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Cults

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Comments

  • #32
    FTA69
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    Widdershins wrote: »
    Ancient and not very potent. I'm talking about now, now in the past. The RC isn't comparable. When someone's drawn into a cult and they cut themselves off from their old lives and friends, believng satan is speaking through anyone who tries to reason with them, that's a bit more worrying than someone else going to mass once a week and generally doing what they've been doing all their lives and not giving anyone any major surprises. But if you want to drag the RC into it, you'll find there are some very dodgy things being done in the name of other religions around the world right now and throughout history.

    Exactly. A few people I know have come out with this sort of rubbish but equivocating going to Mass on Sundays or being an average Muslim with someone who locks themselves solely into a small insular group that manages their day to day affairs in minute detail is just rubbish.

    Even highly anal and observant Muslims and Catholics etc that I know don't have a personal sponsor ringing them four times a day asking them what they're wearing or who they spoke to today.


  • #33
    suicide_circus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,801 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    Vic_08 wrote: »
    Cult + Time = Religion

    People think the likes of Scientology are preposterous because it sounds like a bad sci-fi book but can't see that the mainstream religions are just an ancient version of the same.

    It's all make believe, one is no more legitimate than the other. If you are going to add up all the damage done by them the RC church would be right up at the top of the pile.

    True but back in the day it was much easier for a cult to accumulate martyrs and nothing helps a cult expand into a religion like it's members being slaughtered.

    The best thing to do with Scientology is... ignore it, don't give it the oxygen of publicity.


  • #34
    ohnonotgmail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,365 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    FTA69 wrote: »
    Last year I posted a thread about my visit to the Scientologist HQ in London and how me and a journalist buddy of mine did their personality test and got a guided tour of their whole setup. I remember being struck by how focussed the entire thing was on the individual, and how to someone in difficult times such as a breakup or job-loss - such a philosophy could be very appealing. "Held back by negative experiences", "learn to love yourself and be happy", "reach goals" etc. However I always had bother really grasping how ordinary people fall into these things.

    Until last week.

    One of my missus' mates was recently going to a church after she split from her boyfriend and lost her job (here we go); and we thought nothing of it because she was of African heritage and her family are mad religious anyway. It turns out that this church is listed as one of Britain's biggest cults and is a franchise of an American based setup. Within 10 weeks she has been spending six nights a week at this gaff, taken time off work for five day conferences, been baptised and is now donating 10% of her income to this crowd. A huge part of this 'church' is recruitment and she has been pestering everyone in our sports club and beyond to come along. This shower even target the homeless and try and drag them in. She has also taken to advising other women on dress on morality and is dressing differently.

    The maddest thing is that dating outside of the 'church' is frowned upon and she's taking part in this internal dating program and being advised on partners. She has been given a "sponsor" who basically dictates what she wears and who she speaks to. The internet is full of really disturbing horror stories about these people, and I mean thousands of stories.

    I always thought this kind of stuff was a giggle, until I've seen it first hand now it's scaring the sh*t out of me. Has anyone else seen any of this carry on in person??

    TLDR - cults, brainwashing, marked personal change, Na na Na Na LEADERRRRR, what can we do?


    UKCG?


  • #35
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 7,344 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Outlaw Pete wrote: »
    Anyone remember the guy on Abbey St that used to ask people if they wanted a stress test?

    Yea - scientologist he was. Right beside Chapters books as I recall. I did the test with him 4 times - under different names and dressed significantly differently and giving significantly different answers. They did not appear to notice or recognise me as a repeat visitor at all.

    It was basically back when I first got into studying things of the mind. Everything from meditation to hypnosis to psychological manipulation and psychiatry. So I was interested to see them "at work".

    It was quite enlightening. The most obvious thing to come out of it being that no matter how you answer their questions they spin it to make you look flawed and in need of their "courses".

    So if you give answers showing yourself not to be assertive - or shy - or introvert they say this is a flaw they can fix. If your answers are the opposite they inform you that you suffer from things like hubris and arrogance that they can fix.

    No matter what your character type therefore - they have a fix for you - whether you actually need it or not. One can only assume therefore that their "fix" is to produce automaton clones that do not register above "neutral" on any measure at all. At which point - I can only imagine - they must declare you "dead" and insist they have a fix for that too. And certainly looking at Tom Cruise a dead automaton with no character does indeed appear to be their goal.

