tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post9149626000325266312..comments2024-03-17T11:21:13.249-07:00Comments on Religion and Child Abuse News: Exposing the abuses and frauds of cults makes advocate a target for regular legal and physical threatsPerry Bulwerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-67383979340052965232019-03-31T11:16:03.815-07:002019-03-31T11:16:03.815-07:00Unlike my teenage self who was strong and unique, ...Unlike my teenage self who was strong and unique, I became part of a collective, living my life entirely for my leaders and subject to all of their commands. And, like Seven of Nine from Star Trek, I was never alone. I was never without the voices of my small collective in my head, telling me how to be. They guided (aka manipulated) me, held me up (aka tore me down) and defined my life in a way Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-6712151985254583152019-03-31T11:15:52.807-07:002019-03-31T11:15:52.807-07:00All that changed when I met my future cult leaders...All that changed when I met my future cult leaders. It seemed innocent enough in the beginning: they were just a cool couple I felt drawn to and wanted as my friends. At that time I was in my early 20s and friendships were getting a bit harder to make and maintain. I had a longing for a deeper connection than I had ever found in the past and, as the convenience of school friendships drifted away,Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-69785263708848928342019-03-31T11:14:26.120-07:002019-03-31T11:14:26.120-07:00Making Friends Is Tough After You Leave a Cult
Ho...<b>Making Friends Is Tough After You Leave a Cult</b><br /><br />How Seven of Nine from ‘Star Trek Voyager’ spoke to my social dilemma.<br /><br />By Star Spider, March 26, 2019 VICE<br /><br />The other day I was sitting in my therapist’s office talking (more like crying) about a current problem I have in my life: making friends. I’m 36 years old, an age at which making friends is pretty toughPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-5973136397018355882018-06-10T15:33:20.648-07:002018-06-10T15:33:20.648-07:00For years I had no sense of what most people consi...For years I had no sense of what most people considered normal. For example, I thought that the word damn and the c-word were equals on a social acceptability scale. For many more years, I felt so fundamentally fucked up that I didn’t think I deserved normalcy even if I by some miracle I achieved it.<br /><br />The result is that my life story is considered deeply “interesting,” a term I have Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-88022174858915178432018-06-10T15:33:06.827-07:002018-06-10T15:33:06.827-07:00Faced with such a seemingly innocuous remark, I ha...Faced with such a seemingly innocuous remark, I have three choices: I can say, “I was raised in a cult so I would have gotten beaten within an inch of my life if I even looked like I might be dancing. And I never knew anything about Michael Jackson until I lived near his ranch as an adult.” Alternatively, I could lie or I could hedge—give some sort of a non-response response.<br /><br />Blurting Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-19755041233454803482018-06-10T15:31:36.401-07:002018-06-10T15:31:36.401-07:00Why I Dont Tell People I Was In A Cult
By Lynn Be...Why I Dont Tell People I Was In A Cult<br /><br />By Lynn Beisner, pseudonym for a mother, a writer, and a feminist living somewhere East of the Mississippi. <br /><br />Role Reboot, May 22, 2013<br /><br />How can you tell someone the truth about your past when there’s a good chance they won’t believe you?<br /><br />I am part of a minority group that I call “People with a Big Story” for lack ofPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-32506990003694854432016-06-20T11:33:48.662-07:002016-06-20T11:33:48.662-07:00Movie review - Mia Donovans Deprogrammed cracks cu...Movie review - Mia Donovans Deprogrammed cracks cult appeal<br /><br />by T'CHA DUNLEVY, MONTREAL GAZETTE June 16, 2016<br /><br />Deprogrammed<br />✮✮✮1/2<br />Documentary<br />Directed by: Mia Donovan<br />Running time: 85 minutes<br /> <br />Cults don’t have much to do with most of our day-to-day lives. They make the headlines from time to time, but to the average person they don’t holdPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-50065773655911843422016-06-12T14:11:18.136-07:002016-06-12T14:11:18.136-07:00Ross says the key to introducing more critical thi...Ross says the key to introducing more critical thinking is pointing out ambiguity and nuance, rather than challenging core beliefs directly. For a Trump supporter, this might mean showing them evidence that immigrants don’t actually commit more crimes than native-born Americans, or that you’re more likely to get shot by a toddler than a Muslim terrorist. It might mean fact-checking some incorrectPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-75867943058927202642016-06-12T14:11:05.818-07:002016-06-12T14:11:05.818-07:00Groups like cults use a principle called “dispensi...Groups like cults use a principle called “dispensing of existence” to get their followers to reject dissenting views—it’s how Paul Haggisbecame persona non grata in the Church of Scientology after speaking out about its shady practices. But it’s the same thing done by political campaigns, which write off the views of detractors as unpatriotic or irrational.