Cults Versus Real Spirituality: What’s the Difference?
CULT PHENOMENON
Cults are an interesting phenomenon. Something that often starts off harmless turns into a nightmare no one saw coming. Groups forming anywhere around the world often pull people toward a similar purpose. Getting together with like-minded people, sharing the same beliefs, joining together as a community, and working toward the same goals are common reasons why people are drawn to each other. Religion, spirituality, politics, mindset movements, environmental issues, health and food lifestyles, you name it, and people join to have a sense of belonging. It’s one thing to be involved with a group, yet it’s quite another to be involved with a group that begins to show dominance over your own life decisions.
Many people get involved with a community of people because it looks so amazing from the outside. Everyone is happy, they can’t stop talking about how it has changed their lives, and the leader is literally superhuman. This is where you should begin to really pay attention. Organizations that have a central figure, or a leader running the show, and that leader claims a state of enlightenment, or a higher power than the other member or followers, this should be red flag number one. When a person claims they have reached a supreme state of awareness, knows more than you, and you need them to discover this same state of awareness within yourself, you might want to immediately access the closest exit for your own safety and sanity!
How do you differentiate between a group that is open and accepting or an actual cult where rules and authority figures begin to run your life? Taking a quick look at society, you could argue that most of our institutions have a cult like mentality to them. How can they not? Everything in this world has a form of conditioning. This begins right when we are born. Parents and families teach their children certain things, have their own set of rules and consequences, the education system decides what they want everyone to learn therefore we must learn it. There is no option for the child to pick and choose what to know, it is drilled into us. As much as we think we live in a free society, the government can tell us what to do whether we like it or not. Large corporations, businesses, and other organizations form their own rules, set of beliefs, and expect them to be followed. If these institutions don’t allow you to believe a certain way, make you participate in things you do not wish to, or worship a leader, you could see it as cult-like.
ACTUAL CULTS
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary cult means:
1. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious
2. a. great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work
b. the object of such devotion
c. a usually small group characterized by such devotion
Cult Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Using this definition, a cult mentality can be seen in not only religious and spiritual groups, but within the praising of celebrities, athletes, politicians, musicians, anyone who seems famous or popular can gain a cult like feel from the followers. This certainly doesn’t mean that the famous individual is asking for this type of attention or devotion, but people can easily worship others whom they think have incredible talents, abilities, and a superiority other people don’t seem to have.
The cults that really get people’s attention are those that step way outside what appears to be normal. As crazy as they may seem to most people, they also fascinate the mind and leave an incredible impression. These are the types of organizations and communities that devote their entire life to the leader of the cult. They often leave their former life behind, join the group and live amongst other followers of the guru, or the leader. There is often a specific way to dress, often everyone looks alike, as well as falling into a specific way of thinking and believing. The leader of the cult typically puts themselves on a pedestal, expects to be treated in an almost godlike way, and the followers, because they believe the leader has something that they don’t, are completely willing to perform whatever is asked of them.
For example, some of the most well-known cults have been Jim Jones’s People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate, the Branch Davidians, and most recently NXIVM led by Keith Raniere. Within all these groups there is a promise of some perfect future, and the leader is going to grant it to everyone. Or the leader is constantly reassuring everyone that they are on the forefront of changing the world. When people hear they are the chosen few to do something extraordinary it sounds appealing, especially if these people have never felt appreciated or noticed in their lives. It appears on the outside of the cult that everything is wonderful, however there is something hiding inside that many members are unaware of. Had they known what was really going on, most people would never join. Hence why the leader keeps this very secretive.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A CULT LEADER
If you do a deep dive into researching cults, you will notice that most of the leaders share similar qualities. They are always very charismatic and claim to know something extremely important, rare, or supernatural. They place themselves into a very special box and make it known that the rest of the group is working toward their god-like status. In spiritual or religious cults, the leader often communicates directly with God or some other extraordinary being that no one else has access to. They have a way of mesmerizing and manipulating their followers, almost as if they are putting them into some kind of trance-like state. Because they come across so wise and certain, or maybe they are gifted with making a compelling speech, many members are blinded by these tactics.
Another common trait is selling the idea that this special group is now going to change the entire world. This leader has all the answers and has been chosen to alter how the world operates. They claim they know what is best for the rest of humanity. Typically, cult leaders are resistant to how governments and society function as a whole and they set out to change it. This, in and of itself, is not abnormal. People disagree with how the system we live in operates all the time. Setting out to alter it is not necessarily a bad thing. However, when the leader wants to force members into the project, tell them they must disassociate with their former life, shame them if they leave, threaten their lives if they choose to exit stage left, and teaches all his or her followers to do the same, then it falls into cult status.
