Download/Circulate At Barrie Victory Centre

My wife and I once wrote our friend to warn her that in our opinion her church group had cultic tendencies.  What did she do?  She invited the pastors of the church over for dinner and then asked them if their group was a cult!  What do you think they told her?  "Yes, we are a cult, and we intend to harm you?"  Of course not.  Manipulative leaders of fringe or  cultic churches will never admit that they use guilt, fear, and intimidation to control their members.  

Our friend should have asked others.  If you are buying a used car, it would no doubt be wise to ask someone other than the dealer about the condition of the car.  Take it to a trusted mechanic for a check.  Ask your bank how much the car is worth.  Just so, if you are unsure of a church group, either one you are about to join or one in which you are currently involved, by all means ask questions!  Only by asking questions will you be able to identify whether or not a group is a cult.

Following is a list of questions you need to ask about a group.  You need to take the time to answer as many of them as possible.  They will help you identify the problem areas in a group and enable you to spot a group with cult-like tendencies. 

• What is so appealing about what the group offers? 
• Does the group make its members feel good, fearful, guilty, or a combination of those feelings?
• Does the group leader have a special charm and persuasion that its people find inexplicable and hard to resist?
• Do the people in the group seem a bit too friendly, loving, smiling, and happy?
• Do the people in the group visit or call and offer to help with almost anything?
• Does the group claim to have a special mission or calling that is unique and not found elsewhere?
• Does the leader claim to have unique powers, vision, knowledge, or other abilities?
• How many leaders have left the group, and for what reasons?
• What is the group's reputation in the community?
• What legal actions have been taken against them?
• Are there any checks and balances to the leadership and power structure?
• Does the group have a constitution or laws of government?
• How many meetings does the group have each week?  Are the meetings always required?
• Do the people talk about their pastor all the time, as though he were next to God?
• What is the group's view on leadership authority and discipleship?
• What is the group's view on dating and marriage?
• Does the pastor encourage the flock to read different Christian authors, attend seminars and conferences sponsored by other churches and organizations?
• Is there an isolantionsitic or elitist mentality?
• If the group is independent or non-denominational, to what associations does it belong?
• Check with other local pastors or civic leaders.  Have they heard any complaints about the group?
• Check with selected religious organizations or secular organizations that keep an eye on such groups.  Do they know this group? Have they heard any complaints?
• Is the group affiliated with a larger, well-known, and reputable organization?
• What are the credentials of the leader?
• How do your parents, other relations or close friends feel about the group?  Do they have reservations?
• Is the church rabidly separatist?
• What are the finances of the group?  Is there secrecy?  Does the leader live differently from the followers, drive a better car, take longer vacations, live in a nicer house than people of comparable education and experience?
• Does the group motivate its members mostly through fear and guilt?
• Who invited you to the group or to the meeting?  Was it a total stranger? (if so, be very cautious.)
• Have any articles been written about the group?  Any books?
• Do you know of any criminal investigations regarding the church or its leader?
• Was there a split in the group?  Why did it split?
• Are there disgruntled former members?
• Do the disgruntled former members all more or less tell a similar story of why they left?  Did they leave because they disagreed with either the teachings or the practices of the group or its leader?  How was the disagreement handled?
• Does your "gut-level" feeling about this group tell you from time to time that something is wrong?

We must ask and we must teach our children to ask such questions if we are going to cult-proof them in our society.

(from Cult Proofing Your Kids by Dr. Paul R. Martin)