Dogma	Rigidity of reality concepts taught; of amount of doctrinal inflexibility
5.	Recruiting	Emphasis put on attracting new members, amount of proselytizing
6.	Front groups	Number of subsidiary groups using a different name from that of the main group
7.	Wealth	Amount of money and/or property desired or obtained; emphasis on members' donations
8.	Political power	Amount of external political influence desired or obtained
9.	Sexual manipulation	of members by leader(s); amount of control over the lives of members
10.	Censorship	Amount of control over members' access to outside opinions on group, its doctrines or leader(s)
11.	Dropout control	Intensity of efforts directed at preventing or returning dropouts
12.	Endorsement of violence	when used by or for the group or its leader(s)
13.	Paranoia	Amount of fear concerning real or imagined enemies; perceived power of opponents
14.	Grimness	Amount of disapproval concerning jokes about the group, its doctrines or leaders(s)
15.	Surrender of will	Emphasis on members not having to be And here are responsible for personal decisions

Source: ► Isaac Bonewits (1949-2010) US American Druid, neopagan leader, author, The Advanced Bonewits'
Cult Danger Evaluation Frame, version 2.7, presented by the website neopagan.net, 1979, 2008

List of MKUltra related cults

It appears that most of the bay area and other psychedelic leaders that were involved
directly or "indirectly" with MKULTRA and/or associated with Aldous Huxley,
seem to have gone out and started some form of cult or another.

Alan Watts – Zen Buddist double bind cult
Bill Wilson – Alcoholics Anonymous cult ⁷
L. Ron Hubbard – Church of Scientology cult ⁸
James Lovelock – Gaia cult
Jim Jones – Jonestown cult (ended in murder)
Michael Murphy – Esalen cult
Dick Price – Esalen cult
Andrija Puharich – The Council of Nine / Uri Geller / Arigo cults
Guy Banister – UFO cult
Steve Jobs – Apple cult
Timothy Leary – IFIF cult / psychedelic revolution / Psychedelic orientalism ⁹
"Farmer" John Griggs – Brotherhood of Eternal Love cult / mafia
Allen Ginsberg – IFIF / psychedelic revolution / Psychedelic orientalism / NAMBLA
Mircea Eliade – Wicca cult
Huston Smith – IFIF / Eleusinian / psychedelic orientalism
Charles Manson (No Name Madock) – Manson family cult
Albert Hofmann – Bicycle Day cult / LSD cult
Terence McKenna – 2012 / Mushroom / Stoned Ape / Archaic revival cults
Daniel Pinchbeck – 2012 / Mushroom / ascendance cults
Aldous Huxley – Psychedelic revolution / Esalen cults ¹⁰
Richard Alpert [Ram Dass] – Be Here Now cult / International Foundation for Internal Freedom (IFIF) cults
Ken Kesey – Merry Prankster cult
Gordon Wasson – Mushrooms as finding god cult / Eleusis cult
Carl Ruck – Demeter cult
Al Hubbard – LSD cult
Margaret Mead / Wilhelm Reich – Sexual liberation cult ¹¹
John Paul Rosenberg [Werner Erhard] – Landmark Education cult
Vito Paulekas – Freaks cult
Arthur Kleps – Boohoo cult
Gloria Steinem – Feminism cult ¹²
Marilyn Ferguson – Aquarian Conspiracy cult
Carlos Castaneda – Neo-shamanism / Don Juan Cult / Tensegrity (ended in suicides) ¹³
Peter Furst / Barbara Myerhoff – Phony Huichol / neo-shamanism cults
Gregory Bateson – Native Revivalism / Double bind etc, cults ¹⁴
Julian Huxley – Transhumanism cult ¹⁵
Joseph Campbell – Power of Myth / Star Wars cults / / Hero's Journey cult
Alfred Kinsey – Pedophile / Nambla cults¹⁶
Steve Gaskin – Tennessee Farm / Church of Sandy Hook cult (to be verified)
John Perry Barlow – EFF / Grateful Dead cults
Alex Grey – Art temple / NY cults
Grateful Dead – Following / cult
Richard Bandler – NLP cult
John Grinder – NLP cult
Marshall Rosenberg – NVC cult ¹⁷
Riane Eisler – NVC cult – Dominator culture cult
Paul Twitchell – Eckankar cult
Kerry Thornley – Discordianism cult
Bob Dobbs (Dean/Neveritt) – Church of the SubGenius cult
James Baker (Father Yod) – Star Wars cult, Vegan cult, Source cult, etc.
Larry Harvey – Burning Man
Finders
Heaven's Gate
William Thetford – Course In Miracles cult ¹⁸ / ¹⁹
NAMBLA – See above
Urantia

Source: ► Chart List of MKUltra cults, compiled by Jan Irvin, US American ethnomycologist, independent researcher,
political analyst, blogger, lecturer, author, founder, curator, and host of Gnostic Media Research & Publishing, undated

See also: ► Mind control and ► Addiction and ► Addiction charts

Stages of deprogramming

Stages of deprogramming

Hurting from loss	At a loss	Adjusting to loss
Shock ⇒ Numbness ⇒ Denial ⇒ Emotional outburts ⇒ Anger ⇒ Fear ⇒ Searchings ⇒ Disorganization ⇒ Panic	Guilt ⇒ Loneliness ⇒ Isolation	Depression ⇒ "Re-entry" troubles ⇒ New relationships ⇒ New strengths ⇒ New patterns ⇒ Hope ⇒ Affirmation ⇒ Helping others

