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cults, deception, discerning the spirits, exhortation, false spirits, false teachers, Jayanti Tamm, leadership
Today I want to offer you a short excerpt, or more specifically, a list written by Jayanti Tamm who was born into a cult from which she could escape only 25 years later. Although her former guru, Sri Chinmoy, was not a Christian cult leader, I believe the chief features of cults she would work out in this list below are generally applicable to all sorts of unhealthy and anti-Christian groups, too.
Is it a Cult? The Top Ten Signs the ‘Group’ You’ve Joined is Not what It Seems
- The leader and group are always correct and anything the leader does can be justified.
- Questions, suggestions, or critical inquiry are forbidden.
- Members incessantly scramble with cramped schedules and activities full of largely meaningless work based on the leader’s agenda
- Followers are meant to believe that they are never good enough.
- Required dependency upon the leader and group for even the most basic problem-solving.
- Reporting on members for disobedient actions or thoughts is mandated and rewarded.
- Monetary, sexual, or servile labor is expected to gain promotion.
- The ‘outside’ world — often including family and friends — is presented as rife with impending catastrophe, evil, and temptations.
- Recruitment of new members is designed to be purposefully upbeat and vague about the actual operations of the leader and group.
- Former members are shunned and perceived as hostile.
Jayanti Tamm is the author of Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult (Three Rivers Press). She is a Visiting Professor in the MFA Program at Queens College, CUNY.
If you like to delve into the whole article, you can continue reading it here.
Image by Paul Schuberth 2014
Entering the Promised Land 
Sounds very scary
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Yes, it does, Ken. 😦
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This is important information, Susanne. We live in a dangerous world with far too many wolves in sheep’s clothing. Thank you for sharing.
Much love,
Anna ❤
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You are very welcome, Anna. Indeed, this world, not only the religious world, is very dangerous!
Much love,
Susanne ❤
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Susanne, thanks for sharing this. I have found by my own bad experiences that cults are often guilty of these ten things and more. One other prominent one not mentioned in this list is the subjugation of women. When Jim Jones was starting to go in an openly deluded direction it were the older women in the group that spoke up and as a result they were castigated and intimidated into silence and if that didn’t work they were finally imprisoned.
Remember Christian cult leaders know how to use the Bible for their own power and are always the last man standing in any argument. We were in a “holiness cult” where the two leaders used their idea of “holiness” to judge and control their followers. We were in it for a short time and were given the “left foot of fellowship” when I finally spoke against their abusive ways. After we left the group their fear tactics and intimidation continued to increase until certain of the women were imprisoned in a house and kept under constant guard to shut them up. They also encouraged a heavy hand on children. This finally ended up with one of the little ones dying from neglect of medical attention (the child was being spanked because it was fussing and would not stop crying and finally died). At this point the authorities took notice and one of the cult leaders ended up in prison as did the father.
Another thing that cult leaders do is to try and pit husbands against wives and vise versa. They use the old divide and conquer method when one has something that the leader wants (sex, money, talent, power, etc.) and the other one is less desirable for some reason or in the way of them getting what they want. This also happened in the afore mentioned cult when the pastor of the church they took control of was made to look like a buffoon and his blonde wife was told she was a prophetess (of coarse she prophesied words that were in their favor). That marriage ended in divorce and the father was not allowed to see his children until they finally grew up and sought him out many years later.
In short, Satan comes into these leaders and makes them look like “an angel of light” through their personal charisma and “giftings.” This is why Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” Demons love to give signs and God gave us One sign, Jesus dying on the cross and rising again from the grave on the third day. We have been warned…
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”(2Thess 2:9-12, ESV2011)
These leaders and their leuteninents all sought power and thus they loved a lie and hated the Truth who manifest Himself as a gentle lamb who laid down His life for us all and loved not His life unto death. I pray that those who are in Christian cults, even cult-ish Sunday churches, might have their eyes opened and turn back to Christ. Amen.
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Amen to your prayer, my brother.
You described horrible experiences here, Michael! 😦 Maybe you want to publish a blog post on AWV about it? 🙄
I agree that subjugation of women is often used in these pseudo-Christian circles. But not only there! If they do not use Scriptures from the Bible, taken out of context (!), in order to mislead people and to make them follow their own desires, cult leaders use other ‘Holy Scriptures’ from Asia or else. What you wrote about these women that were imprisoned because they took a stand has often been reported lately by those who dared to escape from ‘the church of’ Scientology during the last years. It seems to me this anti-Christian spirit is always the same spirit. Eventually, leaders of any kind in such cults accept no correction from anyone anymore and tend to believe they were gods. Arrived at that point, they cannot discern right from wrong anymore. That reminds me of these verses,
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come! None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistband is loose, not a sandal strap broken; their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind. Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue. They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.”
(Is 5:20-30 ESV)
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“Another thing that cult leaders do is to try and pit husbands against wives and vise versa.’
This is true, and often shows up very subtly: When I was attending an IC, there were many more women than men, and scripture was used to encourage married women to come without their husbands. As I grew in my understanding, I realized how unscriptural this could be, as it served to disrupt the Biblical order in the marriage by removing the woman from her place at her husband’s side. I would have loved to hear the preacher say that women who were in the meeting without their husband’s blessing should go home!
