Joining a Cult: Religious Choice or Psychological Aberration

American Journal of Psychiatry, 1979

Journal of Religion & Health, 1980

While the presence of authoritarian “cults” in our midst raises a number of social control and “law and order” issues, current controversies over cults contain substantial elements of mystification. “Brainwashing” is an inherently subjective metaphor that is used as a rationale for persecuting unpopular movements and defining religious converts as nonautonomous zombies who can be coerced for therapeutic purposes. While “coercive persuasion” models do have some heuristic value for the analysis of indoctrination in some authoritarian groups, assumptions regarding the alleged destruction of the “free will” of converts and the status of authoritarian religiosity as a medical pathology are not warranted.

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 1979

Relatively little attention has been paid in the professional literature to the cult phenomenon: what it is, how it attracts converts, what differentiates the vulnerable youth from the mn-vulnerable; the effects of cult membership on the convert's family, and, particularly, in what ways the family can be aided during and after involvement with the cult. The authors have drawn on clinical observations, interviews, and extant literature from a variety of disciplines in constructing a portrait of the vulnerable youth; the techniques used by cults to attract, recruit, and convert members; the dynamics of the recruit's family; and the most effective modes of therapy for intervening. The intent of the article is to stimulate: 1

Is it possible to identify specific familial patterns as antecedents of adult membership in new religious movements? Can the choice of an NRM be predicted by the childhood experiences of individuals joining such movements? This international literature review seeks to answer these questions, investigating the assumption that early family experiences affect adults' decisions to join NRMs. It includes empirical studies that have been written in English, German and French since 1970, and gives an overview of findings on childhood family structures, including parents and siblings, as well as early family relationships and atmospheres. On the whole, the studies from different countries and decades support the hypothesis that early family experiences have an impact on adult membership in NRMs. However, it seems that individuals with different early experiences are attracted to different kinds of groups. Whereas many studies found problematic family backgrounds and absent fathers in converts' biographies, suggesting a compensatory function of membership, some point to a continuation or restoration of early experiences. More interdisciplinary comparative research on NRMs is needed to gain a better understanding of the psychodynamic processes and psychological offers of different groups. F amilies, especially parents, have played a pivotal role in the debate on so-called cults or new religious movements (NRMs) since it began in the early 1970s. Parents were concerned about their sons

Nova Religio-journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, 2007

Is it possible to identify specific familial patterns as antecedents of adult membership in new religious movements? Can the choice of an NRM be predicted by the childhood experiences of individuals joining such movements? This international literature review seeks to answer these questions, investigating the assumption that early family experiences affect adults' decisions to join NRMs. It includes empirical studies that have been written in English, German and French since 1970, and gives an overview of findings on childhood family structures, including parents and siblings, as well as early family relationships and atmospheres. On the whole, the studies from different countries and decades support the hypothesis that early family experiences have an impact on adult membership in NRMs. However, it seems that individuals with different early experiences are attracted to different kinds of groups. Whereas many studies found problematic family backgrounds and absent fathers in converts' biographies, suggesting a compensatory function of membership, some point to a continuation or restoration of early experiences. More interdisciplinary comparative research on NRMs is needed to gain a better understanding of the psychodynamic processes and psychological offers of different groups. F amilies, especially parents, have played a pivotal role in the debate on so-called cults or new religious movements (NRMs) since it began in the early 1970s. Parents were concerned about their sons

2010

The rise of religious fundamentalisms and the implications of the dividing polarity are a topic of increasing attention in scholarly literature. The induction of new generations into opposing world-views is a structural violence deeply embedded in widespread education and parenting systems. The implications of this phenomenon and in particular that the childhood conversion into fundamentalists’ paradigms, range from psychological abuse to global threats driven by religious-identity ideologies. This paper approaches the topic as a dilemma: the pure intentions and passionate beliefs of fundamentalists, with violent consequences on individuals, society, and the world. Extensive religious and secular scholarship and Australian case studies provide a basis for analysis and evaluation of this ethical dilemma. Perspectives of children, parents, fundamentalist leaders, and society, are examined and theoretical and practical solutions explored. A breach of the Convention of the Rights of the Child is identified and ways of increasing education on religion and decreasing incidences of indoctrination are discussed. In order for a child to truly exercise their right to freedom of religion, it is the education of fundamentalist parents and leaders that is crucial. The paper concludes with an introduction to recent United Nations initiatives that look towards such solutions. Spreading awareness of the ethical dilemma is the first step to addressing this structural violence and its significant consequences.

