#following a single usually male charismatic leader who may declare himself god or the son of god

[bakurapika]

I was going to put this in the tags but it got long and I figure it was worth saying here.

I wouldn't say that every group that functions this way is a cult, mostly because that implies that it's overly a religion. (I say this having grown up in a subset of evangelical Christianity that I now consider as essentially being a cult, even though it's mainstream in many areas.) But recognizing that they're using social manipulation tools associated with cults (and in fact the reason why cults are considered dangerous) is important.

Am I In A Cult?

Every so often, you have to sit without yourself and think, "am I in a cult?" This goes for everyone and it's really important to do so.

Consider:

1. Is there an out group I'm supposed to hate?

2. Is a group telling me they're the only safe people?

3. Am I being told to distance myself or stop contacting my loved ones?

4. Am I being asked to risk my life or others' lives? (This one is iffy, but still should be on the list.)

5. Am I being told that my group is above the law?

6. Am I asked to self censor? Am I punished for asking questions?

7. Am I worried about losing all my friends and social network if I step out of line?

8. Have other people called me an extremist?

9. Am I being told to follow one person or organization and not question it?

Everyone is susceptible to cults. Everyone!

This isn't about any particular group or ideology. But there are a lot of groups online that are falling into cult behaviors and we need to be aware of that and stop it immediately.