Media recommendations – Discerning shadow aspects and cultic features

Myth

Audio/Video lecture series with Joseph Campbell, Ph.D. (1904-1987) US American mythologist, expert in comparative mythology and comparative religion, Mythos (The Complete Series), DVD format, Acorn Media, 18. September 2012

Learning discernment:

Cultic features and God complex

Mariana Caplan, Ph.D., US American professor of yogic and transpersonal psychologies, psychotherapist, author

BW-Werte: Kulte

BW xxx –

Levels of consciousness (LoC): related to cults

LoC 325 – Christian fundamentalism²⁰
LoC 205/200 – Fundamentalism²¹

LoC 195 – Jehovah's Witnesses
LoC 195-110 – Christian Identity Movement²²
LoC 195 – "Left Behind" (Apocalyptic Ideology)²³
LoC 190 – The Luciferic
LoC 190 – 7th Day Adventists
LoC 160 – Heaven's Gate cult²⁴
LoC 155 – Solar Temple (ideology)²⁵
LoC 135 – Polygamous sects²⁶
LoC 130/135 – Religious fundamentalism (like militant Islamic fundamentalism)²⁷
LoC 95 – Right Wing fundamentalism (ideology)²⁸
LoC 50-160 – Cults²⁹
LoC 45 – Satanism
LoC 35 – Historical Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church

Index: Kulte / Cults – Bücher von D. Hawkins

Englische Werke

Index: Audio- und Videomedien (engl.) von und mit D. Hawkins

Links zum Thema Kulte und Kultführer / Cults and cult leaders

Literatur zum Thema

Steven Hassan (*1954) US-amerikanicher Ex-Moonie, Sektenausstiegsberater, psychologischer Berater, Autor, Ausbruch aus dem Bann der Sekten, Rowohlt, 1993
Joel Kramer (*1937), Diana Alstad, US-amerikanisches Autorenehepaar, Masken der Macht.Die Guru Papers [Frog / North Atlantic Books, 1993], Verlag Zweitausendeins, 1995
⚡ Ken Wilber [BW 490] (*1949) US-amerikanischer mystischer Philosoph, Vordenker des 3. Jahrtausends, transpersonaler Bewusstseinsforscher, Entwickler der Integralen Theorie, Autor, Bruce Ecker und Dick Anthony, Meister, Gurus, Menschenfänger. Über die Integrität spiritueller Wege, Inhaltsverzeichnis, Verlag Krüger, Frankfurt am Main, 1995, Fischer Taschenbuch, Juli 1998
Dr. Georg Feuerstein (1947-2012) deutscher Indologe, Übersetzer, Autor zu den Themen Mystik, Yoga, Tantra und Hinduismus, Heilige Narren. Über die Weisheit ungewöhnlicher Lehrer, Krügerverlag, Frankfurt, 1996
Hubertus Mynarek, Die neue Inquisition. Sektenjagd in Deutschland. Mentalität – Motivation – Methoden kirchlicher und staatlicher Sektenbeauftragter, Marktheidenfeld, 1999
Nansook Hong (*1966) koreanisch-US-amerikanische Ex-Moonie, geschiedene Frau von Hyo Jin Moon (†2008), dem ältesten Sohn des Kultführers Sun Myung Mun, Autorin, Ich schaue nicht zurück. 14 Jahre Hölle: Ein Opfer der Mun-Sekte berichtet, Lübbe, 1. Februar 2000
André van der Braak (*1963) niederländischer Psychologe, Chefredakteur des WIE-Magazins (1987-1998), Liegestütz zur Erleuchtung. Lehrjahre bei einem amerikanischen Guru, Edition Spuren, Winterthur September 2004
Jane Stork [Ma Shanti Bhadra] (*1945) australische engste Jüngerin von ⚡ Osho [Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh] (1976-1985), Autorin, kultaufklärende Autorin, Entzauberung. Mein Weg zu Bhagwan und der lange Weg zurück in die Freiheit, Books on Demand, 1. Kindle Auflage 20. September 2018

Literature (engl.)

Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (*1926) US American psychiatrist, researcher of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence, developer of the theory of thought reform, author, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, Norton, New York, 1st edition 1961
Peter Ludwig Berger (*1929) Austrian-born US American sociologist on knowledge, religion, and modernization, The Sacred Canopy. Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion, Doubleday, New York, 1967, Anchor, reprint edition 1. October 1990
Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr., editor, Howard W. Norton, Don E. Vinzant, Gene Vinzant, The Discipling Dilemma, Gospel Advocate Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 2nd edition republished on the Internet with the permission of Mr. Yeakley 1988

Study made on the Boston Church of Christ

Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Combatting Cult Mind Control. The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults, Park Street Press, 1988
Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D. (1947-2012) German Indologist, translator, author on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism, Holy Madness. Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, and Enlightenment, Table of contents, Hohm Press, August 1991, revised expanded edition 1. June 2006
Mark E. Laxer, Take Me For A Ride. Coming Of Age In A Destructive Cult, presented by the publication manybooks.net, 1993

⚡ The trial of exiting the cult of Frederick Philip Lenz, III, Ph.D. [Rama] (1950-1998) US American Buddhist spiritual teacher

Joel Kramer (*1937), Diana Alstad, US American author couple, The Guru Papers. Masks of Authoritarian Power, Frog / North Atlantic Books, 1st edition 20. May 1993
Steven Pressman (*1955) US American freelance journalist, author, ''Outrageous Betrayal. The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile’', St. Martin's Press, New York, 1993
David Christopher Lane, Ph.D. (*1956) US American professor of philosophy and sociology, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, lecturer in religious studies, author, Exposing Cults. When the Skeptical Mind Confronts the Mystical, Garland Science, New York and London, 1. July 1994
Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. (1921-2003) US American adjunct professor of clinical psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Cults in Our Midst. The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace, Jossey-Bass, September 1996, revised edition 11. April 2003

