Mind Control, Part 1

I've written previously about how the WMSCOG qualifies as a cult under the definition that a cult is a "deviation from orthodox Christianity."  That definition concerns the doctrine of a group, but not necessarily the behavior of the group.

There is another definition of a cult, though, that has everything to do with behavior and nothing to do with doctrine.  In that sense, a cult is a group that uses mind control in a destructive way.  It doesn't have to be religious, but could also be political or commercial or even a therapy group.  The key is that they manipulate things to impair the member's ability to think for themselves.  To the extreme, destructive mind control results in such tragedies as Jonestown or Heaven's Gate.

There is an excellent book on the topic by Steven Hassan called "Releasing the Bonds."  I encourage you to find a copy and read it for yourself.  In it, Mr. Hassan explains a few different ways to tell if a group is using destructive mind control.  He details Lifton's Eight Criteria of Thought Reform, Singer's Six Conditions for Thought Reform, and his own BITE Mind Control Model.

I'd like to take a look at mind control next and compare it to the behavior of the WMSCOG.  You can try this yourself... Look at those three links about mind control and see if any of the points apply to your experience with the WMSCOG.  Keep in mind, a group does not have to display all of the characteristics, but the more they have, the more likely they are to be a destructive mind control cult.

Here's more information about mind control.  Interestingly, the first subtitle is "The Korean War and the origin of brainwashing."

Click here to go on to Part 2.