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How Do You know You Are Not In A Cult?

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
Well since I left religion all together, which cult would I be part of?

The cult of state.

Most secular people don't understand that human beings can only get away from cults by being spiritual but not religious. When you're secular, you have no sense of divine power or afterlife, so what Nancy Pelosi, Governor Northam, Kim Jung Il, or Donald Trump does matters to you. When you're spiritual but not religious, you retain a sense that the next world, not this world, matters. Yet you also don't need approval from a specific temple or social group.

Also, altogether.

All together vs. altogether – Correct Spelling – Grammarist
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
The cult of state.

Most secular people don't understand that human beings can only get away from cults by being spiritual but not religious. When you're secular, you have no sense of divine power or afterlife, so what Nancy Pelosi, Governor Northam, Kim Jung Il, or Donald Trump does matters to you. When you're spiritual but not religious, you retain a sense that the next world, not this world, matters. Yet you also don't need approval from a specific temple or social group.

Also, altogether.

All together vs. altogether – Correct Spelling – Grammarist
I’m spiritual but not religious, but I believe this world and the next world matters.

To have no concern for what our leaders do is imo to have no sense of justice, or compassion for the victims of leadership mistakes and malpractice.

Justice and compassion are 2 critical virtues necessary for salvation in my beliefs.
 

Samael_Khan

Goosebender
I'm not in a cult.

I've been in a cult before. The key part of a cult is CONTROL.

Atheist types like to look at religion and point at cults. Oh? What about Hitler Youth, or Labor groups? They take you in, then they exert political (rather than religious) pressure on what you do. At best, they only do this to take your money, but there are some secular cults all about controlling people's lives.

Here's an example of a cult. People wear masks, stay apart from each other, stand inside zones, use buzz words like "social distancing", wash hands ritualistically (yet believe that no amount of sanitation will make them clean enough), close all stores and religious establishments, and have a wary look on their face.

I'm not in a cult.

All of you are in a cult.

Uhhhh... nope. Paying attention to covid regulations is not being part of a cult. That would be like saying that adhering to a country with laws is like being a part of a cult. And the regulations also vary from country to country.

A big thing is that it is OK for people to speak out against those regulations which is what people like you are doing. Are you getting shunned because of it?

If you aren't getting shunned then that is a big indicator that the rest of us are not in a cult.
 

Samael_Khan

Goosebender
The cult of state.

Most secular people don't understand that human beings can only get away from cults by being spiritual but not religious. When you're secular, you have no sense of divine power or afterlife, so what Nancy Pelosi, Governor Northam, Kim Jung Il, or Donald Trump does matters to you. When you're spiritual but not religious, you retain a sense that the next world, not this world, matters. Yet you also don't need approval from a specific temple or social group.

Also, altogether.

All together vs. altogether – Correct Spelling – Grammarist

A cult of State would be like China and especially North Korea.

If people can vote and speak out against the government with no consequence then we wouldn't be a part of a cult of state. I would agree that elements of mind control are used on occasion and politicians engage in indoctrination and fear mongering quite a bit.
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
I’m spiritual but not religious, but I believe this world and the next world matters.

To have no concern for what our leaders do is imo to have no sense of justice, or compassion for the victims of leadership mistakes and malpractice.

Justice and compassion are 2 critical virtues necessary for salvation in my beliefs.

Fair enough.
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
Uhhhh... nope. Paying attention to covid regulations is not being part of a cult. That would be like saying that adhering to a country with laws is like being a part of a cult. And the regulations also vary from country to country.

A big thing is that it is OK for people to speak out against those regulations which is what people like you are doing. Are you getting shunned because of it?

If you aren't getting shunned then that is a big indicator that the rest of us are not in a cult.

Are you sure?

Because from where I stand, safe practice could have been done the same way as cold or flu. Wash your hands, get plenty of rest, take one week off, and come back to work. The seasonal flu is incredibly dangerous, claiming 50000 people a year (actual deaths), just in terms of the US. People react by ignoring this. Lemme repeat that. 50000 a year. Nobody washes their hands, nobody agrees to wear a mask, businesses are not closed down, etc. The Coronavirus gets 1000 people sick (read this again, sick not dead), and of those maybe 2% (20 people) die before there is a complete fullblown media meltdown, and all businesses shut down. 20 people > 50000 ppl. Hmmm! Something about this math is wrong.