Focussing on schizophrenia, family therapy, brainwashing, coercive persuasion – Wikipedia entry: ► Cults in Our Midst

Frederick Clarkson, US American journalist, public speaker on politics and religion, author, Eternal Hostility. The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, Common Courage Press, February 1997
Anthony Storr (1920-2001) English psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, author, Feet of Clay. Saints, Sinners, and Madmen. Study of Gurus, HarperCollins, paperback, new edition 7. April 1997

Features / commonalities of a guru personality
1. Isolated as a child
2. Remains isolated for the remainder of his life
3. Rarely has a close friendship
4. Indifferent to family ties
5. Introvert
6. Narcissistic
7. Eloquent
8. Charismatic
9. Authoritative
10. Paranoid
12. Does not discuss his ideas, only imposes them. Disapproval leads to hostility
13. Elitist
14. Claims that his life has totally changed after getting a special spiritual insight. Often follows a period of mental suffering or physical illness. Most often occurs between 30 and 50 years of age.

Len Oakes, Australian psychologist, University of Auckland, Prophetic Charisma. The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities, Syracuse University Press, 1st edition 1. November 1997
Nansook Hong (*1966) Korean-American ex-Moonie, divorced wife of Hyo Jin Moon (†2008) eldest son and heir-apparent of cult leader Sun Myung Moon, author, In the Shadow of the Moons. My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, autobiography, Little, Brown & Company, 1st edition 2. September 1998³⁰
Benjamin Zablocki, Ph.D. (*1941) US American professor of sociology of religion and social psychology, Rutgers University, author on charismatic religious movements, cults, and brainwashing, editor, Thomas Robbins, Ph.D. (*1943) US American professor of sociology, independent scholar of sociology of religion, author, editor, Misunderstanding Cults. Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 1. December 2001
André van der Braak (*1963) Dutch clinical psychologist, first editor-in-chief of the dissolved magazine What is Enlightenment? (1987-1998), Enlightenment Blues. My Years with an American Guru, Monkfish Book Publishing Company, October 2003
Harriet B. Braiker, Ph.D. (1948-2004) US American clinical psychologist, management consultant, author, Who's Pulling Your Strings? How to Break the Cycle of Manipulation and Regain Control of Your Life, McGraw-Hill, 1st edition 3. October 2004
Robert B. Cialdini (*1945) US American Regents’ professor emeritus of psychology and marketing, Arizona State University, Influence. The Psychology of Persuasion, HarperBusiness, revised edition 26. December 2006

Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence. Convincing Others to Say "Yes",
1. Reciprocity, 2. Commitment, 3. Social Proof, 4. Liking, 5. Authority, 6. Scarcity, presented by the publication mindtools.com

Jane Stork (Ma Shanti Bhadra) (*1945) Australian former devoted disciple of ⚡ Osho [Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh] (1976-1985), author, disclosing memoir Breaking the Spell. My life as a Rajneeshee and the long journey back to freedom, Pan Macmillan, April 2009, republished on CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, paperbacl 3. April 2018
Rita Banerji, Indian philosopher, photographer, gender activist, feminist author, Sex and Power. Defining History, Shaping Societies, Penguin Books India, 2008, Penguin Global, 15. April 2009

Book review, presented by the magazine "Intersections. Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific", issue 22. October 2009
Sexual morality is a facet of living that undergoes periodic upheavals. Four major periods in Indian history when there were significant shifts in the collective social perception of sex and sexuality, and the associated customs and beliefs.

Joel Kramer (*1937), Diana Alstad, US American author couple, The Passionate Mind Revisited. Expanding Personal and Social Awareness, North Atlantic Books, 1st edition 14. July 2009
Kirsti L. Nevalainen, Change of Blood Lineage through Ritual Sex in the Unification Church, BookSurge Publishing, 18. January 2010

The Unification Church practiced the Korean Pigarum ceremony [‘change of blood lineage’] and yongch'e ceremony [receiving a new spiritual body] (1940s-1962). A male spiritual leader [here Moon] united sexually with his female disciples and a female spiritual leader had ritual sex with her male followers. In 1962 the Holy Wine Ceremony and The Three Day Ceremony replaced this original sexual ritual.

P. T. Mistlberger, The Three Dangerous Magi. Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley, O-Books, 2010, John Hunt Publishing, 11. November 2010
Scott Edelstein, US Amercan publishing consultant, literary agent, ghostwriter, author, Sex and the Spiritual Teacher. Why It Happens, When It's a Problem, and What We All Can Do, Wisdom Publications, pocket book, 1. March 2011
Can M. Alpaslan, US American associate professor, College of Business and Economics, California State University, Northridge, Ian Mitroff, Ph.D. (*1938) US American organizational theorist, consultant, professor emeritus, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, Swans, Swine, and Swindlers. Coping with the Growing Threat of Mega-Crises and Mega-Messes, Stanford Business Books, Series: High Reliability and Crisis Management, 5. July 2011
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. kellymcgonigal.com, US American health professor of psychology, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University, leading expert on the mind-body relationship, The Willpower Instinct. How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It, Avery, 1st edition 29. December 2011
Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Freedom of Mind. Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs, Freedom of Mind Press, 14. June 2012
Daniel Shaw, LCSW, US American certified psychoanalyst, psychotherapist, cult member of the SYDA movement under Gurumayi (1981-1994), author, Traumatic Narcissism. Relational Systems of Subjugation, chapter "Traumatic Narcicissm in Cults", Routledge, 1st edition 19. September 2013, 2014

