Cults and Spiritual Abuse

On this web site we label the Revival Centres groups as ‘cults’.  This has upset both those in the Revival Centres and even some former members.  They feel ‘cult’ is too emotive a term to use in describing the Revival Centres.  Now we do not mean to cause anyone any undue offence, but we don’t label the Revival Centres a ‘cult’ out of pure emotion.  It is a term that suits them very well.  In fact, we believe that understanding what cults are and how they operate is a major step in recovery for those hurt by the groups. 

This selection of articles should help you to decide what a cult really is and how to label and avoid mislabelling a group as a cult.  It will also discuss some of the attributes shared by nearly all cults.  There are also articles dealing with recovery and some for those who have family members or friends involved in the Revival Centres.

Revival Centre Specific Articles

·        Is Your Revival Centre a Cult? – Why are the Revival Centres groups often labelled as cults?  Should we use the word ‘cult’  when describing the groups?

·        An Important Resource for RCI – by the Freedom of Mind Resource Centre. This article applies the BITE model to the Revival Centres with some not-so-surprising results.    

·        Mind Control in the Revival Centres – The Revival Centres are among groups that have had charges of mind control levelled against them. When confronted with this accusation, Revivalists exclaim, “Nobody’s controlling me! Nobody can force me to do anything! I make my own decisions. I joined the group willingly, and can leave at any time.”

About Cults and Mind Control

·        A Sinister Agenda of Cult Power - An extract from a Herald Sun article, by Carla Lechner, clinical psychologist and consultant to Melbourne Children's Court clinic.

·        Cults: Questions and Answers – by Dr. Michael Langone. This group of articles provides some good answers to commonly asked questions about cults.

·        The BITE Model: A Tool to Evaluate a Group's Control over Personal Freedom  - by Steven Hassan.  Destructive mind control can be understood in terms of four basic components, which form the acronym BITE. (From Chapter 4 of ‘Combating Cult Mind Control’ (Park Street Press, 1990)) 

·        Deception, Dependency and Dread – by Dr. Michael Langone.  A look at how cults use this model of coercion to recruit and maintain members.

·        6 Conditions for Thought Reform – by Dr. Margaret Singer. These conditions create the atmosphere needed to put a thought reform system into place. 

·        Cults Formation - by Robert Jay Lifton, MD  This article is somewhat academic but gives insight into how and why groups devolve into cults.

·         What Messages Are Behind Today’s Cults? - by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a renowned social psychologist at Stanford University.

·        Rick Ross Online Audio/Video Collection - A fantastic collection of audio and video files concerning cults and mind control. Of special note is the video, The Wave.

Specific Topic Articles

l       Dysfunctional Churches – by Ronald Enroth PhD  The label that is currently popular for unhealthy families is "dysfunctional." Unfortunately, sociologists of religion (as well as many ex-members) know that some churches are also dysfunctional, even to the point of being spiritually abusive.

l        Uncovering Churches That Abuse People  - Condensed from the book Recovering from Churches That Abuse, this article gives a checklist for identifying an abusive church.

l        The Armageddon Syndrome - by David L. Harvey.  A number of abusive churches create a fear of Armageddon, reinforced with guilt in order to dominate and maintain membership. Cults use this as a tool of emotional control. By implanting fear and creating guilt, abusive groups manipulate their members. 

l        A Pastor's Authority - by Ray C. Stedman. An excellent article regarding the nature of the position of 'pastor' (elder) in the church.

l        Unity and Conformity – by Randall Watters.  Cults do have a form of unity not obtainable in the churches, but the question is, how is this unity achieved, and is it desirable? Also, is it the same type of unity that the Bible speaks of?

l        Healthy vs Unhealthy Faith - Adapted from Faith that Hurts/Faith that Heals, by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton. (Formerly called Toxic Faith.)

l        Emotional and Spiritual Abuse – Bob Williston. This article is an attempt to familiarize the reader with the dynamics of emotionally abusive practices and how abuse can be perpetrated in a community.

l        Shunning – by Gary Busselman.  Although written about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, this is a relevant article about the nature of the Revival Centre practice of ‘shunning’.

l        Who Rules the Church? – by Ronald L. Dart. Why do "insiders" go bad? We are dealing here with people who were converted. Not only were they believers, their lives had borne fruit to such an extent that they were able to rise to positions of influence and power in the church. How does a converted person, a spiritual leader, go bad?

l        Control mechanisms in the ICC – by Keith Stump.  This article is a good insight into how members of the infamous International Churches of Christ are controlled by their church. 

l        "Identity" Movement Called Cultic – by Hal Mansfield.  This article shows how some groups have taken the British Israel teaching to new levels of extremity.

l        Twisted Scriptures – A condensed online version of the book of the same name which attempts to show how controlling religions misuse the Bible to control people.

