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Do you know anyone who joined a cult and if so, what happened to them?

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My significant other joined a cult for about a year. She was recruited by a coworker who is also a cult member. What she told me was it was similar to the mainstream religion that it broke off of (we're both Christian) except for a few practices that seemed bizarre, such as avoiding certain foods, not wearing certain types of clothing and maintaining a certain behavior in public that isn't even taught or practiced among the most prude Christians. She decided to leave when their faith "leader" told them to take a week off from work in order to spend an entire week in seclusion in their place of worship in the mountains and to sleep communally.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

A former coworker of mine almost ended up joining The Pana-Wave Laboratory, until his folks and friends talked him out of it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A friend of mine joined a splinter group of the moonies, who literally worship guns.

The guru performs his sermons in a camouflage robe and AR15 slung on his back.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

A friend of mine’s mother was a member of a religious group, in order to raise her own rank she needed to donate more money. Since she was 15 her mother would make her sell her body for money with her barely able to have enough money for food. She was unable to attend high school as her mother will not pay, and her mom made huge monthly payment demands on her. She eventually had to borrow money from the black market to pay her mom, which got her in trouble due to high interest. Eventually she was forced to run drugs for the group and later was arrested and got a really hefty sentence where she is still serving. Her mother never got into trouble for what she did.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

I don’t know if there’s an official list of what are considered cults - at least by the authorities, but I had a colleague who … joined? … a group in the USA. This person identified as the leader’s “partner”. Other members always wrote of the leader in glowing terms and only referred to that person by last name. As it also was the name of an animal, perhaps it was thought to impart “spirituality”. Some time again the … followers … were frantic when the leader went missing. A few days later a police report came out stating that the person had “fallen” from the 25th floor of a building. No follow up.

”Cult”?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A close friend of mine became a badge wearing member of the Cult of Trump - seriously.

Lost heaps of respect from long time friends - not because of his political siding, but because of his spouting / ranting of his belief in the Leaders utterings.

I kid you not - he had a T-shirt with "Lock Her Up" on it.

Everything out of the Leaders mouth he takes as gospel.

All others are cultists, but he is not.

Quite insane to witness.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

I have a friend who joined the "anti vaccine" cult. I'm not sure if this qualifies but his behavior completely change. Vaccines, or one in particular, well the not taking and neither should anyone else, took over his life. What happened? He got covid and was quite ill but made a recovery.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

The definition of cult is up to the individual. Many people like myself would consider all and I mean ALL religions to be cults. As someone once said...

"A cult is the church down the road that you don't attend."

Not all cults are necessarily bad or harmful.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

For me , all religions are some sort of cult. I was baptised against my will when I was 8 years old.

My mother converted to Islam for her second husband. After a few weeks she realised what a mistake that was.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I know many people who joined the MAGA cult. It warped their brains, made them forsake their long held principles and lost most of their friends and family.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Every church-going person I've ever known is a member of a cult. Most of them got brainwashed, and lived their lives according to the rules of their cult. Some of them judged homosexuals and divorce. Most of them were tolerable as long as they weren't talking about their cult/church.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

People hang on to irrational beliefs, whether they are religions, cults or other worldviews. Just because an irrational belief is held by a large number of people doesn't make it any more rational. And a rational belief doesn't become less rational because it is opposed by a majority.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

People hang on to irrational beliefs, whether they are religions, cults or other worldviews.

People are still allowed to hang on to rational beliefs without recriminations. How long will this last until the cult of social media put at end to it?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

To directly answer your question, yes I have and it probably was the better option for him compared to a state of meaningless existence. It works for some... but then again, is this the kind of answer you want to be shown?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Yes. Don't know.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I do. very sad tale.

Around about 2020 he became very scared and joined a death cult. He wore a mask 24/7, whether alone or in public. Took photos of himself (masked, of course) receiving the covid vaccines to post to social media. His Facebook page became an ugly mirror into his lack of self-control. He wailed at the govt for not making vaccines for his perfectly healthy 6 year-old available sooner.

He actually posted publicly on Facebook he wanted those who declined the vaccine to be rounded up in concentration camps. Literally.

Hes now rather quiet about his descent into the cult.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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