Even among those who do leave cults, a common feeling is shame, at their own blindness, their hunger to believe, and grief at getting it wrong.
Featuring "intergenerational generation of narcissistic personalities" and the relational dynamics that sustain "systems of subjugation"

Gail Tredwell (*1958) Australian personal assistant of cultic Bhakti movement leader Amma [The Hugging Sain] (1979-1999), author, Holy Hell. A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness, Ebook via Amazon Digital Services, 29. October 2013

t took Tredwell 14 years to publish her disclosure. The five years of writing this book contributed immensly to Tredwell's healing process. She took full responsibility as an accomplice and enabler of a cult leader.

Stripping the Gurus – Geoffrey Falk

Geoffrey D. Falk, US American author, Stripping the Gurus. Sex, Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment, Full free PDF, Million Monkeys Press, 1. February 2009

⚑ Chapter II "A Bit of a Booby" – Ramakrishna
⚑ Chapter III "The Handsome Duckling" – Vivekanada
⚑ Chapter IV "Mother Dearest" – Aurobindo
⚑ Chapter V "The Krinsh" – Jiddu Krisnamurti
⚑ Chapter VII "Sex, Bliss, and Rock 'n' Roll" – Swami Satchidananda
⚑ Chapter VII "The Sixth Beatle" – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
⚑ Chapter IX "Been Here, Done That, What Now?" – Ram Dass, Bhagavan Das
⚑ Chapter X "Scorpion-Man" – Satya Sai Baba
⚑ Chapter XI "Even If It Happened..." – Swami Rama
⚑ Chapter XII "Mo' Chin-Ups" – Sri Chinmoy
⚑ Chapter XV "Werner's Uncertainty Principle" – Werner Erhard est/Landmark/Forum Training
⚑ Chapter XVI "Cockroach Yoga" – Yogi Bhajan
⚑ Chapter XVII "A Wild and Crazy Wisdom Guy" – Chögyam Trungpa
⚑ Chapter XVIII "Sixty Minutes" – Swami Muktananda
⚑ Chapter XIX "The Mango Kid" – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
⚑ Chapter XX "Da Avatar, Da Bomb, Da Bum" – Adi Da
⚑ Chapter XXI "Sometimes I Feel Like a God" – Andrew Cohen
⚑ Chapter XXII "Hello, Dalai!" – The Dalai Lama
⚑ Chapter XXIII "Up the Asana" – Yogi Amrit Desai
⚑ Chapter XIV "Battlefield Teegeeack" – Ron Hubbard Scientology
⚑ Chapter XXVI "... To a Nunnery" – Paramahansa Yogananda
⚑ Appendix II "On Ken Wilber, Ex-Rabbi Marc Gafni, and Integral Blindness – Ken Wilber, Marc Gafni
__________________________________________________________________________________
⚑ Chapter VI "Zen in the Art of Sex and Violence" – Zen Buddhism
⚑ Chapter XIII "Thai Surprise" – Thai Buddhism
⚑ Chapter XXIV "Sodomy and Gomorrah" – Roman Catholic Church
⚑ Chapter XXV "Of Cabbages and Nature Spirits" – Findhorn

Externe Weblinks

Wikipedia-Einträge Großgruppentraining (engl. LGAT), Kult, Personenkult, Sekte, Starkult

Elektronisches Informationssystem über Sekten, neue religiöse und ideologische Gemeinschaften und Psychogruppen in Deutschland und weltweit, präsentiert von Religio.de (*1994)
Chronologie der christlichen Kirchen, Konfessionen und Sondergruppen Liste charismatischer, mystischer und spiritualistischer Gruppen, nicht erwähnt werden Esoterik [BW 390], Metaphysik [BW 460+]

Hansjörg Hemminger, Was ist eine Sekte, Betrachtung
Checkliste zur qualifizierten Beurteilung des Gefährdungspotenzials von Sekten und Psychogruppen, präsentiert von dem Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales Bayerisches Landesjugendamt und Verband deutscher PsychologInnen

Anmerkung: Ratiobestimmtes Papier, mangelndes spirituelles Verständnis

Artikel von Steven Hassan (*1954) US-amerikanischer Ex-Moonie, Sektenausstiegsberater, psychologischer Berater, Autor, Individuum hinweggefegt. Der amerikanische Sektenexperte Steven Hassan über Sekten und Bewusstseinskontrolle, präsentiert von Ilse Hruby, österreichische Operationsschwester, geschädigt durch Scientology, undatiert
Interview mit June Campbell (*1945) schottische Religionswissenschaftlerin, akademische Feministin, ehemalige Kagyu-Nonne, persönliche Übersetzerin des tibetischen Lamas Kalu Rinpoche, Des Kaisers tantrische Roben – Kalu Rinpoches geheime Gefährtin The Emperor's Tantric Robes], Abdruck des Interviews der US-amerikanischen Dharmazeitung Tricycle. The Buddhist Review, Winter 1996, präsentiert von der deutschen Zeitschrift Buddhismus Heute, Heft 22, 1997
Artikel Gurus, nein danke!, präsentiert von der deutschen Zeitschrift Lichtfokus, Daniel Jacobi, Elraanis Verlag, 1. Januar 1999
Dieter Rohmann, deutscher Diplompsychologe, Kult-Ausstiegsberater, Mögliche Prädisposition einer Sekten-/Kultmitgliedschaft. Zusammenfassung einer empirische Studie'' PDF, Originalmaterial präsentiert von der deutschen Fachzeitschrift Report Psychologie, Oktober 1999, neu aufgelegt 2004
Dieter Rohmann, deutscher Diplompsychologe, Kult-Ausstiegsberater, Darstellung der therapeutischen Arbeit mit Kultmitgliedern bzw. -aussteigern anhand eines Drei-Stufen-Modells, Originalmaterial präsentiert von der deutschen Fachzeitschrift Report Psychologie, Mai-Juni 2000
St. Brunnhuber, R. Wagner, Zur Differentialdiagnostik spiritueller Krisen (ICD10: F.44.3 ; DSM IV: V 62.89), präsentiert von der Publikation Transpersonale Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 12. Jahrgang, Heft 1, Ausgabe Januar 2006