Leaving and Recovery

l        It Hurts – by Jan Groenveld.  Leaving a cult is like experiencing the death of a close relative or a broken relationship. The feeling is often described as like having been betrayed by someone with whom you were in love. You feel you were simply used.

l        Post-Cult Trauma - After exiting a cult, an individual may experience a period of intense and often conflicting emotions. She or he may feel relief to be out of the group, but also may feel grief over the loss of positive elements in the cult.

l        Coming Out of the Cults - by Margaret Thaler Singer, Phd   Most ex-cult members can struggle at one time or another with some or all of the difficulties and problems discussed in this article.

l        Individual Differences Affecting Recovery - Excerpted from Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Madeleine Tobias and Janja Lalich.

l        Aspects of Recovery - Adapted from Cults In Our Midst: The Hidden Menace to Our Everyday Lives, Margaret Singer with Janja Lalich, Jossey-Bass, 1995.

l        Reflections on Post-Cult Recovery – by Dr. Michael Langone.  Dr Langone reflects on the insightful and moving discussions form an “After the Cult” workshop in 1994.

l        Pitfalls to Recovery – Excerpted from Cult Proofing Your Kids by Dr. Paul R. Martin (Zondervan). Dr. Martin is the director of Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center.   

l        Boundaries: Re-establishing Trust – Author unknown.  Within the cult system, boundaries are usually blurred and indistinct; easily intruded upon by other members of the cult.

l        Grief, Loss and the Former Cult Member – by Patricia Goski.  The author of this article recognized, both in her self and in other former members, a profound sense of loss accompanied at times by a tremendous grief and anguish. Consequently, she decided to research the issue of grief and loss as it relates to former cult members.

l         Exit Counselling – by Madeline Tobias.  For those who walk away, get kicked out, or are abandoned by their cult leaders, it is often a surprise to find that freedom from the cult is not necessarily freedom from the cult's influence and from techniques of mind control.

l        Study Indicates Rehab’s Benefits – By Dr Paul Martin.  Research studies suggest that more than one-third and possibly more than one-half of those who have left cultic groups have been detrimentally affected by their cultic experience.

l        Recovery From Religious Abuse - By Eric Merrill Budd.  What happens to individuals who have been psychologically abused and morally betrayed by fundamentalist cultic religious groups? How can they recover from the damage done?

Help for Those Concerned

·        Early Warning Signs of Cult Involvement - These early warning signs, compiled by exit-counsellor Rick Ross, may serve as a useful checklist to determine if you, a family member, or a friend has become involved in a destructive Bible-based religion.

·        10 Things You Need to Know …if a loved one is caught in the Revival Centres.

·        When a Cult May Not Be Your Worst Enemy – by Randall Watters.  Insight into how to best deal with your friend or family member who is involved with the Revival Centres.

·        We Weren’t Crazy, We Were Fooled – By Dr. Michael Langone. The obviously bizarre and destructive nature of some more extreme cults cause many people to believe that only “crazy” people would join them. This is simply not true.

·        Mind-Manipulating Groups: Are you or a Family Member a Victim? – by Dr Michael Langone.  Comparing these statements to the group with which you or a family member is involved may help you determine if this involvement is cause for concern.

·        Child Custody and Cults – by Dr Michael Langone.  The central question in a custody dispute is “What is in the best interests of the children?"

Miscellaneous

• Recommended Reading List - This list is by no means exhaustive but these books have helped hundreds of ex-Revival Centre members come to terms with their experiences and get on with their lives.

Please note that most of the articles on this site are written by people with little or no knowledge of the Revival Centre groups and yet may seem as if they were written with the Revival Centres in mind.  This in itself identifies some of the universal traits of what we define as a ‘cult’.  Unless indicated, we have not changed these articles to be more specific to the Revival Centres.