<br /><br />You don’t want to be writtenPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-60037463332064374652016-06-12T14:09:57.574-07:002016-06-12T14:09:57.574-07:00If you're trying to convince someone not to vo...If you're trying to convince someone not to vote for Trump, in other words, you should start off compassionate, not angry.<br /><br />Give them information<br />Part of a successful intervention, Ross says, is conveying new information to the subject, so they can make their own informed decision about staying with or leaving the group.<br /><br />During an intervention, Ross asks the subject Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-26446235615520517102016-06-12T14:08:53.426-07:002016-06-12T14:08:53.426-07:00We asked a cult deprogramming expert how to talk y...We asked a cult deprogramming expert how to talk your friends out of voting for Donald Trump<br /><br />By David Matthews, Fusion June 7, 2016<br /><br />It’s no secret that Donald Trump has been using powerful tools of persuasion to swing voters to his side. It’s also no secret that the Trump campaign has amassed a zealous group of supporters, many of whom have sworn their allegiance to him Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-26580406415758172612016-05-25T14:12:04.000-07:002016-05-25T14:12:04.000-07:00In order to recruit followers they begin by creati...In order to recruit followers they begin by creating a deceptive recruiting script based on a genuine grievance which reflects their own personal philosophical concerns and which may appeal to a particular audience. The script essentially acts as bait to attract potential recruits to the cause. The ideas it expresses are exclusive - ‘you must believe this and nothing else for only we have the Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-50207955104804551912016-05-25T14:11:51.930-07:002016-05-25T14:11:51.930-07:00From Attraction to Action — How Young People Are R...From Attraction to Action — How Young People Are Radicalized<br /> <br />by Massoud Khodabandeh and Anne Khodabandeh, Middle East Strategy Consultants Huffington Post May 23, 2016<br /><br />In the search for ‘what makes young people vulnerable to radicalization’, there are many push pull factors we can consider: home life, culture, politics, religion, criminality, social ills and the very Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-5095779721494390272016-05-24T11:49:57.330-07:002016-05-24T11:49:57.330-07:00All cults must seem like that at the start. Their ...All cults must seem like that at the start. Their power, of course, comes from teaching adherents that it's wrong ever to question anything — that the very act of questioning destroys the transcendence toward which everyone is striving. "You need to drop your mind," the Teacher's believers would say to any of their number who asked why, if sex corrupts their positive energy, Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-42695138249904892822016-05-24T11:49:41.915-07:002016-05-24T11:49:41.915-07:00Holy Hell Offers an Intimate Study of Sun-Kissed C...Holy Hell Offers an Intimate Study of Sun-Kissed Cult Life<br /> <br />BY ALAN SCHERSTUH, VILLAGE VOICE MAY 24, 2016<br /> <br />There's reason for skepticism when you hear that a new documentary plays like a thriller. That suggests that the filmmakers have favored suspense over documenting — that the specifics of real life will be arranged according to the logic of plotting rather than Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-7861462400950753512016-05-22T16:02:37.142-07:002016-05-22T16:02:37.142-07:00How to Tell If Someone You Know Is in a Cult
By A...How to Tell If Someone You Know Is in a Cult<br /><br />By Alex Mierjeski, attn: MAY 21ST 2016<br /><br />Have a friend or family member who's been acting strange lately? Have they been making strange friends, cultivating rigid new beliefs, and hanging on the words of a beloved leader?<br /><br />Well, they could just be that they're following the 2016 election too closely.<br /><br />ButPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-4270649692390487862016-05-22T15:54:58.451-07:002016-05-22T15:54:58.451-07:00Former cult videographer Will Allen takes us into ...Former cult videographer Will Allen takes us into Holy Hell<br /><br />CBC Radio May 20, 2016<br /><br />How do people get drawn into cults? And if it gets strange or scary, why don't they just leave? <br /><br />Filmmaker Will Allen has explored these questions firsthand. Today he joins Shad to discuss his revealing documentary Holy Hell. The film, built of footage shot by Allen while he wasPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-87307358129412753872016-05-09T14:52:17.781-07:002016-05-09T14:52:17.781-07:00Milton - What is it like to join a cult