Internationale Klassifikationssysteme von spirituellen Krisen: Zustände beschrieben, welche sich von den klassischen neurotischen bzw. psychotischen Verlaufsformen unterscheiden.

Dieter Rohmann, deutscher Diplompsychologe, Kult-Ausstiegsberater, Kritik an Ole Nydahls tantrischen Methoden. Darstellung der therapeutischen Arbeit mit Kultmitgliedern bzw. -Aussteigern anhand eines Drei-Stufen-Modells, 27. Oktober 2011
- Charles Carreon, Marte-Micaela Riepe, Übersetzerin, TANTRA-Induziertes Wahnhaftes Syndrom (TIWS), 25. Oktober 2011
Interview mit Gail Tredwell (*1958) australisches ehemaliges Sektenmitglied, Ammas persönliche Assistentin (1979-1999), Autorin des Enthüllungsbuchs Holy Hell (2013), Amma: die Kehrseite einer Heiligen, präsentiert von der Schweizer Zeitschrift Spuren, November 2013
Siehe auch (engl.): Tredwells Enthüllungen vor Veröffentlichung des Buchs Internet-Forum yahoo.com

External web links (engl.)

Wikipedia entries Cult, Cult of personality, Large-group awareness training (LGAT), Spiritual abuse
List of cult and new religious movement researchers
Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator [Sektenausstiegsberater], mental health consultant, author, Freedom of Mind, undated

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), founded in 1979

Global network of people concerned about psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments

Cult watch charts Warning Signs, presented by the http://www.culteducation.com/Cult Education Institute, founded by Rick Ross, US American expert consultant and intervention specialist
The Cult Test Questions 1 to 10, presented by A. Orange, issuing date unknown

The BITE model, presented by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author

Article collection Dr. Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform, excerpted from: Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (*1926) US American psychiatrist, researcher of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence, developer of the theory of thought reform, author, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, chapter 15, essay "The Future of Immortality", Norton, New York, 1st edition 1961, New York, chapter 22, 2nd edition 1987, Chapel Hill, 1989
Article Annals of Religion. O Guru, Guru, Guru. The spiritual movement known as SYDA boasts a glittering clientele and a multimillion-dollar Catskills retreat, presented by the US American magazine The New Yorker, Lis Harris, 14. November 1994

Exposing the worldwide religious movement Siddha Yoga run by the SYDA Foundation, founded by the Indian gurus ⚡ Swami Muktananda ⚡ [LoC 655] (1908-1982) and secret practitioner of Tantric sexual yoga Bhagawan Nityananda ⚡ [LoC 500], succeeded by the current head of the Siddha Yoga path Gurumayi Chidvilasananda (*1955).

Article by Carol Giambalvo, Post-Cult Problems: An Exit Counselor's Perspective, published by AFF News, volume 01, No. 02, 1995, cited in: Micheal Langone, Ph.D., US American counseling psychologist specialized in research about "cultic" groups and psychological manipulation, executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), editor of the journal Cultic Studies Review, Recovery from Cults. Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1st edition 17. June 1995
Article Warning signs of dysfunctional cults. Ways of Distinguishing Healthy and Unhealthy Cult Movements, presented by the publication Enlightened Spirituality, Timothy Conway, Ph.D., 1997 / 2007
Article Women Who Sleep with Their Gurus ... and Why They Love It, presented by the dissolved US American magazine What is Enlightenment? / Enlightennext, Jessica Roemischer, US American pianist, composer, teacher, writer, issue 26, August/October 2004
Blog article by Timothy Conway, Ph.D., The Four Kinds of Spiritual Teachers, presented by the publication Enlightened Spirituality, 2005
Book review by Robert C. Priddy, Conny Larsson's 'Behind the Mask of the Clown, presented by saibaba-x.org, ~2006'

Larsson relates how Sathya Sai Baba sexually molested him in a private interview. He eventually discovered that the guru even paid sexually exploited students and devotees.

Blog entry Conny Larsson's story. The Swami [Sai Baba] who deceived a whole world, ~2006
Blog article by John Smith, US American blogger, False Guru Test, presented by the publication Reality Maps formerly known as Energy Grid Magazine, Andrew Paterson, April 2006

Keywords to delineate false gurus [Stichwortkatalog zur Ermittlung von "falschen Gurus"]

Dr. Steven Lambert, US American Bible scholar, educator, theologian, ordained minister, author of Charismatic Captivation, 33 Signs of Spiritual Abuse, presented by the publication Charismatic Captivation, 15. November 2008
Article featuring Jane Stork [Ma Shanti Bhadra] (*1945) Australian former devoted disciple of ⚡ Osho [Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh] (1976-1985), cult disclosing author, Escaing the Bhagwan, presented by the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, 11. April 2009

About 87 per cent of residents had a sexually transmitted disease and women who became pregnant were told by the Bhagwan to abort and sterilise. Stork and her teenage daughter Kelly were both sterilised.
Jane Stork: "The Bhagwan had one line: the good disciple follows what the master says, the good disciple doesn't think … but it wouldn't have happened if I didn't want it to happen."
"To come to terms with that much self-delusion is really difficult. It's a long, slow, painful process." "I think I brainwashed myself."
"I'm sure he [Bhagwan] didn't give a stuff about doing good and helping people. He didn't care at all for his people. They were just a nuisance, they were part of the show."

