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cult research survey


parsley
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During some of my cult research, I came across an article describing how the moonies captivate their converts through intra, inter and public communication. Some of the points made in the article are listed below. Do you feel TWI followed the same course? Do you think the questions are slanted? Do you think major religions use the same techniques - or are these points particular to cults?

The intra personal ones involve where the convert was psychologically when they were "invited" to join. The interpersonal ones mostly involved peer pressure. The public communication of the Moonies was really bashed as being "pathetic."

If you would like to answer this survey, perhaps "yes" "no" and "not applicable" might be the easiest to tabulate. I am also open to suggestions. Not much time was put into the wording, and I know I have not offered definitions for the terms - sorry.

1)Would you say you were at a major “turning point” in your life when you started attending cult meetings?

2)Did you feel you were in an undesirable state when you became interested in the teachings?

3)Had you tried other avenues to resolve a problem causing you tension in your life before resorting to the cult’s solutions?

4)Did the cult isolate you from your regular peer group?

5)If you expressed a different point of view from the group, did the group reprimand you and explain the proper way to think?

6)Were you discouraged from analyzing things for yourself, and encouraged to conform?

7)Were your decisions about individual actions taken away, and replaced with a strict regimen of group activities including group eating, sleeping, listening, talking, working and playing?

8) Do you think the public teachings were delivered with skill by polished, knowledgeable and dynamic speakers?

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Parsley, I am assuming this will work in this regard.

1)Would you say you were at a major “turning point” in your life when you started attending cult meetings?

Yes

2)Did you feel you were in an undesirable state when you became interested in the teachings?

Do you mean was my self worth lower than a snakes belly? If so then no.

3)Had you tried other avenues to resolve a problem causing you tension in your life before resorting to the cult’s solutions?

Yes

4)Did the cult isolate you from your regular peer group?

Yes

5)If you expressed a different point of view from the group, did the group reprimand you and explain the proper way to think?

Yes

6)Were you discouraged from analyzing things for yourself, and encouraged to conform?

Yes

7)Were your decisions about individual actions taken away, and replaced with a strict regimen of group activities including group eating, sleeping, listening, talking, working and playing?

Most often, yes

8) Do you think the public teachings were delivered with skill by polished, knowledgeable and dynamic speakers?

No

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1)Would you say you were at a major “turning point” in your life when you started attending cult meetings?

I was looking for a turning point, things hadn't been well for a few years.

2)Did you feel you were in an undesirable state when you became interested in the teachings?

Yes, I had a few hard years prior to becoming involved, but it was more the people initially than the teachings that I was interested in.

3)Had you tried other avenues to resolve a problem causing you tension in your life before resorting to the cult’s solutions?

Yes

4)Did the cult isolate you from your regular peer group?

Yes

5)If you expressed a different point of view from the group, did the group reprimand you and explain the proper way to think?

Yes

6)Were you discouraged from analyzing things for yourself, and encouraged to conform?

Yes

7)Were your decisions about individual actions taken away, and replaced with a strict regimen of group activities including group eating, sleeping, listening, talking, working and playing?

Yes

8) Do you think the public teachings were delivered with skill by polished, knowledgeable and dynamic speakers?

Looking back No, but at the time they seemed so, that was reinforced by the every present groupthink

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I'd give at least a tentative "yes" to all of those. #7 was probably not enforced as much in WayWorld, except at "The Rock" or once you went "W.O.W." or into the "Corps".

Other than that, yeah, it was a pretty typical cult.

I think the main attribute for a cult candidate

is simply credulousness. As kids we all have that in abundance, and some never grow out of it (witness the popularity on this site still of such things as designer water, homeopathy, bio-energy manipulation, prayer, etc.).

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parsley:

"1)Would you say you were at a major “turning point” in your life when you started attending cult meetings?"

YES

"2)Did you feel you were in an undesirable state when you became interested in the teachings?"

NO

"3)Had you tried other avenues to resolve a problem causing you tension in your life before resorting to the cult’s solutions?"

N/A

"4)Did the cult isolate you from your regular peer group?"

NO

"5)If you expressed a different point of view from the group, did the group reprimand you and explain the proper way to think?"

NO

"6)Were you discouraged from analyzing things for yourself, and encouraged to conform?"

NO, just the opposite, I was encouraged to study it for myself.

"7)Were your decisions about individual actions taken away, and replaced with a strict regimen of group activities including group eating, sleeping, listening, talking, working and playing?"

NO, LOL [being active duty in the military what church could ever do such a thing?]

"8) Do you think the public teachings were delivered with skill by polished, knowledgeable and dynamic speakers?"

Sometimes.

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1)Would you say you were at a major “turning point” in your life when you started attending cult meetings?

YES

2)Did you feel you were in an undesirable state when you became interested in the teachings?

YES

3)Had you tried other avenues to resolve a problem causing you tension in your life before resorting to the cult’s solutions?

YES

4)Did the cult isolate you from your regular peer group?

YES

5)If you expressed a different point of view from the group, did the group reprimand you and explain the proper way to think?

YES

6)Were you discouraged from analyzing things for yourself, and encouraged to conform?

YES

7)Were your decisions about individual actions taken away, and replaced with a strict regimen of group activities including group eating, sleeping, listening, talking, working and playing?

NO

8) Do you think the public teachings were delivered with skill by polished, knowledgeable and dynamic speakers?

YES

Okay, "yes" or "no" is hardly fair with any of those answers so it's skewed. None of them are absolute "yes" or "no" answers, and the "no" one is a multiple-part question with some "yes"es. Hope that helps. I will say that most of the "yes" answers were not things that were demanded, but they sure as hell were expected and to not go along with them would have meant being outside of the "household."

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