MollyMac

Is this another joke? What particular feature of quakerism can merits the description 'new age'.

Anyone can attend a Quaker meeting and I attended one when I was going through a 'seeking' phase in my teens. We did all sit in a circle (on chairs) but people didn't stare at each other. I would say that most closed their eyes, only opening them when someone spoke. IIRC only a couple of people spoke during the meeting - along the lines of 'the beauty of the colours of autumn filling their hearts with joy'. These remarks were greeted with smiles and nods from the others, then people closed their eyes again. No 'Amens' or anything like that. All in all it was pleasant, comforting experience and if I were a theist, this is the kind I'd be.

Having said that, I might add that I know a couple of people who describe themselves as atheist quakers. Proud of their quaker roots and their families' 300 year old quaker history, they maintain such central quaker convictions as pacifism and a no-frills lifestyle, while rejecting the god stuff.

Sabine Grant

Bonjour all....A touch of compassion may be necessary to look at what draws people to destructive cults. Cults seek individuals who have experienced or still experience hardship whether it be emotional, physical or psychological. They " offer" a surrogate family which presents itself as a support and comfort. Basicaly they exploit human misery and despair or even anger.
These folks who get " sucked into a cult" are victims. To qualify them as lesser individuals on the intellectual level does not explain the worldwide phenomenon of cults's growth and proliferation.
Cults also dwell on depriving members from their individuality. They are denied the right to be different from the group. A false sense of security replaces the courage to say " I disagree". Conformism prevails.
Moreso, the failures of mainstream religions to have provided and responded to the needy without imposing their own dogma are partly responsible for distressed folks to seek help within cults.
We can point fingers to cults... but they exist because of human failures and at times indifference.

Deacon Doubtmonger

Me too; as they have no clergy, there's none of that snotty "I'm especially and elitely holy and you're not, and I have God's ear and you don't, and I'll put in the fix with Him for you ... for a price [in abject mental/emotional servitude]" business.

Get this: Their church buildings are completely plain and unadorned; however, in smaller towns where they don't see a need for a building, meetings are held in members' homes. So in that sense, the homeowners are actually paying taxes on "church" property!

Deacon Doubtmonger

squiddy

Back to the original question:
Okay, I was once in a cult, but it was not anything like Jonestown or Heaven's Gate. It was a relatively benign cult called "Eckankar."
Eckankar
I joined when I was probably 18 or so and at the prompting of my best friend (who is still a member, like 25 years later).

I bailed after a year or two, after I noticed some rather weird stuff, which I much, much later found confirmation for.
"Spiritual Hoax" site
I guess that was lucky for me because supposedly:

"the Eckankar writings are riddled with fear tactics right out of Scientology and dire threats of what damnation awaits anyone foolish enough to quit. Without the Living Eck Master's guidance, all a person's karma is dumped onto his head and will likely crush the poor soul. Numerous threats promise countless rounds of more miserable lives spent in the astral hells and back here on earth. All is not lost, though, if the hapless student someday crawls back to the feet of the Living Eck Master and asks to be saved. As you may guess, these fear-laden admonitions against quitting are only available to the student after approximately 10 years of conditioning (er...study), so new members have absolutely no idea what less-than-pleasant surprises await them down the road."

When I first quit, I was a bit worried about what would happen next, but I was willing to take the chance because the whole movement seemed such utter bullshit. They claimed stuff like every famous person who ever lived was secretly an Eckist and/or an Eck Master.

From my experience, I think cults are most effective on the young, on persons who have recently been traumatized and need something to fill the void, or people who desperately need the approval of a group to belong to.

When I joined Eck, I guess it was a youthful indescretion and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Hope this helps, or is the kind of reply you were looking for, Senor Boogie Woogie.

Squiddy

Wyrdsmyth

Why does anyone join a cult? Obviously, at the time they don't perceive them as being harmful, or they are sucked in at a time when they aren't thinking straight. Maybe it has something also to do with the 'charismatic' and the 'susceptible' personalities interacting. The charismatic -- the cult leader or representative -- is very personally impressive, and the susceptibles may have emotional problems, deep insecurities, etc. Put the two together and you have a leader and followers.

JaeIsGod

Perhaps some join for fun or because they are bored.If you find it amusing to watch weirdos do weird , then a cult is a place to look.

Purple Smartie

Obviously they don't set out one day looking for a cult. Many people argue that some aspects of ballet dancing resemble a cult, particularly the South Korean Universal Ballet and its American school, Kirov... which I think recently changed its name too. Parents ship their children off to prestigious ballet schools to study dancing, not to join a cult. Again it's the young impressionable mind at risk.

More information about cults in the dance world.