Archived commentary , 27. November 2008, updated 7. October 2009
Article by Richard Packham, Mitt Romney's Mormon Secrets, first version February 2012
Article Yoga and Sex Scandals: No Surprise Here, presented by the US American daily newspaper The New York Times, William J. Broad, 27. February 2012
Article including videos The Guru Myth, Its Destructive Power and A Cure, presented by the US American Elephant Journal, Julian Walker, 28. February 2012
Blog article The Damning Impact of a Toxic Philosophy on America: The Tragedy of Ayn Rand, presented by the blogspot GCGI, Kamran Mofid, 17. August 2012
Article ISIS Is a Cult That Uses Terrorism: A Fresh New Strategy, presented by the international liberal-left commentary outlet HuffPost, Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, 21. October 2014
Article Nathaniel Branden, lover and disciple of novelist Ayn Rand, dies at 84, presented by the US American daily newspaper The Washington Post, Matt Schudel, 9. December 2014
Article The Return of Werner Erhard, Father of Self-Help, presented by the US American daily newspaper The New York Times, Peter Haldeman, 28. November 2015
Interview featuring ⚡ Sogyal Rinpoche (*1947) Tibetan Dzogchen lama of the Nyingma tradition, founder and spiritual director of Rigpa, exposed sexual offender, Sogyal Rinpoche & Rigpa – An interview with the former director of Rigpa France Olivier Raurich, host Élodie Emery, English translation presented by the Buddhism Controversy blog Diffi*Cult, Tenpel, 9. March 2016
Article A clinical psychologist explains how Ayn Rand seduced young minds and helped turn the US into a selfish nation, presented by the US American publication Alternet, Bruce E. Levine, 21. April 2017
Blog article John de Ruiter’s Messiah Complex, Part One: The Lion & the Lamb, presented by blogspot Auticulture, Jasun Horsley (*1967) English cultural commentator, podcaster, author, 30. April 2017
Blog article Studying Cults. A Forty-Year Reflection, presented by integralworld.net, David Christopher Lane, Ph.D. (*1956) US American professor of philosophy and sociology, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, lecturer in religious studies, author, May 2017
Article As a Guru, Ayn Rand May Have Limits. Ask Travis Kalanick, presented by the US American daily newspaper The New York Times, James B. Stewart, 13. July 2017
Article Ready to Mine: Zen's Legitimating Mythology and Cultish Behavior presented by the Buddhism Controversy blog Diffi*Cult, Tenpel, 16. July 2017
Open letter addressed to ⚡ Sogyal Rinpoche (*1947) Tibetan Dzogchen lama of the Nyingma tradition, founder and spiritual director of Rigpa, exposed sexual offender, Abuse: Letter To Sogyal Rinpoche From Long Term Rigpa Students, presented by the Buddhism Controversy blog Diffi*Cult, Tenpel, 22. July 2017

1. Physical, emotional and psychological abuse of students
2. Sexual abuse of students
3. Lavish, gluttonous, and sybaritic lifestyle
4. Actions which have tainted the appreciation for the practice of the Dharma

Article and interview with Teal Swan (*1984) US American cult leader, Spiritual Guru or Dangerous Cult Leader?, presented by the publication OZY, The Daily Dose, Addison Nugent, 19. November 2017
Article by Be Scofield, US American activist, web designer, DJ, producer, blogger for magazine Tikkun, writer, The Gucci Guru. Inside Teal Swan’s Posh Cult, presented by the stories outlet Medium, 8. March 2018
Article Independent investigation confirms “physical, sexual, emotional abuse by Sogyal Rinpoche, presented by the independent, bimonthly Buddhist magazine Lion's Roar, Lilly Greenblatt, 6. September 2018

Linkless articles

Code of ethics for teachers and students (APST)

Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Spiritual Teachers
Ethical Guidelines for Students,
presented by Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers (APST), Rick Archer, US American BATGAP host, 2018

Audio- und Videolinks

Audio and video links (engl.)

Video TV interview with Sun Myung Moon [LoC 515⇒160] (1920-2012) Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church and his translator, Sun Myung Moon – 1972 Television Interview with Al Capp from Messiah King, host Al Capp, Vimeo video, aired 1972, 12:01 minutes duration, posted ~20. October 2012
Audio dialog between ⚡ Ken Wilber [LoC 490] (*1949) US American transpersonal philosopher, consciousness researcher, thought leader of the 3rd millennium, developer of Integral Theory, author and Tami Simon (*1963) US American founder of multimedia publishing company Sounds True, How to Deal with Disappointment in Your Spiritual Teachers, produced by Integral Life, presented by diydharma.org, 38:05 minutes duration, MP3, 9. June 2008
Video presentation by Diane Benscoter, US American ex-moonie, deprogrammer, How cults rewire the brain, presented by TED Talks, 6:24 minutes duration, filmed February, posted June 2009

Minute 4:13: Circular logic of emotional vulnerable cult members is: 1. Moon is of God. 2. God will fix all the problems in the world. 3. All I have to do is to humbly follow. 4. Then God will fix all that I fell overwhelmed by.
The most dangerous problem is that it creates separation: Us ⇔ Them, Right ⇔ Wrong, Good ⇔ Evil.

