And now a public service announcement
Warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader[edit]
Rick Ross's Cult Education Institute lists the following warning signs for followers of a cult:[2]
They are extremely obsessive regarding the group/leader, resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
Individual identity, the group, the leader, and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused – as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned, it is characterized as "persecution".
They engage in uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, effectively cloning the group/leader in their personal behavior.
They are dependent upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.