This is a cult.


Clean, Noradzhere!

Noradz (video above) is a town featured in the media Deltora Quest. They don't eat with utensils, instead washing their hands frequently then eating finger foods. They sweep and scrub and sweep and scrub so as not to have rats. A roll falling to the ground is enough to make a girl scream, be she knows she will be punished by the red coated cleanliness experts. Clean cults are a thing.
 
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A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
There's a lot of cults out there. What makes a cult? What are the signs? What should you look out for?

How do you know you are not already in one?


I know I am not in one because I eschew all such groupings of my fellow humans. I just don't see the point.

Perhaps part of me can sympathize/empathize - but there is too much at stake to throw your lot in with someone(s) who claims to have it all figured out - and all too easy to come to an understanding that no one really can have it all figured out in that way (spiritually/religiously/God/no-god/etc.)
 

Samael_Khan

Goosebender
Are you sure?

Because from where I stand, safe practice could have been done the same way as cold or flu. Wash your hands, get plenty of rest, take one week off, and come back to work. The seasonal flu is incredibly dangerous, claiming 50000 people a year (actual deaths), just in terms of the US. People react by ignoring this. Lemme repeat that. 50000 a year. Nobody washes their hands, nobody agrees to wear a mask, businesses are not closed down, etc. The Coronavirus gets 1000 people sick (read this again, sick not dead), and of those maybe 2% (20 people) die before there is a complete fullblown media meltdown, and all businesses shut down. 20 people > 50000 ppl. Hmmm! Something about this math is wrong.

This is a cult.


Clean, Noradzhere!

There are big differences between Covid 19 and the seasonal flu.

Apparently there are 126000 deaths in the USA by corona virus and we have just hit the middle of the year. And this is with social distancing regulations in place which is stricter than flu regulations. You are comparing 50 000 deaths a year to 126 000 deaths in a few months. Over double the amount in less time.

We don't even have a cure for covid 19. It is almost a mystery. That should be scary. That makes it unpredictable. We still don't know that much about it and what it might do. This is unlike the flu which is known.

The reason why strict precautions had to be taken when the deaths were only 2% is because there were a whole lot of people dying in other countries already and their predictions were grave. Now you guys have thousands of deaths even with the precautions.

So the math was actually right. It was predictive, done by professionals who actually know how to work out such things.
 

Brickjectivity

wind and rain touch not this brain
Staff member
Premium Member
If one was in a cult, would it automatically mean it (the faith/religion) cannot be true?
If you were to find out that a religion was not true then I think that wouldn't guarantee a religion be a cult, so contra-positively if the religion were guaranteed to be a cult then it wouldn't guarantee that the religion was true, either. Therefore I think that a true religion is not necessarily going to be a cult. Hopefully not!
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
A cult of State would be like China and especially North Korea.

If people can vote and speak out against the government with no consequence then we wouldn't be a part of a cult of state. I would agree that elements of mind control are used on occasion and politicians engage in indoctrination and fear mongering quite a bit.

My dad once told me something. The most oppressed states are those where people believe thet are free, yet aren't able to do basic things.

Alright, I wanna go to a movie. Can I? Not unless it's a drive-in movie.
I wanna go to church. Well, maybe wait a little longer, or wear a mask and sir far apart from each other. And you can forget about passing the peace.
How about telling people not to worry about Coronavirus? Well uhhhh, you can probably get warned at many webforums if you do that.

Compare this to what Jesus said.

Matthew 10:16-28
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
There are big differences between Covid 19 and the seasonal flu.

Apparently there are 126000 deaths in the USA by corona virus and we have just hit the middle of the year. And this is with social distancing regulations in place which is stricter than flu regulations. You are comparing 50 000 deaths a year to 126 000 deaths in a few months. Over double the amount in less time.

We don't even have a cure for covid 19. It is almost a mystery. That should be scary. That makes it unpredictable. We still don't know that much about it and what it might do. This is unlike the flu which is known.

The reason why strict precautions had to be taken when the deaths were only 2% is because there were a whole lot of people dying in other countries already and their predictions were grave. Now you guys have thousands of deaths even with the precautions.

So the math was actually right. It was predictive, done by professionals who actually know how to work out such things.

(Rolls eyes)

Are there? Really?

Do you think I'm a person who cares about these numbers?