Audio interview podcast with Daniel Shaw, LCSW, US American certified psychoanalyst, psychotherapist, cult member of the SYDA movement under Gurumayi (1981-1994), author, Daniel Shaw: What Is Narcissism, Victim Process, How It Develops, Cults, Tea-Party, Clinton..., MP3, presented by The Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show, host Rob Kall, US American radio host, 2:28:54 minutes duration, aired 27. August 2014
Video interview with Jane Stork (*1945) Australian former devoted disciple [Ma Shanti Bhadra] of ⚡ Osho [Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh] (1931-1990), author, Revealing interview with Jane Stork – new context to the 'Wild Wild Country' Netflix documentary, presented from CEM Publishing House, unknown male host, YouTube film, 1:45:27 duration, posted 4. May 2018

After 9 years close to Bhagwan, it took 21 years for Jane Stork to break her silence and tell her impressive story about her time as a Rajneeshee, how she was drawn to the "savior" cult leader and her long journey to find her peace. The interview has been conducted in German in Germany in 2009 and later dubbed into English.
Deutsches Transkript Interview mit Jane Stork Film, 2009,
English transcript Revealing interview with Jane Stork, 2009, dubbed 2018

Audio and video links (engl.) – Steven Hassan

Positive missive Steven Alan Hassan, M.Ed., LMHC, Cult Expert, presented by the Apologetics Index
Critical missive Steven Hassan, presented by the Religious Freedom Watch
Critical missive Steve Hassan Deletes Comments on his Facebook Page by those who disagree with him, presented by the blog Potentially Harmful and Other Questionable Therapies, 12 January 2012

Video TV interview with Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American Moonie (1974-1976), cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steve Hassan Discusses Faith Based Initiative Funds for Cults, presented by the US American basic cable and satellite news television channel ⚡ Fox News [LoC 380/330], host Bill O'Reilly [Work 310] (*1949) US American syndicated columnist, television host of the Bill O'Reilly Show, political commentator, author, YouTube film, 6:52 minutes duration, posted 2. July 2010

Inherent danger in giving federal charitable funds for faith based organizations tied to cults

Video TV interview and roundtable discussion on cults and cultic practice, presented by the US American TV channel CNN, host Dr. Sonya Friedman, YouTube film, posted 2. July 2010
- Steve Hassan on CNN's Sonia Live 1, part 1 of 2, 9:14 minutes duration
- Steve Hassan on CNN's Sonia Live 2, part 2 of 2, 9:42 minutes duration
Video presentation and Q&A by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American Moonie (1974-1976), cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steve Hassan's talk at NY Ethical Culture Society 10-17-10 [Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves], sponsored by New York Society for Ethical Culture, Manhattan, NYC, 17. October 2010, posted November 2010
Audio interview with Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American Moonie (1974-1976), cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, presented by Hawk Radio, The Voice of HCC Students, Ybor City, host Tom Smith, posted 22. April 2011 and 23. April 2011
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 1 of 8, 14:10 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 2 of 8, 14:10 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 3 of 8, 13:06 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 4 of 8, 13:22 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 5 of 8, 15:27 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 6 of 8, 15:19 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 7 of 8, 15:12 minutes duration
- Tom Smith interviews Steve Hassan, part 8 of 8, 12:14 minutes duration
Video roundtable with Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Janja Lalich, US American professor of sociology, California State University Chico, Cults: An In Depth Look At The Experience Of Being In Cults And Breaking Free From Them, presented by The Massachusetts School of Law's Educational Forum, host Diane Sullivan, US American professor of law, YouTube film, 1:00:00 duration, 8. August 2011
Video presentation and Q&A by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steve Hassan talks about the Moon organization 7-2-11, filmed 2. July 2011, in response to 2nd generation Moonie's questions, Vimeo video, 33:37 minutes duration, posted November 2011
Video presentation and Q&A by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Releasing the Bonds: Empowerig People to Think for Themselves, presented at ICSA international conference on cultic groups, Barcelona, Spain, July 2011, introduced by ICSA president Bill Goldberg, MSW, Vimeo video, posted November 2011
- Steve Hassan at Barcelona ICSA conference July, 2011, part 1 of 2, 53:02 minutes duration
- Steve Hassan at Barcelona ICSA conference July, 2011, part 2 of 2, 35:02 minutes duration
Video interview/dialog with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (*1926) US American psychiatrist, known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence and for his theory of thought reform, Robert Jay Lifton interviewed by Steve Hassan July 13th 2011, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, minutes duration, posted November 2011
Video interview/dialog with Bob Fitzpatrick [pyramidschemealert.org], author of False Profits, and Doug M. Brooks Esq., US American lawyer who has litigated some MLM groups, Multi-Level Marketing, Network Marketing exposed from Steven A Hassan, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, 35:52 minutes duration, posted November 2011

Seven warning signs of a pyramid scheme and multi-level marketing group

Video interview/dialog with Masoud Banisadr, MSc (*1953) Iranian engineer, mathematician, former top official of MeK, Iranian terrorist Mojahedin cult, Ex-MeK Masoud Banisadr talks with Steve Hassan 7-12, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, 43:20 minutes duration, posted mid July 2012

Masoud Banisadr, author of Masoud. Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel, SAQI Books, 2004, was the longterm representative of MeK to politicians in the U.S. and Europe.

