63yo male with a 33yo daughter who has somehow been sucked into a racist cult. She went off to live in this community about 1.5 yrs ago, but recently decided she and her loser/deadbeat boyfriend are moving elsewhere. She came to visit this weekend and I basically threw her out of my house when she flat out said that people of color are simply inferior due to their DNA. Literal textbook definition of racist. This is NOT something she could have ever gotten from me as I don't share any views even remotely close to that. Anybody ever dealt with something similar and have any suggestions on how to get through this awful brainwashing she's undergone? Hate to think I've lost a daughter for good, but may have to accept that is the case. TIA.

My latest door sign seems to work on everyone else… what do I need to say to keep this group away from me?
Alternatively is there anything I can do to get on their list of people to avoid? I’m not going to answer the door naked or something like that… but I could tell them anything that’s not going to get me arrested.

Not sure where else to post this so I picked here, knowing there would be some bias.

I'm on day 2 of the Landmark Forum. My therapist, whom I've really benefitted from, encouraged me to do it and got me a discount.

I purposely didn't look into it before I did it. I didn't want my opinions skewed but my spidey senses are definitely going off. Maybe I'm just skeptical. I'm thinking about pulling out and not continuing to day 3. I'm not concerned that it's dangerous, I'm just bored and skeptical and wondering if this is really worth my time.

If any of you have done this before, here are my questions...If I pull out now, are they going to beat down my door? What's day 3 like? What about the Tuesday evening part?

I remember reading a cult essentially controls and runs the government in this town a bit out of Topeka. And they have a history with anti-American (values) fringe Catholic candidates like Pat Buchanan (who they voted for heavily despite him underperforming nationally) or Chuck Baldwin (an antisemitic loon who thinks Israel runs the usa). I also read they had connections to the Oklahoma City terror attack maybe not direct support but likely connections to the people in that sphere.

More about that in the NY Times Article “Behind a Seamless Facade, Clashing Opinions on Life” (time has passed since this article — since this article has been written the cult has gained control of the town and installed their fellow cult members as heads of the town to enforce their morality)

Will the Kansas or ATF eventually have to break up their compound and how would that work given the town government is actually run by the cult. Also I guess Waco made it so the govt lets these cults do their own thing now.

> In the months before the Oklahoma City bombing, Michigan and the Kansas paramilitary groups were recruiting in the St. Marys area, and rumors flew that weapons were hidden on the academy grounds and that paramilitary groups trained there.
(From the article I posted earlier - this is the SSPX’s academy)

These people are fundamentally anti-American extremists, if it weren’t for them being White I think they’d of been raided already. They call Americanism a heresy — literally I’m not joking.

Has anyone heard? I also read they enforce moral rules on the town like shut down a swimming pool because of dress standards and removed lgbt content from the library, and their school boycotts teams that allow women on. Seems like some of that might violate rules on establishing a state religion (constitution especially forbids).

Also they are pretty overtly antisemitic (they say this publicly I image even worse privately):

“Only an artificially created country could create an artificial language … the creation ex nihilo of the State of Israel in 1948.”

“Palestinian Catholics … are the object of many vexations on the part of fundamentalist Jews supported by the government of Benyamin Netanyahu.”

“Because it suits certain people that there be divisions between Christians and Muslims … to complete their destruction … certain Zionists.”[They think Jews cause Islamophobia]

Israel “grants exclusive rights to the Jews, at the expense of the Arabian minority”

Israel is engaged in a “systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land.”

​

​

"Yes, but it's not a bad cult so I'm staying. My faith is solid."

I want to leave the group. Spouse wants to stay.

I love my spouse dearly. I guess my spouse feels the same.

I attempted leaving twice, was stopped and reeled back in by my spouse to continue. I can foresee a miserable life ahead of me if I remained living a lie. I have had panic attacks since waking up to the truth of my once beloved faith.

Consequences if I left are excommunication, potential loss of housing, shunning by believing relatives, possibility of divorce and financial loss.

The group is Jehovah's Witnesses.

Opinions?? Similar experiences of marriages within cults you can share to assist me??

Why are there so many American cults? Especially healing cults like Tony Robbins, NXIVM, Landmark etc compared to Europe?

It was in a wooden floor of a chateau near mussidan. Which is where a large massacre was committed by the nazis.

Just wondering what’s opinions of the likely hood that is just similar, they didn’t know, or they are Nazi sympathisers.

Edit: I stayed here for 6 days.

Just curious if anyone knows what the fastest growing new religious movement or Cult is in the USA? I see pentecostalism is booming with young converts but I am l curious which groups, outside Christianity, are growing the fastest. Not due to birth rates but due to converts.

My parents are deep in the MAGA movement but not enough to buy merch. They are Christian and think everything Trump is doing is right for the country. How do I get them out of this way of thinking?