I care about our reaction to these numbers, which is completely fear driven. I also care that Italy, they found that the numbers were extracted based on deaths of people who had the Coronavirus, not deaths FROM the Coronavirus. That is, if a train crashed and 500 people on the train had mild symptoms of Coronavirus, all of these deaths would be reported not as "train crash" but as "Coronavirus." I read some more, and it is turns out only SIX deaths can only be attributed to Coronavirus.
Just How Inflated Are Coronavirus Death Counts, Exactly?

Everything else is Coronavirus causing coughing while driving resulting in a wreck, Coronavirus while diabetic weakening immune system, Coronavirus plus prolonged exposure to indoor air resulting in death from pneumonia, Coronavirus plus being extremely old and dehydrated from warmer than normal winter (long spring, basically), Coronavirus plus moldy rainy weather. And complications from asthma.

Six pure Coronavirus deaths, and many of the impure deaths, Coronavirus had very little to do with.

But you're missing the point. The point is cult-like fanaticism about this. The numbers will go up, but at some point, you must get on with your life. If I said this is the Beast of Revelation, most sensible people would agree that the average person would say, "What is like unto the Beast what can stand against it?" But I won't. I'd say, "God." I could literally just pray for good health, and feel better.

We must declare our terms of victory against the world, or be defeated by the cults of fear and anger therein.
 
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Samael_Khan

Goosebender
My dad once told me something. The most oppressed states are those where people believe thet are free, yet aren't able to do basic things.

Alright, I wanna go to a movie. Can I? Not unless it's a drive-in movie.
I wanna go to church. Well, maybe wait a little longer, or wear a mask and sir far apart from each other. And you can forget about passing the peace.
How about telling people not to worry about Coronavirus? Well uhhhh, you can probably get warned at many webforums if you do that.

Compare this to what Jesus said.

Matthew 10:16-28

What are you talking about? You are talking out against the lockdown on this forum are you not?

What about the youtube guys who speak out against it?

You speak about Jesus, but Jesus was a Jew. Have you read how restrictive the Mosaic Law is? Would you say that God made Israel an oppressive state? Because that law restricted lepers because their disease was dangerous to the community. Pretty much what is happening now with Covid 19.
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
Read up sometime about how the Jews treated their unclean.

Then read up on Peter's Dream.

Then see if you can tell me why true Christians should categorically ignore this hysteria as a cult of some sort.

...And that's all I'm saying.

Oh yeah, and speaking of youtube, watch the video I shared above.
 

Samael_Khan

Goosebender
(Rolls eyes)

Are there? Really?

Do you think I'm a person who cares about these numbers?

I care about our reaction to these numbers, which is completely fear driven. I also care that Italy, they found that the numbers were extracted based on deaths of people who had the Coronavirus, not deaths FROM the Coronavirus. That is, if a train crashed and 500 people on the train had mild symptoms of Coronavirus, all of these deaths would be reported not as "train crash" but as "Coronavirus." I read some more, and it is turns out only SIX deaths can only be attributed to Coronavirus.
Just How Inflated Are Coronavirus Death Counts, Exactly?

Everything else is Coronavirus causing coughing while driving resulting in a wreck, Coronavirus while diabetic weakening immune system, Coronavirus plus prolonged exposure to indoor air resulting in death from pneumonia, Coronavirus plus being extremely old and dehydrated from warmer than normal winter (long spring, basically), Coronavirus plus moldy rainy weather. And complications from asthma.

Six pure Coronavirus deaths, and many of the impure deaths, Coronavirus had very little to do with.

Interesting article. Notice the below points from the article:

"This is a rough estimate and it would be extremely difficult to confirm. Furthermore, there is little reason to dismiss a death when coronavirus has indeed contributed to it. If someone already had a serious case of asthma, got coronavirus, and died, it would be fair to say coronavirus contributed to the death."

I don't know where you get the conclusion from this that coronavirus had very little to do with the deaths. If people are dying faster as a result of the virus then it contributes a lot.

"However, the likelihood that “pure, solely coronavirus deaths” are so low does make a difference when analyzing the pandemic in terms of years of life lost, an important measurement."

The virus also apparently shortens life spans.

So, I don't know why you are differentiating between pure vs impure coronavirus deaths because they are still deaths influenced by the virus.

How is this completely fear driven?

