Who is most Vulnerable to Cults?

Who is most Vulnerable to Cults?

In truth, absolutely anyone can become a victim but they are often those individuals who are young, intelligent, and idealistic. They are most likely to be 'recruited' during a transition period in their life- when they are more vulnerable to outside coercion and manipulation.

Think you are immune? Think again. Victims of cults are lawyers, doctors, stay at home moms, celebrities, CEO's, charity workers, the homeless to millionaires and everything in between. How much money you have, how smart you are, who your parents are, what town or school you went to…none of these things matter.

The leaders of these cults are people who are "sociopaths". They are not like you and me, these are people who have no conscious, no real emotion, and no regard for others. They are driven by their need to exert power and control, and will stop at nothing in their quest to do so.

They recruit their victims slowly, using subtle techniques of psychological manipulation to win your trust and friendship. It is FACT, psychological manipulation slowly and methodically wears down your sense of self-worth, self-confidence, self-concept and trust in your own perceptions. Just like how a frog will immediately jump out of a pot of boiling water-but it will boil and die if placed in a pot of cool water that slowly heats to a boil. They are experts at analyzing you, and providing you with exactly the things you are unconsciously seeking.

Learning to recognize the personality style of manipulators is the only way to protect yourself from further abuse. Expert Philip Zimbardo says that mind control is a "process by which individual or collective freedom of choice and action is compromised by agents or agencies that modify or distort perception, motivation, affect, cognition and/or behavioral outcomes" and he suggests that everyone is susceptible to such manipulation.

According to Wikipedia: Philip George Zimbardo is a psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment and has since authored various introductory psychology books, textbooks for college students, and other notable works, including The Lucifer Effect, The Time Paradox and the The Time Cure. He is also the founder and president of the Heroic Imagination Project.

Next week we will discuss the various techniques these manipulators deploy on their victims.

The Sharon Stern Story printed in the Miami Herald!

Our long-awaited article in the Miami Herald has finally come out, written by the talented Julie Brown.

It tells the tragic story Sharon Stern in a succinct yet powerful way.

If you have a minute to read it, this link will take you to the Miami Herald article.

Cult Leader Katsura Kan has been served!

While in Thailand for a performance, Katsura Kan was legally served on behalf of the Sharon Stern estate, for the wrongful death of Sharon Stern. This was a monumental step towards getting justice for Sharon and her family. Here are the details of what happened:

At 8:10, the investigator saw a red Mini Cooper car, red plate number: ย 0922, Bangkok pull over in the front of Democrazy Theatre Studio. The driver of the car was a man called Mr. Num (Mr. Kritsana), the passenger who sat next to Mr. Num was Mr. Katsura Kan and a lady was seen sitting in the back. All three people got out of the car and went into Democrazy Theatre Studio. The investigator went to the entrance of Democrazy Theatre Studio and asked to meet Mr. Katsura Kan. When the investigator met Mr. Katsura Kan, the investigator said “Are you Katsura Kan”. He confirmed that he was. The investigator said “This is a complaint against you pending in the Broward County Circuit Court and you have 20 days to respond”. Mr. Katsura Kan smiled and took the document. The investigator asked Mr. Katsura Kan to sign the receipt document. Mr. Katsura Kan signed the receipt document for the investigator.

View the Katsura Kan Service Of Process Report.

View the Katsura Kan Service Verification.

Stay tuned for updates...

The Sharon Stern Story printed in 'Mail Online'

Mail Online recently printed a well written article by the talented Donna Anderson, about how cult leader Katsura Kan controlled, manipulated and drove Sharon Stern to suicide.

Here is an excerpt:

'He made her forget everything that was happy about life, and told her she needed to experience pain and suffering, until he had full control over her. She called him god.'

The lawsuit, which Kan has not responded to, alleges that Kan 'systematically stripped away Stern's human dignity, free will and self-respect by subjugating Stern to Kan's total control.'
It reads: 'Kan seduced Stern to engage in a sexual relationship with him, abused, publicly humiliated, criticized, insulted and derogated Stern, induced Stern to ingest narcotic drugs.'