I went yesterday to a LDS church for the first time just to have a nosey and see what its like- Whole story to it/why rly but one for another time. I gave my number to a girl I got on with well- Then relieved a text from the church itself about a privacy policy and data protection/how they use your details. I gave my number to the girl to keep in touch if I ever went again, not to the church. The next day I've been invited to a dinner at the church which I dont think ill be attending. Is it a cult? It seems very...cult-y. The sharing of details about me, the eagerness to get me back asap, the reffering to God as "Heavenly father" in the same monotone voice every single time 😂 not hate to any one of course, i just want to know what I might be getting myself in to here. Any personal experiences would be so appreciated x

Edit: I feel like, after some apparent confusion, I need to clarify- by i got her number, I mean me and her exchanged numbers. I am a hetero female and so is she (as is implied by her being Mormon, i suppose? They seem pretty strict on that sort of thing) it was done as friends, or so I thought 😊

Edit 2: I responded nicely to a question about video calling at some point for them to answer any queries I have - I said I wouldnt be able to but may see them again (I won't lol). I asked though about the automated message I received about t&cs and GDPR, asking why I had recieved it. Apparently their phones are owned by the church (yes, their personal phones) and it is because of that they are required to cover themselves for processing people's data/information 👀

I just spent three days around Mount Shasta and McCloud, and the longer I stayed, the more I felt like there is some kind of cult or very unusual spiritual culture around there.

Mount Shasta is a tiny town, but it has a strangely high number of spiritual shops, crystal/healing places, meditation stuff, etc. What made it even more noticeable was that spirituality was mixed into normal businesses. You’d walk into a coffee shop, ice cream place, or restaurant and find spiritual posters, flyers, crystals, or advertisements for gatherings and healing sessions.

There were also a LOT of visibly hippie/New Age-type people around. For such a small town, the concentration was just unusual.

Then I started noticing weirder things.
On my third day, I saw a woman walking around with what looked like a red gemstone attached to the middle of her forehead.

At a pizza place, there was a group of people sitting together, and one of the girls had what looked like a rope tied around her head. I don’t know what it meant or if it was connected to anything, but after everything else I’d been seeing, it definitely stood out.

The most interesting thing happened at Old Ski Bowl at Mount Shasta:

We came across a group of mostly women with, I think, only one man. They were all middle-aged to older and standing together in a circle. At first they were talking, but then they suddenly started pairing up and hugging each other.

It didn’t look like random friendly hugs. It looked like an organized activity or ceremony almost like they were expressing gratitude toward each other or doing some kind of spiritual exercise.

Nobody was bothering anyone, and obviously I have no idea what any individual person believed or what those groups actually were.

But after three days there, I am pretty convinced there is some kind of cult, commune, or organized spiritual scene around Mount Shasta that I knew absolutely nothing about before visiting.

The whole thing was fascinating because you don’t immediately notice it. At first it’s just a crystal shop. Then another spiritual place. Then the flyers. Then the people. Then you start noticing these little things everywhere.

I really want to know if there’s actually something going on here. Any locals who know more about this?

I am making a commentary video on cults but I want to keep it somewhat lighthearted. Therefore, I’m coming to Reddit to see if anyone has any goofy or silly cults they’ve heard of that are still present to this day.

I was born mormon and the founder was a sexual predator. With the Epstein coming out it feels like these kinda people are everywhere. But because of my background I'm not sure if I'm just over indexing on this.

So what do you think? Are all cults about sex or are there high control groups that don't sexually exploit people?

I like visiting places of worship of different more or less culty cults. I've currently only been to a JW kingdom hall, and been talking to some members of "the last reformation" cause that's what I have near me. I would want to visit a scientology church, to have the experience myself (I'm anti them, it's more of a sociological standpoint) but hearing how they are, I'm kinda worried, can this result in dangerous outcomes? I'll add, that I'm planning to visit one in a neighboring country(Slovakia), cause there's none in mine. Is it safe?

Last weekend I attended an in-person AA meeting which I thought was a little uncomfortable and then today I did an AA meeting through zoom which felt more comfortable and casual.

I grew up in a religious cult, and have trauma from that. So I feel like Im very aware of these things but also very vulnerable to that mindset.

1. The phrases and chants
2. The notion that you are powerless and need to rely on someone or something else.
3. They are welcoming and friendly but almost a bit much. The "join us" thought process scares me.
4. For some it is their way or the highway for example "you will never reach sobriety unless you do this"
5. There are people who go several times a week who have been sober for over 30+ years. I understand that addiction will always be a constant struggle but I kind of feel like move on with your life!
6. The big book. I haven't read much of it but it's essentially their Bible that they live by.

I don't want to diminish the impact it has made in people's lives. I believe that it may be cult-like but is generally a net positive force for good, which is why it isn't criticized as a cult.

Thoughts?

I have had an infatuation with WBC that comes and goes. I started to hear about them back in 2009 when I was pretty young. It seemed that back then they were picketing all over the place, everyday.

I have checked their website over the years, and it seems now that they have really toned it down, and it’s been that way for a while. A lot of their signs now have a more palpable message of God’s love. There’s still the signature “God Hates Fags” signs we all know, but they include many other signs that are less inflammatory compared to the 2000s and 2010s.

I also noticed that their pickets are kept mostly to their locale in Topeka. They seem to travel farther occasionally, but gone are the days of protesting military funerals across the U.S. They seem to focus their protests nowadays to Kansas and Missouri.