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Louise, I recall that my mom decades ago wanted to join a Bible study in the RCC – women only – and the priest told them that was impossible. Women alone could not understand Scripture, they would need a priest as interpreter. Sigh…
Later my mom joined a Bible study group in a Lutheran church where the pastor’s wife was with them, no man allowed there. That seemed to be better at first, but in hindsight I doubt that the Holy Spirit’s leading was there as it is hair-raising if you see how liberal Christians interpret Scripture. Oucheee!!! 😦 Nonetheless, my mom would have a few encounters with Christ apart from attending any church. Thank God! 🙂
My husband Paul and I did our Bible studies in a Bible school together almost 25 years ago. As we attended a non-demoninational cult, there were a lot of these interpretations we had learned to be UNLEARNED over time.
Strange, how many twist and turns all our religious histories have… 🙄
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Yes, Louise, having our spouse’s blessing makes a big difference in what we are doing in Christian circles even when the other one is not saved. I think that is why Paul wrote, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the Church… and Wives obey your husbands as unto the Lord.” The family here on earth is God’s blueprint of His heavenly family of the Father, the Son and the Bride of Christ and as a result, it is under relentless attack by Satan… even from pulpits in churches at times.
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By the way, you chose two pictures that are very appropriate when it comes to cults, The isolated church building, as cults tend to isolate their followers from the rest of God’s people, and the pyramid symbolizing top-down human authority.
“When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'” (Mark 10:41-45, NIV)
How backwards this is from the thinking of most Christian leaders today!
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Thank you, Michael, for the compliment! 🙂
Yes, I thought the same thing about this lonely church in the woods, that is even located on a higher mountain (in Austria). Cults are all about separation and secrecy so that esp. the leaders can commit sins without anyone perceiving it from the outside. 😦 But God sees everything, which leads straight to the next point.
You might remember that this pyramid was built here in Fürth close to the Europe Channel some years ago. I have often wondered whether Freemasons had had their finger in the pie there. 🙄 Our pyramid building here truly looks like the Masonic pyramid with the all-seeing eye of God (i.e., Eye of Providence), just as it can be seen on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, here on the US $1 bill (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence).
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This is true, Susanne. The Latin translates, “Our goal, a new world order.” And the Roman numerals translate to 1776, the birth date of the Illuminati. There are many signs and symbols of Free Masonry in the founding of America.
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Amen, Michael. True! ⭐
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Pingback: Religious Cults, How to Find Out if You Are in One « A Wilderness Voice
Thank you very much for the link to my blog, Michael! 🙂
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Just dropping in to say thanks for sharing this! I left a comment at Michael’s blog regarding the post he wrote inspired by this one. I won’t repeat all that here 🙂
Quote from your comment above to ‘dimple’: “My husband Paul and I did our Bible studies in a Bible school together almost 25 years ago. As we attended a non-demoninational cult, there were a lot of these interpretations we had learned to be UNLEARNED over time.” (end quote)
So True! All the UN-learning takes time and the Lord is so faithful to us while we go through the process…
I do want to comment on something that you said in a previous posting regarding the Charismatic movement being a “False Revival”.
Quote from Post:
“There seemed to be life in this church, but it was of worldly origin and simply served our natural five senses. Our spiritual senses were not filled as this whole charismatic movement has not come from God. Rather, it was a false revival.” (end quote)
I came to know the Lord during the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Lord led me out of the RCC awhile later but the RCC had to get out of me before I could be led or taught of His Spirit. That has taken a long time…
I agree with your assessment that the thing itself was FALSE! Amen!
You have been doing like Jeremiah me thinks…
Jeremiah 1:10 ESV
“See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
A much needed ministry today…Keep it real!
XO dear sister, in His Love, Judi
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You are very welcome, dear Judi. ❤ Of course, I read and liked your reply on AWV before I answered you on here. 😉
Oh my, that is A LOT you had to go through in your own religious history, too!! 😦 You are so right, this process of unlearning takes time. I notice every day that I have learned a new thing about what I had not known/seen before. Who would have thought that it would take such a loooong time to really be able to SEE more and more of The Truth? 🙄
Your comment made me ponder on when I was confronted, aware of it or not, with the charismatic spirit for the first time. And it was, indeed, in the 80s in the RCC as a former priest, an ex-Jesuit, whom our family had known well since the 1970s, returned to our church in order to tell us that God was indeed alive. He would speak enthusiastically about the Father and the Son. It seemed to me that he was all about seeking a relationship with God and preaching about Christ-centeredness at that time.
Yet…. over time…. he had left the RCC and became a protestant pastor, later a non-denominational pastor, and he would translate the New Testament into a very modern form.
