Sound familiar to anyone?
* Leaders who are beyond reproach
* Loaded language
* Fear of the outside world
* There is no valid reason for leaving
* Us vs. them mentality
Here are more (not exhaustive):
* The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader
* Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished
* The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).
* The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.
* The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary
* The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members
* The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members
* Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members (MTC)
* The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group
* Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities
From: http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_checklist