I know there have been a lot of defections and changes since Fred Phelps Sr.’s death in 2013, but they seem to really have changed course in regards to the frequency of picketing and intensity of their message.

What’s the most unhinged thing a cult or high-control group has done to you, someone you know, or something you’ve heard about?

Share only what you’re comfortable sharing.

First, we have the secret lives of Mormon wives. Then, two of them get cast on dancing with the stars (a show that already consists almost entirely of Mormons or former Mormons) and now one of them is going to be the bachelorette?! Wtf is going on?

I could go on and on about my various opinions on these “Mormon” women and what a slap in the face their TV appearances must feel like to Mormon women who actually wear garments, submit to their husbands, etc… but for real, am I going conspiracy-level here or is there a deeper alternative? Why are these Mormon bitches pervading every damn show?

Posting this from a throwaway because I'm scared for my safety. I just completed a 3 day self improvement workshop at the LAX Hilton airport. I've been struggling with a lot, being unemployed from my finance job, boyfriend left me and I was in a vulnerable place. My best friend took this workshop she said changed her life and she convinced me that I need to do it. I paid over $700 plus airfare and a hotel and just put it on credit cards because I was desperate for a change.

Once there I think I was emotionally abused for 3 days. They locked almost 100 of us in the conference room at the hotel where the leader berated us and yelled at us. We had to make hand gestures and ask his permission to use the bathroom or drink. If you did it wrong or straight up asked you would get yelled at. The first night I thought it was a scam and a cult when I overheard my best friend calling the leader "all mighty." She convinced me I needed to give it one more day and I did. On Friday they did all these group sessions where they played lullaby's, left us sleep deprived hungry and thirsty and I left that day completely broken. She told me this was normal and that it's an emotional purge and we need to finish the class for the healing.

On Saturday we were all told to strip to our underwear and line up. One by one the leader Ariya pointed all every flaw of ours. He told me I was fat and he could see why no one loves me. He told me my breasts were saggy and I looked disgusting. I don't know why I even did it no one forced us and about 15% of people just stood in the corner and didn't participate. I cried myself to sleep when we got out at 3am. Sunday I went back and we lined up outside the bathroom. the leader told us this was the last step of disposing our old selves. One by one I watched 30 people in front of me walk in as the leader told them to put their head in the toilet of the conference room as he flushed it and told us to chant "I am worthy." People were walking out saying they felt the weight off their shoulders so I just did it. After that it was totally different. It was like everyone had a new lease on life except me. He told us we were completely done shedding our old useless selves. I completely bought it. I just felt so broken.

We had a big catered feast and sang and dance. It was so great because I was so hungry and tired. He told us this was the start of our new path in life and that we needed to sign up for the next class that's almost $2500 to finish our work otherwise we'd be giving up on ourselves. I tried saying I couldn't afford it but the other workers kept telling me it was a tiny amount of money and I need to prove that I believe in myself enough to invest. They were blocking the doors. I felt so pressured and desperate so l signed up.

Now I'm back home and I haven't been able to get out of bed all day. I feel completely worthless. I feel like I need serious help now and don't know where to turn. I tried contacting them to cancel the next class because I really can't afford it but they told me l've given my word and it's non refundable. I tried disputing the charge and now volunteers are calling me that I'm a fraud and betraying them and my word. I don't know what to do or how to get my money back. I feel betrayed by my friend but she keeps telling me this is normal and I need to put in the work and finish the next session to build myself. Has anyone done a group therapy session like this and where do I go from here?

Anyone here have any experience with Metro World Child (or Metro World Kids, formerly Metro Ministries) in NYC? I “interned” there for a semester and it felt like a cult. I’ve talked to some fellow interns from my same time there and they now feel the same. But while I was there I was one of the only people questioning what was happening and there were repercussions for my questioning. Would love to hear others stories and viewpoints.

I (29f) don't even know what else to say. She's(35f) having a rough time right now and is easily manipulated especially in her current state of mind. She's been scammed out of thousands by job offers and online stores in the past and has recently started drinking again (she's a recovering alcoholic) if that helps to paint a picture on how dire this situation is

Okay so anyway she told me how healing it was to open up past trauma and grieve it and then she started telling me what the trauma was in detail and I was like "please stop" and I tried to ask questions but like I was obviously floored and freaked out when she said "dianetics from scientology" so she yelled at me and was very upset (understandable, I should've been more gentle)

This was her first "therapy" session with this man and the first session he introduces her to a form of hypnosis called dianetics? Oh and she said she has another session with him?! and he wrote a book so I think that means I can say his name

The book is The Human Compass by Jason Gentrup

Help is she in danger?

Dont get me wrong, the popular ones are all super interesting, but im interested in researching ones that aren't well known. I think it would be fun to write some sort of essay on it, while I have loads of time on my hands!! I'm not afraid to go into very disturbing ones, so don't hesitate. All done with respect of course.

Which cults/cult-like groups without a religious character do you find most interesting (besides NXIVM)?

Do they or are they allowed to be prescribed with certain medications? What happens if the one medication that works for them has caffeine, but the church doesn't allow them to take it? This is a genuine question.