I understand why people are in cults. I got sucked into one despite avoiding three others that tried to get me.
Why am I talking about this now? I watched a documentary last night about one of the religions I was involved with and it was about sex abuse. Every religion/cult that I have experienced has had sex abuse. I know this first hand because I talked to the victims of it. I understand why this happens, but just wanted to share my experience with others.
Cults talk to you about things that you care about, and if you are kind and trusting like me they take advantage of that. I had a friend who was in a cult and that was the introduction for me. I of course was wary about the religion but my experience was friendly, kind, and warm. It gave you a sense of community, and I started to think that perhaps there was value in this religion.
Now when people look at cults they are not part of they talk about how stupid it is and how obvious are the lies. People who are part of cults are not stupid. They know that there are inconsistencies. But for them, the reality of community and staking their reputation on their belief is too strong to change.
When I was in different cults I realized that they were hypocritical and not sincere. Then I only had one choice which was to leave. It was painful because it cost me family, friends, and the security that I had known for years. However, I could not continue knowing that what I felt/thought was not the truth.
It is wonderful to feel a certainty in your life and cults/religions give you that certainty. However, for me, it came at too high a price. I couldn’t live knowing that people were being taken advantage of and lied to and I don’t want to be part of any group that is hurting others. I will never join any group again in my life because I made mistakes in the past.
If you think someone is in a cult, don’t try to talk them out of it. They won’t listen. Just tell them that you will be there and if they ever need help, you will be there. I looked for friendship in cults/religions/communities but it wasn’t there. Just a self-serving interest of small-minded selfish people. Don’t make the same mistake I did.