Who Joins a Cult...Perhaps You?  by Dan & Agusta Harting

A few years ago, my friend who is not a Christian, told me with great conviction that nobody but the "weak minded" or an "exceptionally gullible person" could ever be lured into a cult. It gives me no pleasure to inform you that, some time later, her only daughter was lured into one of the most mind-controlling cults in America. She is still deeply involved in it, and has married a fellow cultist. Now, my friend has to walk on eggshells so that they do not cut off all relationship with her! "Sad", you say, "but something like this could never happen in our family, because we are Christians". But are you right? No, unfortunately you are dead wrong! Most cultists have a background in Christianity. Many were raised in Christian homes.

The following is a composite of the typical person who gets snared into a cult. Keep this composite and share it with your family and friends.

"I came from a main-line denominational background, from Catholicism, evangelical church or perhaps from another cult. Eighty percent (80%) of us came from Christian backgrounds-forty percent (40%) of us used to be Baptists.

"I could have sat in my church and never heard the gospel, even if it was taught. I never responded to an altar call, or if my pastor gave an altar call, I didn't think it applied to me. Perhaps I responded to an altar call, but I didn't feel anything, so I thought it was ineffective. I was told that I must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, but since I didn't, I thought God had rejected me".

"I believed in the supernatural, and I thought only good people went to Heaven, but I could never believe that God would send anyone to Hell."

"When I was contacted by the group, they agreed with me on almost everything. They didn't believe in Hell either. You see, they had the answers that really made sense to me. I didn't understand the Bible, and I had never heard a warning about cults from the pulpit. My pastor said it wasn't loving to be negative about other people's religions....she said all religions led to God....she said we were supposed to have tolerance and unity".

"I thought all cultists wore saffron colored robes and had their heads shaved. I didn't know that they could be so nice and look so normal".

"I was uprooted from my friends and family...I was in college....widowed....divorced....elderly....lonely. Nobody came to see me except the cultists at my door, and they wanted to be with me all the time."

"I was too skinny, too fat, not smart, popular or well to do. I was handicapped....I felt a void in my life that my church was not filling. When I came to church, hardly anyone said "hi", and, when I didn't come, no one missed me."

"When I joined the cult, I was told that my pastor had said that he felt bad, but he didn't come after me. I guess he felt safer with the ninety and nine."