Guziec: A...Milton - What is it like to join a cult<br /><br />Guziec: At first, it’s love bombing, an initial high. They give you constant praise, and you feel wonderful. Then, they say, “Join us, or we won’t continue this validation or praise.” Then, you start to make certain life changes, by dressing, eating or talking a certain way. There are small changes here and there, and soon you are dependent on Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-23799407161175111012016-05-09T14:52:03.645-07:002016-05-09T14:52:03.645-07:00Helping cult victims - On the Record with Steve Gu...Helping cult victims - On the Record with Steve Guziec<br /><br />by KATRINA J.E. MILTON, The Mid Week News Sycamore, Illinois April 20, 2016<br /><br />Steve Guziec of Sycamore not only is a therapist and licensed professional counselor with Behavioral Health Providers P.C. in Sycamore, but he also is an expert on cults.<br /><br />Guziec was raised in a cult and left when he was 25 years old.Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-11371075787797529222016-05-09T14:38:44.162-07:002016-05-09T14:38:44.162-07:00In books such as Jon Ronsons Them - Adventures wit...In books such as Jon Ronsons Them - Adventures with Extremists, and brilliant yet haunting documentaries like 2015's Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), you're given insight into exactly how such captivation with ideological cult leaders turns captive, and the emotional abuse that traumatizes its members thereon.<brPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-14484540841302377462016-05-09T14:38:28.225-07:002016-05-09T14:38:28.225-07:00On Isolation Anger And Avoiding The Kool-Aid
Wha...On Isolation Anger And Avoiding The Kool-Aid <br /><br />What Life Is Like Leaving A Cult<br /><br />by Heather Snowden, Movie Pilot April 15th, 2016 <br /><br />Despite their omnipresence within popular culture, it's the mystique of the cult that keeps us coming back for more. The stories of charismatic leaders, emotional manipulation and an ideological yet ultimately destructive ethos whichPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-30089452171524783192016-05-09T14:21:10.530-07:002016-05-09T14:21:10.530-07:00A sign welcomes visitors to what is left of the Br...A sign welcomes visitors to what is left of the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas, March 14, 2000. The sign still stands as it was left after the final raid by federal agents on April 19, 1993. The cult cultivates secrecy and isolates its members.<br /><br />Stein herself never met the leader of the cult she was trapped in, but his presence and his destructive influence was felt Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-90730789395896062342016-05-09T14:20:56.040-07:002016-05-09T14:20:56.040-07:00In particular cult leaders believe they are unique...In particular cult leaders believe they are unique beings. David Berg, the leader of the Family International (previously Children Of God), a cult still in existence, was known under the name Moses David. He was considered as a spiritual leader for his followers, a sort of prophet showing them the way.<br /><br />As a result of this "uniqueness", leaders think they are entitled to more Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-7944290533841893762016-05-09T14:19:08.235-07:002016-05-09T14:19:08.235-07:00Cult leaders - What makes people like David Koresh...Cult leaders - What makes people like David Koresh so successful at getting people to follow them?<br /><br />By Léa Surugue, International Business Times UK April 19, 2016<br /> <br />On 19 April 1993, David Koresh, leader of the destructive Branch Davidians cult, died after a 51-day FBI siege of the ranch he and his followers were occupying, near the town of Waco, Texas. Seventy-nine people,Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-45640555325085805562016-04-12T11:44:07.980-07:002016-04-12T11:44:07.980-07:00And why do we care
You could argue (maybe rightly...And why do we care<br /><br />You could argue (maybe rightly) that beneath this obsession is a human longing for organized systems of belief, especially since Americans are less affiliated with institutional religion than ever before. And maybe so.<br /> <br />But you get a better sense of the real motivator by observing the eyes of Robert Kardashian, the attorney played by David Schwimmer, on Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.com