Click to read how the cult of Katsura Kan destroyed Sharon Stern.

NEW EVENT: Town Hall Meeting with the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)

The citizens of Rutherford Country, NC are holding a town-hall meeting on MAY 24th, 2014, in order to get answers to many questions regarding the Word of Faith Fellowship's cult like characteristics and activities. There are many victims from this church who have found the courage to speak out against them: many of whom will be attending and telling their stories. For more information, please visit their Facebook page, Citizens Against Corruption and Abuse.

NEW EVENT: FLAG DOWN - Anti-Scientology Conference in Clearwater, FL

MAY 5th-10th, 2014

The conference will reveal the abusive conditions, financial exploitation, coerced abortions and broken families that lie behind the Scientology organization’s veneer of religiosity.

Hosting an event of this size has never been done in Clearwater before. The fact that the cult consider it their mecca, despite the majority of citizens being somewhat less than supportive of it, makes it the ideal location for this event.

This will show the cult that ex-Scientologists, critics, anons, SPs and others are no longer afraid of them and their bully-boy tactics.

It is an opportunity to help people who want to leave the cult, by showing them how things are on the outside, and that life is actually far better without threats to your ‘eternity’.

For more information: http://www.flagdown.org

True Story of Being Disfellowshipped by the Jehovah's Witnesses

I grew-up in McDonough, GA, a family of four boys and my parents. Growing-up, I never saw myself as different from anyone else, but in all reality I was quite different. My family were Jehovah’s Witnesses, which determined how we lived our lives.

As a young man, I was known as the stalwart one. Everyone in the congregation would tell their children, “Look at Clint, he’s a great example for you.” I was an obedient kid. I studied hard looking for truth and lived a good life. I stayed away from drugs, alcohol, smoking, girls, etc. – keeping in line with my faith. I was an early morning witness, doing fieldwork, and even speaking to thousands of people about the church. During my adolescent years I volunteered close to seventy hours a month.

While serving on a mission in North Dakota, I learned of the tragedy that struck the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. I think a lot of people, including myself, started to re-examine their faith after 9-11. The effects of 9-11 were felt everywhere in the country, but I believe they had a strong impact on my life and the lives of other Jehovah Witnesses. As members, we saw the tragedy of 9-11 as a sign of the coming Armageddon, where there would be a final collapse of the "system" after a time of upheaval called the great tribulation.

Overwhelmed with guilt after being intimate with a girl I liked, I called my brother Ashley who came to North Dakota to get me, and together we returned home to GA. It's considered a sin to have sex out of marriage. After returning home to Georgia, I met another girl who I really liked and wanted a relationship with, we were intimate and again the guilt overtook me, so I confessed to the elders at my congregation. After confessing to the elders, they had a two-week deliberation period to decide my standing in the church and they decided to Disfellowship me.

Telling my parents that I had been disfellowshipped was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I think I can say I was more sad than I was nervous, knowing that I had disappointed my parents and my family. It’s important for non-Jehovah Witnesses to understand that once you are disfellowshipped, you can no longer spend quality time with family or friends who are Jehovah's Witnesses. There are no dinners together, no family outings, etc.; I would forever be shunned by them.

Thinking back on the experience, I remember feeling numb as my mom cried and called me selfish. There wasn’t anything I could say or do to help the situation. You have to remember that I had been the “good kid.” I was the one they were so proud of, and now I had disappointed them beyond even what I could conceive. Adding to their shame, when someone is disfellowshipped, it is announced to the entire congregation during the service.

After I was disfellowshipped, I somewhat spiraled out of control. I was so confused that I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I started researching not only my own religion, but other religions as well, learning as much as I could about life and spirituality. As I studied, I came to realize that all doctrines aren’t black and white, which is what I had been told my whole life. I began to see that there are many gray areas and many churches see doctrines differently. I started a Youtube channel where I discuss various Jehovah's Witness doctrine and other topics. This is one way that I try to cope and heal from my experience and the loss of my family and lifelong friends

- Clint Bussey