Leaders develop a system of rules or guidelines that the group follows. There is often a certain dress code or color that they wear. Sometimes hairstyles are the same, a certain diet must be adhered to, as well as other lifestyle choices and a list of beliefs they share. The leader may or may not follow these rules either. How many times do you hear about a cult or religious leader preaching the word of God and the story breaks that he’s been sexually abusing members of the group? It happens all the time. These larger-than-life figures can project whatever they want to the public, and behind closed doors it’s a completely different ball game. This makes them incredible actors and masters of manipulation, which is why so many people fall under their spell. It’s difficult to know if the organizer is authentic and genuine, or secretly looking to take your money and sit on the throne of riches.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FOLLOWERS
Do you ever wonder how people get caught up in a cult? What is it about the group they need? Or have you ever gotten involved in one and didn’t realize it at the time? There can be a multitude of reasons why someone feels drawn to join a cult. One reason might be that they certainly don’t advertise as a cult. People have no idea what they are getting involved in after they drink the Kool-Aid. These groups sell themselves as wonderful peace-loving families. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? Many people join a community of people when they are feeling lost in their lives. When someone reaches out and says this extraordinary human being has all the answers and can help you, it’s easy to see how people are drawn in. Maybe people have lost a job, lost a loved one, gone through a terrible breakup, been excommunicated from the family, or simply feel a sense of lack within and this community really speaks to them. People are welcoming, showering them with love, telling them they are fabulous, everyone is friendly, happy, and uplifting. This type of environment attracts those seeking something greater, and they believe this group and this leader is the promise land.
Another characteristic of followers is they feel a desire to belong to something meaningful. This group is offering to change the world and being part of that change along with like-minded people feels incredible. It gives them a sense of purpose, of hope, and that they are not alone in the world. Knowing there are other people sharing and believing in the same mission makes them feel part of something greater than themselves. Whether people are aware of it or not, the group’s message is speaking to their ego. The ego always seeks to feel special, important, valued, needed, and part of a better way of life. This grabs people and really speaks to their inner desire to be important, that somehow their life is now defined by the group and what the leader is offering. If someone was feeling depressed, undervalued in life, or unloved, this newfound community of people feeling similar is attractive.
Often people who join cults feel they have never quite fit into society. They may feel like an outsider, someone who doesn’t believe what most people believe, and they haven’t found a sense of family. Their own family may not accept them for who they are so this lack of a loving support system is missing. They may not even know who they are, and the group is now helping them redefine themselves. Many people want to get rid of their previous identity. Maybe they dislike everything about themselves, and this is the answer. There are so many possibilities as to why people get involved with spiritual and religious movements. What seems obvious is that they are seeking a deeper sense of purpose in the world, and this leader and community have all the answers.
CULTS VERSUS AUTHENTIC SPIRITUALITY
People all over the world are seeking a deeper connection to their spiritual nature. There are plenty of spiritual and religious teachers who can be very beneficial in your journey to peace and true self-awareness. However, there is a fine line between attending a talk about spirituality, seeking spiritual or religious guidance, and being told that you need this person or this group to find that. The truth is each one of us has everything we need within ourselves. Spirit is within all of us. No one else can give it to us. Those claiming to have a higher state of consciousness than others, to have achieved a state of enlightenment, to know more than you, are simply trying to gain something by having power over everyone else. This is always the ego talking. A person who experienced a true communion with spirit isn’t going to sell you on it. A genuinely wise person isn’t going to demand you join a community because you need the special mystical leader to activate your divine power. The authentic person knows that you have everything you need, just as everyone does. Some people are simply aware of it. Others are not. But it doesn’t mean it’s missing.
Feeling uncomfortable can be a sign that the group is more cult-like than genuine in its teaching. If there are forced behaviors, rules with consequences, or threats of any kind than that enters cult territory. It’s one thing to be part of a community that believes in certain things, but quite another when it ventures into madness and uses violence against its own participants or other groups that believe differently. True spirituality would not cast out others for believing differently. There is a respect for others even when they don’t see eye to eye. We all will return to our real home eternally in God and there are many pathways to get there. Respecting that everyone will see this in themselves through their own path, their own time, and their own unique way. Someone telling you otherwise is seeking something other than your best interest.
If there are invisible promises and utopian ideals that too enters cult status. Lots of groups envision a better world, a brighter future, a true peace on earth. This is a great idea and one that sells to the deepest sense of who we are. However, this world is a dual world. There will always be differing opinions and beliefs on how society should operate. That will never change here. Thinking otherwise is simply a dream. Creating a group of people that live and work in harmony together in small numbers might work for those people. But, to think that all of humanity is going to be on board at the same time is wishful thinking. A community, organization, or leader that operates with respect to others outside of the group, as well as welcomes diversity of thought within its own system may be just an organization of like-minded people helping one another.
Lastly, worshiping the leader, praising or adoring them, bowing down to their teachings, believing they are God, or the second coming of Christ is far-fetched and would be considered a cult. Anytime you worship another human being, who is your spiritual equal, is confusing what it means to find true spirituality. A leader wanting this type of praise tells you everything you need to know. Bowing down to others who claim a higher spiritual status is still looking outside for something that is sitting within them. There’s a strange dichotomy in this entire charade. Followers of cult leaders willing to overlook something they already possess, and the false prophet clearly seeking something from them. It’s as if they are one in the same. Each player needs something from the other, which is nothing more than the egos game. Authentic and genuine spirituality needs nothing from anyone because it recognizes it’s already there.