The article focuses on the difficulties of attributing joining high-demand groups to a rational decision, as presented by cult apologists. It then addresses critical issues related to the application of rational choice theory to the religious sphere, including in light of the fact that some of the most influential critics of mind control explicitly refer to the Theory of Religious Economics (TRE), which is based on this premise of classical economics. It then looks at the relationship between the milieu of cult apologists and the conservative libertarianism known as paleoliberalism, and how this undermines confidence in the sincerity and neutrality of the positions of cult apologists.

Institute of Policy Studies, 2020

Pakistan, being an Islamic Republic, is portrayed as a country where rights of religious minorities are undermined. A major allegation in this context is that members of minority communities, particularly women and girls, are forcibly converted to Islam. The frequent promotion of this allegation has developed a narrative that is repeated without verifying its authenticity to malign Pakistani state and society at international forums. This baseline report presents content analysis of the reports, academic studies and social media outlets on the narrative of ‘forced’ conversion in Pakistan. The argument of most of the activists and many policymakers about the prevalence of organized and systematic forced conversions of minority community members revolves around the claims and data presented in certain reports. Part I of this baseline report is based on the content analysis of the NGO reports that are often presented as the principal evidence of the existence of the issue in Pakistan. In Part II, the report reviews academic studies on the subject and presents alternative evidence hidden in the scripts of Hindu and Dalit (scheduled castes) activists. In the end, a brief discussion is followed by some recommendations and propositions for further in-depth study. The analysis primarily focuses on the selection and representation of the cases of alleged forced conversions, the way forced conversion is defined, and the organizations as well as individuals involved in reporting and highlighting the cases and incidents of ‘forced conversions’. It analyzes them to assess the scientific rigor or the validity and reliability of the overall data presented. It also interrogates the discursive anomalies that singularly focus on the State religion, instead of on the post-truth minority politics as it is staged on the internet or social media. Epistemologically, its primary concern is that the meaning of ‘conversion’ becomes fixed as ‘forced’ conversion in various reports. The content analysis shows that these reports that are often presented by rights activists as the primary evidence based on substantive first-hand data, and understood as such by civil and political society, lack primary evidence, and mainly rely on clichés cited from other similar reports. The reports rely on anecdotal evidence taken from newspaper reports and statements primarily collected from activists and politicians rather than the supposed victims and so-called perpetrators. Based on that, it is argued that claims in these reports framed as statements are tautological in nature and make circular arguments on the basis of unverified/unverifiable secondary data, presumed as primary data. The study also interrogates the polemics against religious clerics, lawyers, police, and the State of Pakistan that characterizes the content of the reports. The study also underscores the narrative internal to minority communities, particularly Dalits, and found that irrespective of the influence of religious clerics or dominant Muslim communities, the young girls and women have acquired some agency to transcend the domestic or familial pressure of the patriarchs to challenge ‘forced’ marriages, and to break caste-based and religious barriers. Some Dalit activists maintain that the narrative of ‘forced’ conversion is being projected by the privileged caste Hindus to maintain their hegemony over the emerging political class of Dalits. The report, therefore, concludes that the issue of conversion is more complicated than it is made out to be in everyday politics. The reports and simultaneous projection of the statements through social media and the internet seem more political rather than objective and impartial accounts based on scientific authenticity. Additionally, this study contends that although academic studies on the subject suspect the monolithic narrative of NGO reports, they have not adequately addressed hidden and public scripts of the rights activists, Hindus, Dalits, victim families, and alleged perpetrators. Finally, this analysis recommends primary research into the subject to understand the phenomenon of faith conversions, various factors contributing to it, and the justification and objectives of the rhetoric being promoted through various reports and statements.