Why would someone join a cult?
Biblical Illiteracy
To recruit members, cults pick someone who has little to no knowledge of the bible. They invite said people to something resembling a "bible study", where instead of preaching actual knowledge, they tell of their organization's beliefs and twisted world views.
Ecclesiastical Scarring
This may result in a church becoming cultic in nature, or maybe drives in an abused member to join a cult. Church members may be frequently harassed, threatened, or intimidated into following a set od do's and don'ts, often with no compassion or love on the part of church leadership.
Cult Naïveté
This is when one knows little to nothing about cult practices or what is known as shallow or misleading. This lack of knowledge leaves a potential recruit defenseless to charges, claims and promises made by a cult. This leads to the possible recruit finding something about the cult appealing. For the recruit, it sometimes answers a need or a want in life to fit in.
Inordinate Individualism
Someone who isolates themselves from others is more prone to join a cult than social people. People who are lonely create an unhealthy personal profile, which is vulnerable to cult persuasion.
Life Transition
Another reason why people may join a cult is because of changes in one's life that may render then unstable. These changes may include: divorce, marriage, a new job, a death in the family, attending college for the first time, etc. These are all examples of life transitions that many cults seek to capitalize upon, and offer what appear to be solutions to all your problems. Normally, the more unstable a person is, then the more likely they are to listen to the ideas of a cultist.
Love-Bombing
Love-bombing is what often happens when a person is first introduced to a cult. It is inordinate attention and fawning over the potential recruit. Everyone is so cheery and helpful, and everyone wants to be friend with the new person. In some cults, love bombing takes form of sexual enticement. Most "love-bombing" takes place during the stage of cult recruitment. People only turn hostile once a person decides to leave the cult.
Peer Pressure
The most common form of peer pressure is among friends. Once a friend hears about and becomes involved in a cult, he/she may get excited and invite his/her friends.
Irrational World View
For one who already has irrational world views, it makes it very easy for the cultist to recruit members because the potential recruit already shares the views of the cultist.
To recruit members, cults pick someone who has little to no knowledge of the bible. They invite said people to something resembling a "bible study", where instead of preaching actual knowledge, they tell of their organization's beliefs and twisted world views.
Ecclesiastical Scarring
This may result in a church becoming cultic in nature, or maybe drives in an abused member to join a cult. Church members may be frequently harassed, threatened, or intimidated into following a set od do's and don'ts, often with no compassion or love on the part of church leadership.
Cult Naïveté
This is when one knows little to nothing about cult practices or what is known as shallow or misleading. This lack of knowledge leaves a potential recruit defenseless to charges, claims and promises made by a cult. This leads to the possible recruit finding something about the cult appealing. For the recruit, it sometimes answers a need or a want in life to fit in.
Inordinate Individualism
Someone who isolates themselves from others is more prone to join a cult than social people. People who are lonely create an unhealthy personal profile, which is vulnerable to cult persuasion.
Life Transition
Another reason why people may join a cult is because of changes in one's life that may render then unstable. These changes may include: divorce, marriage, a new job, a death in the family, attending college for the first time, etc. These are all examples of life transitions that many cults seek to capitalize upon, and offer what appear to be solutions to all your problems. Normally, the more unstable a person is, then the more likely they are to listen to the ideas of a cultist.
Love-Bombing
Love-bombing is what often happens when a person is first introduced to a cult. It is inordinate attention and fawning over the potential recruit. Everyone is so cheery and helpful, and everyone wants to be friend with the new person. In some cults, love bombing takes form of sexual enticement. Most "love-bombing" takes place during the stage of cult recruitment. People only turn hostile once a person decides to leave the cult.
Peer Pressure
The most common form of peer pressure is among friends. Once a friend hears about and becomes involved in a cult, he/she may get excited and invite his/her friends.
Irrational World View
For one who already has irrational world views, it makes it very easy for the cultist to recruit members because the potential recruit already shares the views of the cultist.