faith foundation
People who become involved in religious cults (of all persuasions) generally do so after embarking on a spiritual search. We’re searching for meaning, transcendence, an understanding of our place in the universe. This is a daunting and confusing task. When we lack knowledge in a particular area that we wish to understand, we look for experts who can give us the “short version.” Cultic and spiritually abusive groups take advantage of this, providing answers to our questions that appear to make sense. They pull scripture out of context to lead a seeker to their own predefined conclusions, and because the seeker lacks historical, theological, and hermeneutical knowledge he can be led astray. The cult leader becomes the spiritual authority that the seeker looks to for knowledge of the transcendent. We don’t have to become theologians or biblical scholars to attain knowledge and discernment. We merely need to establish a solid framework so that our “spiritual house” will be sound.
Psycho social foundation
Understanding the manipulative techniques that cult leaders use to obtain compliance from their followers is enormously helpful not only in recovering from the effects of thought reform and spiritual abuse, but also helps protect the cult survivor from re-victimization.