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The report included a list of purported cults based upon information which may have been provided by former members, the general information division of the French National Police (Renseignements généraux — the French secret police service) and cult-watching groups. [13]
Members of the lower echelon of the group worked primarily as security officers with many working double shifts. Salaries were sent to the group's post office box. Members were encouraged to enroll in colleges, receive education loans, and then defer payment. When charges were brought against the group for the student loan scam, other frauds ...
The exact qualifications for labeling a group a secret society are disputed, but definitions generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on secrecy, and might involve the retention and transmission of secret knowledge, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals ...
The anti-cult movement, abbreviated ACM and also known as the countercult movement, [1] consists of various governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals that seek to raise awareness of religious groups that they consider to be "cults", uncover coercive practices used to attract and retain members, and help those who have become involved with harmful cult practices.
[b] Groups labelled "cults" are found around the world and range in size from local groups with a few members to international organizations with millions. [61] While these documents utilize similar terminology, they do not necessarily include the same groups nor is their assessment of these groups based on agreed criteria. [59]
In many cases, beneath the secret handshakes and mysterious rituals, they're kind of like adult frats (or actual frats, in the case of the college groups on this list).
One member, Janja Lalich, later became a widely cited researcher on cults. Lalich characterized the DWP as a political cult with Dixon serving as its charismatic leader . [ 1 ] She estimated that the Democratic Workers Party at one point had 125-150 full-time members and 300-1,000 members with various degrees of affiliation.
By the time Joaquin Phoenix was born, his parents Arlyn and John Lee Phoenix had already joined the religious cult Children of God.Before leaving the the group when he was 3 years old, his parents ...