For so many years numerous cults have penetrated the religious social norms of society. Some are successful while some crashed down together with their false hopes and false promises of divine salvation. These groups’ Obsessive state of mind and narcissistic kind of leadership lure blind followers into committing themselves wholly to their belief system. False sympathy, manipulation, and threat are just some of the harsh realities that reveal themselves to the followers once they are already inside the murky world of cults.
NRMs, Cults and their underlying Abilities
NRMs does not automatically equate to cults, but generally, pertain to new faiths that were founded in the relatively modern world. These faiths are considered to be an alternative religion for the mainstream ones, such as Christianity. These groups may claim that they have their own belief system but if studied closely their system is actually built by a fusion of practices, teachings, and doctrines from various existing religious sources. NRMs possess a different kind of Power - power that greatly influences or control their members’ personal and social lives, and this power, like anything else if abused, will logically lead to an authoritarian type of leadership.
As cults are closely associated with NRMs but with a more infamous reputation then will it be safe to say that cults are the dark side of new religious faiths? cult is used to call a group of people who have a common religious, philosophical, and spiritual belief that are accompanied by extreme actions and behaviors that are deviant from social norms.
These groups are normally founded by a highly influential, charismatic leader or a person who has an authoritarian character, perceived as someone who possesses great power or thought to have a profound insight or understanding of our world and beyond. This person has the power to attract followers and to actually convince them to be a part of this new belief system that he/she devotedly preaches.
The people highly susceptible to being recruited by cults are those who are in a vulnerable moment in their lives. They may be the ones who are experiencing heightened stress levels due to heartbreak, the death of a loved one, coping up with pubescent problems, losing a job, and leaving home for the first time. Recruiters will make use of these to their advantage and manipulate the situation so the target will be coaxed to join the group. Once a person is inside, the cult’s true powers, or should I say underlying abilities, shall then be revealed.
Abuse, obsession, and blindness
The portrayal of cults false salvation can be easily taken as the gospel truth by those in the dark. Thus from the dark, blind followers emerge and this intoxicating blindness is where their leaders harness their power.
In a community where deceit is rampant one should expect that an abuse of power is just lurking around the corner. Having the ability to control people, dictate their lifestyle, and even have them “donate” their money effortlessly are too tempting to be ignored. With these superpowers, it is (highly) predictable that there will not be only an abuse of power but an obsession about power, as well.
As we all know, obsession will drive any sane man insane, and even more if the obsessed person or people are already on the verge of being insane. Obsession with power is such a strong driving force for every cult’s inner circle that even they themselves are already being turned into blind followers. They, if not yet, are already succumbing to the malice that they, themselves have created.
Temporal Intervention
Cult victims primarily need a temporal intervention, not a divine intervention. They need to communicate with other people outside their cult movement but it is essential to understand that they will perceive “outsiders” as not trustworthy persons, as they will only influence the members to abandon their so-called faith. People who want to help should first educate themselves about the kind of power that has enthralled the victims. They should not condemn the cult itself because by doing this you are only encouraging the belief instilled in them, that you, as an outsider, only selfishly desire to separate them from the group.
Intervening groups should create a friendly and secure environment for the victims because through this they will learn how to build trust.
Plan a vacation, take them to a place where there is no cult presence, and to a place where there will be limited access to the phone or the internet so they will have enough time to be away from the group. Take the opportunity to enjoy the vacation with them. They need to realize for themselves that the power that has chained them to their cults has no divine capacity to banish them to eternal damnation.
At the end of the day, it is important to listen and understand and to communicate and support the cult victims. You see, divine intervention may be needed for some legitimate and non-abusive, non-obsessive religious beliefs but for this kind of movement a temporal or humane intervention is the first line to salvation.