    I kinda suspected a few months back we had one of those types on boards.ie actually. He latched on to me for a few posts and started trying to spin "flaws" out of everything I posted. When I made it clear I was well trained and cognisant of Scientology type cult approaches he simply stopped replying to me at all.
    FTA69 wrote: »
    The crowd I'm on about send people out on Tubes to engage people in conversation about coming to Bible study meetings.

    There are so many of those though. Everything from the Alpha Course people to any number of cults one can name. The Bible generally has a good rep so it is a good front to invite people along to something more underhand behind it.

    The Alpha Course people genuinely do want to be Bible Orientated - but many are just slapping it on the front to get bums on seats before they splash out their real sales pitch. The Bible just gives an easy "in" so they do not have to re-invent the wheel with their initial approach.
    LETHAL LADY wrote: »
    There's a bunch of Mennonites after setting up camp near my hometown.

    Why was the Amish Woman excommunicated?

    Two Men-a-night.

    I do not get it myself - but I was once assured this is a funny joke :) But then again someone on boards told me the joke "Whats the difference between a dog?" - "One of it's legs are both the same" - and to this day I do not get that one either. So it must just be me :)


  • #36
    Berserker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,043 ✭✭✭Berserker


    LETHAL LADY wrote: »
    There's a bunch of Mennonites after setting up camp near my hometown. I've seen them once or twice dressed in their Amish type clothing and shopping in the local Aldi, but they stand out like a sore thumb in a rural community to be fair.

    Are you sure they are Mennonites? I know that there are some Amish people in Ireland, Waterford for example but I've never heard of Mennonite people living here. I visited Amish country in the USA and found the Amish and Mennonites there to be relatively open and very friendly. I wouldn't put them in the same bracket as the likes of the CoS.


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  • #37
    wakka12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,786 ✭✭✭wakka12


    why did you think nothing of her breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job because she's of african heritage???


  • #38
    uch
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,035 ✭✭✭uch


    I Like Cake

    22/25



  • #39
    uck51js9zml2yt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,252 ✭✭✭✭uck51js9zml2yt


    Berserker wrote: »
    Are you sure they are Mennonites? I know that there are some Amish people in Ireland, Waterford for example but I've never heard of Mennonite people living here. I visited Amish country in the USA and found the Amish and Mennonites there to be relatively open and very friendly. I wouldn't put them in the same bracket as the likes of the CoS.
    They are Amish/Mennonite located in dunmore East


  • #40
    endacl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,443 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    I like Joe Rogan's take on things. A cult is where some guy makes up a load of bull5hit and convinces a bunch of other people it's true. A religion is the same thing, but the guy's dead.


  • #41
    endacl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,443 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    uch wrote: »
    I Like Cake

    Still?


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  • #42
    harry Bailey esq
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,814 ✭✭✭harry Bailey esq


    Ferrari3600 wrote: »
    Wait. The Church of Satan recruit in Abbey Street?? :eek:

    You'd be surprised at some of the things that you may come across on along Abbey St.Unrelated,but is freemasonry or 'the craft' as its lesser referred to considered a cult?


  • #43
    ohnonotgmail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,365 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    harry Bailey esq wrote: »
    You'd be surprised at some of the things that you may come across on along Abbey St.Unrelated,but is freemasonry or 'the craft' as its lesser referred to considered a cult?


    Not by anybody with an opinion worth listening to.


  • #44
    Means Of Escape
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,897 ✭✭✭Means Of Escape


    A cult can be set up by anyone who can

    Convince others that they are god
    Have a set date when the world will end and be able to explain why it didn't of that date passes
    Be a good singer
    Know the bible backwards so you can manipulate it for your own gain
    Recruit people who are searching for something better
    An ability to make them feel better , cloud their judgement and intimidate if they get uppity
    Get them to pay their salary to you
    Talk rambling nonsense for hours on end with a bit of theology added in for effect


  • #45
    diomed
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,744 ✭✭✭diomed


    I like their opening gambits.
    About twenty years back I was heading for a bus stop when I was asked "Are you lost?" by one of two identically well-dressed guys both wheeling identical new bicycles.
    I felt sorry for them trying to convert a north Dublin suburb one person at a time, but not sorry enough to stop.


  • #46
    Widdershins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,633 ✭✭✭✭Widdershins


    Have you lost your toothbrush?


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