And no, those 500 people who die on a train would be said to have died of a train crash, not coronavirus, because it would be obvious that they died of bodily trauma. You are confusing death by sickness with death by external factors.

So my point stands, coronavirus is dangerous.

You seem like a person who picks and chooses info and reads into info because of what you wish to believe as this article you sent doesn't disagree with the argument I made. I don't differentiate between pure coronavirus as I already know that the majority of deaths happens to those who have prior ailments. Coronavirus is deadly to them That is why it is dangerous.
 

Samael_Khan

Goosebender
Read up sometime about how the Jews treated their unclean.

Then read up on Peter's Dream.

Then see if you can tell me why true Christians should categorically ignore this hysteria as a cult of some sort.

...And that's all I'm saying.

Oh yeah, and speaking of youtube, watch the video I shared above.

Peter's dream is referring clean and unclean regarding food. The Jews of the time apparently created traditions that were unnecessary. I am not talking about those Jews. I am talking about the OT law.

I don't know what you consider a true christian. Many people who say they are true Christians are themselves part of a cult. I do know that many people who claim to be Christian congregated together even though they weren't warned to, contracted the virus, and a few of them died.
 

cataway

Well-Known Member
as a general rule a cult has a flamboyant leader . a few names come to mined. Jim Jones ,David Corish
 

Ponder This

Well-Known Member
Many people have lost their life because of mind controls through cults. I think any group (cult) that tries to control your mind is not healthy.


Many people have lost their lives through all sorts of things (even through driving cars).
And if only a few cults result in the loss of life, while many other cults do not, then perhaps there is something more than simply being in a cult that causes it to result in loss of life.

You say many people have lost their life because of mind control... Mind control doesn't have to be through a cult to kill you. Also mind control doesn't necessarily result in loss of life.
Perhaps, it isn't that helpful identify that you are in a cult or not, if you still can't identify that you being mind controlled, and maybe identifying that you are being mind controlled still isn't enough to help you.

The video you posted pointed out a couple of cults that were bad for the people in them, but this was not surprising because these cults grabbed headlines. So lots of people know they were bad.
And did you notice how the video clearly plays on people's fear ( a mind control technique) in order to create a particular perception about cults? How many people who watched that video realized that they were being mind controlled?

So perhaps the focus should be on: How do you identify that the cult you are in is good or bad for you?
I think your first video pointed out something very helpful: Seek out people who disagree and find out why they disagree.
I think that's excellent advice for helping people to see a situation clearly from all sides.
 

BilliardsBall

Veteran Member
There's a lot of cults out there. What makes a cult? What are the signs? What should you look out for?

How do you know you are not already in one?



Cults tend to control people, especially via sexual relations and dietary habits:

1 Tim 4:3 "They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."
 

SLPCCC

Active Member
Many people have lost their lives through all sorts of things (even through driving cars).
And if only a few cults result in the loss of life, while many other cults do not, then perhaps there is something more than simply being in a cult that causes it to result in loss of life.

You say many people have lost their life because of mind control... Mind control doesn't have to be through a cult to kill you. Also mind control doesn't necessarily result in loss of life.
Perhaps, it isn't that helpful identify that you are in a cult or not, if you still can't identify that you being mind controlled, and maybe identifying that you are being mind controlled still isn't enough to help you.

The video you posted pointed out a couple of cults that were bad for the people in them, but this was not surprising because these cults grabbed headlines. So lots of people know they were bad.
And did you notice how the video clearly plays on people's fear ( a mind control technique) in order to create a particular perception about cults? How many people who watched that video realized that they were being mind controlled?

So perhaps the focus should be on: How do you identify that the cult you are in is good or bad for you?
I think your first video pointed out something very helpful: Seek out people who disagree and find out why they disagree.
I think that's excellent advice for helping people to see a situation clearly from all sides.


I wondered if a person who is in a cult can find out if their in a cult through reading and learning about cults. A friend of mine who was in a destructive cult said that she never knew she was in a cult until she read about mind control. She saw the similarities like love bombing visitors, shunning, and everyone dressing the same (shirt and tie, dresses), and not questioning the leaders, etc. Once she saw the similarities, she started researching which eventually led to her leaving the religion. Knowledge is power and that's what cult leaders don't want you to get. You may or may not die in a car crash but would it be smart to know that the car you are in does not function safely?
 
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