Nonetheless, I could not sense God’s Holy Spirit in his words as I had watched a documentary on TV years ago and as I recently read about his latest plans as to planting a new church in Germany. It is interesting that this guy had influenced our family a lot, me included, but now as he is 74 like Michael, I cannot find God’s Spirit in this guy any more. Very sad, I can only pray. In fact, the charismatic spirit pushes our old nature and finally leads away from the living God! 😦
Only God could know that this quote from Jeremiah would turn out to be a confirmation for me. Thank you very much for listening to Him, my dear sister!! 🙂
In His Love for you, ❤
Susanne XOXO
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Susanne 🙂 Wonderful that the verse from Jeremiah was a confirmation for you! I so love when the Lord does that 🙂
It seems also that the “Jesuit” link is something that the Spirit is pointing to recently.
I am reading an intriguing book about them called “Rulers of Evil” by F. Tupper Saussy. Another blog that I read just posted regarding this alliance of Catholic and Protestant/Pentecostal/etc. leaders and gave the link for this and another book on the Jesuits. The spiritual exercises of Ignatious of Loyola – which all Jesuits take part in – is the opening to the false spirits.
I had a relative who is a Jesuit teaching at one of the universities in my state. I remember when he said to me once, when he was visiting at my grandmother’s, that all paths lead to God. I was recently born again and was shocked!
I read some history about the Jesuits many years ago – written by an ex-Jesuit – and their agenda is antichrist – whether they are aware of that or not.
I say all that to say that I am not surprised about this man that was influential with you and your family being suspect. I guess the question is – is the man really an EX-Jesuit? Or is he a plant?
The book I am reading shows how they will do whatever it takes to bring people back to RCC. They believe that the end justifies the means. Their influence is entrenched in places we would not even expect them to be. There is such an interwoven mass of groups that are infiltrated by them, as I think that you are also aware.
Incredible times we are living in.
How important that we know one another by the Spirit in these days!
XOXO back to you, in His Love and Grace –
Judi
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Thank you, Judi. 🙂
Well, the problem with all these spiritual exercises that are prescribed by others is that when we trust in these, we won’t need a relationship with God anymore. Where is space for the Spirit’s wind when we believe we ought to follow a dead rule in order to meet the living God? 🙄 Many years ago I tried to delve into Ignatius’s spiritual exercises, yet it was waaaaay to boring, to say the least. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
However, what the Holy Spirit teaches is NEITHER boring NOR tedious! 🙂 It seems to me that esp. the Catholics, here Jesuits, invented these exercises as they could not wait on God’s timing and His leading in their lives. They wanted TO DO something instead. It has always led to falsity of faith when believers needed more than pure faith in Christ.
I recall that Mother Theresa prayed to the saints, to Jesus’ mother Mary, and that she used amulets. As much as she might still be adored by many as she worked a lot in the midst of the poor, she also seemed to have suffered from depression for about five decades. This was surely no dark night of the soul as a priest had told her. Instead, all these magical spirits around might have caused fear, and confusion, and they might have pushed her into a burn out at that. I recall that I read some letters that had been written by her and a description about how Jesus was alleged to have asked her to finally help these poor people which she did not want. She was happy as a teacher and liked teaching much more than anything else. Nonetheless, she described Him as having obtained His will by begging her several times until she agreed willy-nilly.
Judi, that description made me shudder!!
She drew a picture of the living God as a ‘weakling’ who would need our approval so that His will could be done. As I have come to know Christ who loves us but also commands masterfully what He wants to be done, esp. when IT IS URGENT to obey Him, I shudder every time when people admire this woman or similar people for having done God’s will on earth. May God give more discernment to His Body! Amen.
Concerning this ex-Jesuit… as far as I can see it, he left the RCC for rather natural reasons as he got married eventually. Today he and his wife have four (adult) children. I knew several other Jesuits in the past, too. You might know that you find them often in the higher education system as they are great theologians, but, alas, usually no lovers of God. What I observed was that they almost always approached God on a mere intellectual level. These are very smart guys, no doubt about this. But I was very disappointed to find out that none of them knew Christ for real. 😦
May He keep you and protect you, my sister! ❤
Susanne
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Judi and Susanne, you quoted from Jeremiah, “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” It is interesting that the ratio of tearing down and building up is 2 to 1. I think it was Tozer who once said that God seemed more interested in un-teaching us than He is in teaching us any new thing. I can testify in my own life that this is true. As it was when Nehemiah set out to build his wall in Jerusalem, they had to do away with all the rubble before they could start to build. The Hebrew people had to spend forty years in the wilderness to get the idolatry and rebellion of Egypt out of them before they could cross the Jordon as HIS people and be established in the Promised Land. This principle gives more depth of meaning to Jesus’ words, “If any man would be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me.” The personal cross has to come first which plucks up, breaks down, destroys and overthrows all that we once were so we can finally start following HIM! Catholicism, Protestantism, occult, and cults… it and all its residue ALL has to go so we can clearly hear the voice of our Shepherd and follow Him.
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Amen, Michael. Well said! ⭐
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Thank you Susanne for an incredible reply! You mentioned some things I had not considered or known.
Quote: ” May God give more discernment to His body!” (end quote)
AMEN!
The Lord must have something important in mind to be highlighting the wiles of Satan in the current posts here and at AWV.
May we not skim the surface but understand what He is saying to each of us regarding this.
XO Judi
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You are so welcome, Judi. ❤ Amen to your prayer! 👍🏻
Susanne XO
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