Being deceived can happen in lots of ways–cults constitute one of them.
Do you remember fondly the good teachers that came into your life? Maybe some were really guides and mentors who made a difference. But occasionally one may come across seeming-teachers who, disguised as mentors, guides and speakers of truth, were actually not such things at all, but were rather like wolves in sheep’s clothing, persons behaving in ways detrimental to one’s flourishing as a human being. I hope you’ll never have much to do with such a person, but considering the way world goes and the waywardness and weakness of human nature, it’s quite possible you will encounter someone like this. I have to say that I did, and in the end he took me for quite a ride, and not one to be recommended. Beyond the initial harm such persons can cause to one’s well-being, when conditions are right, such a false teacher may be capable of gathering many followers to such an extent that a cult is born, and then the well-being of many is at risk. When I was twenty, I found my way into just such an outfit, though I certainly didn’t know it at the time; cults always operate behind a disguise—one never knowingly joins one. Nine years later I was able to find my way out again. I walked out of the Children of God long after I jumped in, but it took a long time to realize what I’d leaped into. I confess I had some help in recovering and I’m thankful for that. It takes time to recover from such delusion.
Being deceived can happen in lots of ways–cults constitute just one of them. In the pages of Makingsensesofcults.com I try to unpack what it means to be deceived in a number of ways, but I concentrate on cults—on what they are, how to recognize them, how people get out of them and how one may recover after leaving one. And I try hard to provide some sense of what can be learned from observing them. One consolation for those who have been mightily disillusioned by a deceiver and his or her cult is in coming to the realization that despite the reality of very bad teaches, really good teachers are still to be found. That’s a consolation worth dwelling on—for there are those who, even at real cost to themselves, are worthwhile guides.
I hope Makingsenseofcults.com will be useful to you or someone you know who’s been on the receiving end of such a big, ongoing, deep deception—particularly that brand known as a cult.
Imagine being lost in the woods, or caught in a swamp—literally or figuratively—and finding yourself fearful of not finding your way before darkness falls or imagine beginning to sink and maybe even drown—either mentally or physically—with no rescue is in sight. Some people don’t have to imagine such a thing—it’s been their situation, at least metaphorically. But we can also imagine how much we’d appreciate any voice or light or any hand offered to help get us out of such tough circumstances. Being saved from just such a jam, in the end, you can realize your rescue was God’s providence and mercy. But sometimes God uses odd, frail and foolish instruments to offer a word of guidance or to light the way a little in the dark, or to offer a hand to the sinking.
Maybe MakingSenseofCults.com—formally being launched with this post—may be a bit of a light or a voice or an offered hand, as odd and weak and foolish as I suspect it is. The Lord is the true light, but he tells those who seek to follow him not to hide the light he gives them. I hope you’ll visit the site and subscribe to the newsletter which will be published from time to time.