Video interview with Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Randy Watters, ex JW elder and Steve Hassan 8-12, presented by the "Freedom Of Mind Resource Center", Vimeo video, 26:45 minutes duration, aired August 2012
Video interview/dialog with Hoyt Richards, US American ex 20yr Eternal Values member, former top male model, actor, producer, writer, Hoyt Richards, ex Eternal Values member and Steve Hassan 8-7-12, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, 16:37 minutes duration, posted mid August 2012

Destigmatization after having once been in a cult

Video interview/dialog with Tory Christman (*1947) US American ex 30yr Scientologist (OT7), cult critic and exit educator, mental health consultant, Tory Christman with Steve Hassan 8-7-12, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, 23:10 minutes duration, posted mid August 2012

Former members of Scientology are leaving in record numbers, despite the church's PR efforts.

Video interview/dialog with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (*1926) US American psychiatrist, known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence and for his theory of thought reform, Dr. Robert Jay Lifton and Steve Hassan: August 2012, Wellfleet, Cape Cod, 20. August 2012, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Vimeo video, 53:16 minutes duration, posted ~20. August 2012

Thought reform, psychology of totalism, destroying the world to save it, Nazi doctors

Video presentation by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steve Hassan at FECRIS meeting in Perpignan France Oct 13th 2012, sponsored by FECRIS (European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism), founded in Paris, 30 June 1994, meeting, Perpignan, France, 13. October 2012, Vimeo video, minutes duration, posted ~5. November 2012
Video interview/dialog with Sasha Zbitnoff, Sasha Zbitnoff ex 2nd gen. Scientologist and Steve Hassan 11-12, host Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, aired 12. November 2012, Vimeo video, 25:17 minutes duration, posted 20. November 2012
Audio interview with Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Cult mind control, social categorization theory, and BITE model, presented by the US American Cult Free Radio, #011, host Mad Sweeney and guest host Terry, posted 20./21. November 2011
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 1, 9:46 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 2, 9:47 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 3, 9:22 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 4, 9:38 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 5, 9:40 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 6, 9:17 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 7, 9:28 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 8, 8:56 minutes duration
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 9, 9:42 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 10, 9:59 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 11, 9:48 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 12, 9:54 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 13, 9:57 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 14, 9:23 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
- Cult mind control and BITE model, part 15, 9:19 minutes duration (Steve Hassan)
Video presentation and Q&A by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American Moonie (1974-1976), cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steve Hassan at ISH, Bremen Germany on his new book, FOM and SIA, sponsored by International Society of Hypnosis, congress offered to mental health professionals, Bremen, Germany, 20. October 2012, Vimeo video, 2:51:01 duration, posted 8. January 2013

Working with people who have been subjected to undue influence

Video presentation by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Undue Influence: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and how it all works., YouTube film, minute 22:32, 23:48 minutes duration, posted 28. June 2015
Video presentation by Steven Alan Hassan (*1954) US American ex-Moonie, cult exit educator, mental health consultant, author, Steven Hassan's talk on Helping Individuals Born in High-Demand Groups and Cults, sponsored by ICSA Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 25.-27. June 2015, presented by the "Freedom of Mind Resource Center", YouTube film, 1:20:19 duration, posted 11. July 2015

Documentary and movie links (engl.)

TV documentary Fear is the Master – Bhagwan Rajneesh Cult, 1983, presented by Court TV, YouTube film, 29:44 minutes out of full 62 minutes duration, posted 9. November 2017
Documentary Gods of the New Age, presented by Jeremiah Films, produced 1988, YouTube film, 1:37:55 duration, posted 23. August 2016
US American satirical comedy-drama movie The Truman Show, written by Andrew Niccol, directed by Peter Weir, starring Jim Carrey, 1998
- The Truman Show, part 1 of ?, YouTube film, 10:02 minutes duration, posted 13. April 2012
Video TV documentary on the Unification Church, led by Korean Sun Myung Moon [LoC 515⇒160] (1920-2012), The Real Unification Church [Emperor of the Universe], broadcasted by the British TV station BBC, 2000, YouTube film, 58:43 minutes duration, posted 4. December 2011

Article Reverend Sun Myung Moon – Emperor of The Universe (BBC 2000), posted by GreatMindsOnGod. 11. June 2012

Compare with: Promotion film on the Korean founder of the Unification Church Rev. Sun Myung Moon, presented by the Unification Church, YouTube film, 1:05:09 duration, posted 25. March 2012

Video documentary Cults of Dangerous Devotion Documentary, presented by the US American basic cable and satellite television station The History Channel, produced 2007, referencing Families Against Cult Teachings, YouTube film, 1:23:53 duration, posted 22. August 2016
Video TV documentary Mike Rinder (*1955) Australian ex-Scientologist, former chief spokesman of the Church of Scientology International, broadcasted by the Australian TV station "Channel Seven", program Today Tonight, reporter Bryan Seymour, YouTube film, posted 22. July 2010
- Mike Rinder Speaks Out – Scientology, part 1 of 2, 9:39 minutes duration
- Mike Rinder Speaks Out – Scientology, part 2 of 2, 2:34 minutes duration
Video TV documentary on the Unification Church, broadcasted by the TV program The Today Show, YouTube film, posted 22. September 2011
- The Moonies, part 1 of 2, aired November 1993, 18:09 minutes duration
- The Moonies, part 2 of 2, aired February 1994, 7:56 minutes duration
US American drama film [referring to Ron L. Hubbard] The Master, written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, released in United States, 14. September 2012

Interne Links