What parents need to know about cults

by Marcia R. Rudin

[This article is from PTA Today, November 1989.]

This month marks the 11th anniversary of the suicides and murders of 914 followers of Rev. Jim Jones's Peoples' Temple in the jungles of Jonestown, Guyana. Some 276 of those who died by cyanide-laced Kool-Aid were children and young teens.

Today thousands of young children and young teens are still caught up in the nightmare of authoritarian cult life. Some are born into cults or brought in when one or both parents join, others live at home but are members of cults. Some cults actively recruit young teens and children.

What Is a cult?

Cults are groups or movements exhibiting an excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea or thing. They employ unethically manipulative tecniques of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders to the detriment of members, their families or the community. These techniques, popularly known as "brainwashing," "mind-" or "behavioral-control" or "coercive persuasion," include isolating cult members from former friends and family, using special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, employing powerful group pressures, managing information, forcing members to suspend their individuality or critical judgment, and promoting total dependency on the group and fear of leaving it.

Cults generally share the following characteristics: * Members submit to an authoritarian all-powerful leader or leaders whose decisions cannot be questioned and who discourage rational thought. * They employ deceptive recruiting techniques. For example, they may not identify the group immediately, explain what the group is really about or reveal how much time, energy or money will be required. * Leaders weaken the followers psychologically, undermining other support systems such as friends, families and clergy. Members may be cut off from their pasts--from schools, jobs, families and friends--aud from information from newspapers, radio and television. * Cult members are told the outside world is evil or even Satanic and that the cult and its members are "good." * Every career or life decision may be made by the cult leaders, including whether members should go to school, keep their jobs, marry or bear children. Cults control their members' time. * Followers work long, exhausting hours either recruiting or raising money for the group. They often must contribute large sums of money to the group, which generally goes to the group or its leaders, and not to improve the world, as they claim. (Some cults are very wealthy.) * Cults generally force followers to break relations with their families outside of the cult. If the family is inside the cult, they weaken or destroy the family and love ties so that affection and loyalty go to the leaders and the group. * Members, especially women and children, may be psychologically, physically or sexually abused. Leaders can skillfully manipulate the followers through sexual humiliation and general fear. * Some groups are heavily armed and train their members, even small children, to use weapons. Cult leaders claim the outside world is against them; often because of their hostile behavior, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. * Cults often have contempt for outside society and its laws and social mores because they believe their mission places them above human standards. Since they believe they have "the truth" and are working for the good of the world or spiritual salvation, they maintain their goals justify even decptive means. The Unification Church, for example, publicly admits it practices what it calls "Heavenly Deception," and Hare Krishna membets admit to "Transcendental Trickery." Thus cults often break many laws.

In sum, cults can be harmful to their followers because of a potent and dangerous combination of total authority of the leaders, submission by the followers, and "the ends justify the means" mind-set.

Cult experts have long been concerned about groups such as the Unification Church, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna), The Way International, Church Universal and Triumphant, Divine Light Mission, The Rajneesh Foundation, Tony & Susan Alamo Foundation, Children of God, N.S.A. (Nichiren Shoshu of America) and some other Eastern meditation groups, and some organizations that appear to be mainstream, such as "shepherding/discipleship groups."

Recently experts have been tracking the growth of cult-like mass therapy groups--some of which have been trying to establish educational programs in elementary and high schools. They're concerned about occult groups and groups practicing Satanic rituals. These rituals include animal mutilations and sacrifices. In one case a drugsmuggling group in Matamoros, Mexico killed 13 people, including a University of Texas student.

Some bright and creative young teens are attracted to Satanic rituals they believe will give them power over their own lives and over others. Often young teens are just "dabblers" in Satanic rituals, but even casual involvement can be dangerous. There have been teen suicides and parental killings as a result of such involvement. And casual involvement can lead to recruitment into organized Satanic groups.

What Can Parents Do?

Parents can do many things to help prevent their children from joining a cult.

Keep the lines of communication with your children open. Stay in touch with what's happening in their lives during their difficult transition period to becomiug iudependent adults.

Cult recruiters prey on youngsters' insecurities. Build up your child's selfesteem.

Help your children deal with the complexities of life. Cult recruiters offer "instant answers" and "instant happiness." Youngsters must learn that life is not simple, and they must learn to cope with change and stress.

Many youngsters search for meaning and spiritual fulfillment. They may turn to cults which appear to offer this enrichment. Take their searching seriously. Help them find meaning in their lives and spiritual fulfilment within your religious or philosophical traditions.

Cults offer children a community and sense of belonging. Help your youngsters find group activites and companionship. Encourage them to join your church or synagogue youth group or other organized and constructive group activities.

Don't pressure them too much to be "successful." Children are often overwhelmed by parents' and schools' demands, and cults offer an easy way off the treadmill of stress and pressure. Help them to deal with the normal stress of living in our complicated world.

Assure them often of your love and support. Parents often assume their children know they love them, but that's not always the case. Tell them frequently that you love them. Cults offer love and companionship. Youngsters often feel lonely, and cults prey on this.

At the same time, assert your authority as a parent. Many children turn to cults because they provide guidance, structure and authority that make them feel secure.

Encourage critical thinking so they can rationally assess cult recruiters' claims.

Look for warning signs of cult involvement, such as the following: a sudden change in grades or study habits, a sudden change in personality; changes in physical appearance or health; sudden increase in talking about God or spiritual concerns; an increase in secretiveness: and changes in friends and social interactions. Ask teachers and counselors in your school to watch for and to keep you informed of any changes in these areas.

Seek help if you feel it is necessary. See the box listing resources for guidance to mental health professionals who are aware of cult recruitment and mind-manipulation techniques.

How to work with schools

Parents must urge schools to train their administrators, teachers and counselors to recognize the signs of a cult-impacted child and to handle the situation with care. The process and effects of mind- or behavioral-control are unique and can defy traditional psychiatric treatment. Parents should urge their schools to prepare counselors to learn about and work with this unique and frightening phenomenon and to find out about available resources for help.

Parents should convince schools to sponsor programs on teen involvement in Satanism in order to train school staff and parents to recognize danger signs. These programs can be held in conjunction with school guards and local law enforcement personnel.

Finally, parents must urge their schools to hold preventive cult-education programs for their staffs and for the children, even at the elementary school level. Some parents might consider cults and their abuses as unpleasant topics for young children, but so are other subjects that must be dealt with, such as teenage pregnancies, drug and alcohol abuse and AIDS.

Marcia R. Rudin is director of International Cult Education Program (ICEP).

For more information about cults:

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) PO Box 338 Weston, MA 02193 (617) 893-0930

Cult Hot Line/Crisis Clinic Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services 1651 Third Ave. New York, NY 10028 (212) 860.8533 (24-hour hot line)

International Cult Education Program (ICEP) PO Box 1232, Gracle Station New York, NY 10028 (212) 439-1550.

ICEP can help parents with the activities mentioned in this article. ICEP educates staff and youth in colleges and universities, high schools, churches and synagogues about cults and psychological manipulation, and provides speakers who are experts about cults as well as specialists who train teachers and counseling staffs.

ICEP also provdes educational materials, including a newsletter, articles, pamphlets, books, cult-education curricula, resource lists, audiovisual aids lists and publications lists. Members receive invitations to ICEP seminars and other conferences on cults and cult education. They can gain access to assistance in handling specific cult problems from fellow administrators, faculty and clergy and advice from experienced mental heatlh professionals on counseling cult members, potential recruits and worried friends and families.

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