There are two key elements necessary for a cult. Viz:
1 Each individual commits to some mission or higher purpose not chosen through personal, conscious, reflection.
2 There are serious consequences attached to leaving.
These two reasons commitment to mission and consequencesee of leaving are sufficient to harness people's lives and labours in a cult.
A cult is a kind of power virus. The whole point of the thing is to give power in the form of access to money, sex, and or people energy to the cult leader
The word cult is usually reserved to organisations considered evil or harmful to the society, but the workings of power are identical whether the purpose of the organisation is moral, immoral, or amoral.
Cult typically have a mission that they say they're working towards, to them a holy mission. Members are conditioned to believe this mission is the most important use of their lives, and they should be willing to sacrifice everything for the higher purpose. Once that meme get programme in they're effectively enslaved.
If you are currently dedicating your life to a mission or higher purpose, I suggest you reconsider your dedication based on three test
1 If you were asked, What is the most important use of your life? Would your answer be that mission?
2 Does evidence shows that your participation with that group is the best way to fulfill that mission?
3 Do you have a personal sense of fulfillment from your day-to-day participation with that group?
If your answer is no to any of that question what the heck are you doing there? If you find the questions difficult to answer then you're in great shape. If it was easy to answer yes to all the questions you've been programme, and you should at least take a break from what you are doing and go smell a fresh air for a while.
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