btw, I've been in a cult and feel somewhat qualified to know the signs: isolation, deprivation, contradictoy teachings, having others tell you what "God" says you should do, having leaders who set themselves up as virtual gods...Do these people see Osama bin Laden heading out to die a martyrs death while he tells them it is the greatest thing? Once under the spell of the great deceiver a person is blind to truth, reason, and even simple logic.
btw, I've been in a cult and feel somewhat qualified to know the signs: isolation, deprivation, contradictoy teachings, having others tell you what "God" says you should do, having leaders who set themselves up as virtual gods....Once under the spell of the great deceiver a person is blind to truth, reason, and even simple logic.Having grown up as a baptist, I can understand all of those warning signs you pointed out.