They're all the same, really, these groups - they prey on the most lonely, vulnerable people they can find, cage you with your own mind through guilt and fear, cut you off from everyone you knew before, and when they're done doing that, they don't need armed guards to keep you. You're afraid that if you leave, your parents will die, you will die, your life will be ruined. Flim-flam men, pimps, sharpsters - that's what they are. Liars. Tricksters. It's been the same ever since Eve got the apple, and I doubt it will ever change. A real religion is truthful, you can come or go from it if you wish. And most importantly, there is no one leader claiming he is a god. Big, big difference.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- These groups prey on lonely people using guilt and fear to isolate them. Unlike real religions, they often have a single leader claiming divinity and use psychological barriers instead of guards.
- In plain terms
- They trap vulnerable people with fear and guilt, unlike true religions which allow free choice.
- What can you take from it?
- True religion allows freedom; groups using fear and a god-leader are suspect.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What distinguishes a cult from a religion?
- How does fear maintain control?
Another view
Some legitimate groups may have strong leadership without being cults.
More from Margaret Singer
The term 'cult' is always one of individual judgment. It has been variously applied to groups involved in beliefs and practices just off the beat of traditiona…
Permalink to quote #5 The public takes care of their fear by thinking only crazies and stupid people wind up in cults. I've interviewed over 4000 ex-cult members. There's no one typ…
Permalink to quote #7 I started hearing from families who had missing members, many of them young kids on our campus, and they all would describe the same sorts of things. A sudden …
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
Those who love to be feared fear to be loved, and they themselves are more afraid than anyone, for whereas other men fear only them, they fear everyone.
Francis de SalesFrancis de Sales quote #1 The term 'cult' is always one of individual judgment. It has been variously applied to groups involved in beliefs and practices just off the beat of traditiona…
Margaret SingerMargaret Singer quote #5 Ne peut-on pas remonter jusqu'a ces anciens scelerats, fondateurs illustres de la superstition et du fanatisme, qui, les premiers, ont pris le couteau sur l'au…
VoltaireVoltaire quote #14