What is Behavior Control ?

In an effort to help those who are struggling with family or friends involved in high control groups, cults and abusive relationships and to help educate the general public, we're writing a series of articles that will give you very specific information to try and help you understand how and why people get involved in these types of situations, why they stay and some things you can do to be effective in your efforts to help them. 

A recap of the last few articles in this series, with links. 

Abuse in Group Settings - What Not To Do : http://familiesagainstcultteachings.blogspot.com/2017/12/abuse-in-group-settings-what-not-to-do.html


The most effective way to help someone who's involved in these type of high control groups, cults or abusive relations is to stimulate their Critical Thinking Skills.

Recruiting Techniques on College Campuses and Why young adults and college students can be a prime target for cults

http://familiesagainstcultteachings.blogspot.com/2017/12/how-cults-and-high-control-groups.html

What are the Components that make up a High Control Group or Cult? http://familiesagainstcultteachings.blogspot.com/2018/01/components-of-high-control-groups-and.html

Moving forward on the blog series today we're focusing on what Behavior Control is based on Steve Hassan's BITE Model. "Many people think of mind control as an ambiguous, mystical process that cannot be defined in concrete terms. In reality, mind control refers to a specific set of methods and techniques, such as hypnosis or thought-stopping, that influence how a person thinks, feels, and acts." Steve Hassan. 

If someone Believes in what a particular group, church, individual, cult is offering and they feel it is one of the most important parts of their life, these type of Behavior Control techniques are then easily imposed on them.

If someone is involved in a group or situation where these points are practiced it can easily be understood and seen as to how ones Behavior can / is Controlled and Manipulated.

This list is by no means inclusive, but will give you a good idea of what to be aware of.

The next few articles we'll continue to highlight the BITE Model with the next article focusing on Information Control. 

If you or someone you know would like to Report a Cult, Need Help and or Support or want to Tell Your Story please feel free to fill out and submit one of the forms on our website:

https://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/cult-help/contact.html

We receive e-mails and calls daily asking for help and support from victims.

 "Assembly of Yahweh in Bethal, PA is a cult. Please help me get my daughter back"

Although we'd like to help every single victim who reaches out to us, we are very limited in resources. We hope to double or triple the amount of help we can offer to victims this year. Any help you wish to gift will go a long way to reaching that goal and is extremely appreciated.

https://fact.networkforgood.com/projects/27300-fact-fundraising-for-2018

Please feel free to comment and share this with friends, family, on social media platforms etc.

Thank you again for all your continued support in this fight of darkness.

Sincerely,

The FACT Team
Families Against Cult Teachings, Inc 

Business After Hours Fundraiser - Yes, there will be Wine!

Hope you can join us for our Business After Hours Fundraiser Thurs Feb 1st
 
New River Fine Art, American Fine Wine Competition and Belissima Fine Art Services will host a Business After Hours event at New River Fine Art on Las Olas Blvd. Tickets for the event are $45 per person. 

Thurs Feb 1st 6-8pm 

New River Fine Art

914 East Las Olas Blvd.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

Ticket sales will benefit AFWC and the funds raised from auction items benefits FACT, both of which are 501c3 registered charitable organizations.  

Tickets are available here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afwc-wine-biz-at-new-river-fine-art-tickets-42295717630

If you can not attend and would still like to support this important cause, your tax deductible donation can be gifted here:

https://fact.networkforgood.com/projects/27300-fact-fundraising-for-2017

We appreciate and value all of your support and look forward to seeing you at this event.

Sincerely,

The FACT Team

13 Siblings Rescued from Cult Like Upbringing

We've heard about these types of horrific stories before! 13 siblings were rescued in Perris, Ca from unimaginable conditions of torture by the hands of their own parents. Absolutely horrific!

The children were starved, beaten, tortured and deprived for years! Some of the children were shackled to furniture. The children, ages 2 to 29, were so emaciated the older ones still looked like children. Authorities thought the 17-year-old daughter who escaped and called 911 was only 10 when they found her.

Long time Riverside County prosecutor has this to say:

"They develop a kind of cultish doomsday type of religion where the father becomes this mythical leader and the mother and children's duty is to serve the father,"

Many will ask why did it take so long for one of these siblings to escape and go for help.

History has taught us that parents convicted in similar cases exerted extreme control over their children though intimidation, psychological and physical coercion, and in addition the parents frequently possessed their own belief system, which they would brainwash their children into believing and then practicing.

Vulnerable children growing up in these abusive, torturous circumstances are conditioned and raised to believe that their only source of survival is with their abusers. They are cut off from society, from an education, from television, from playing with other kids etc. They are psychologically, physically, emotionally and mentally stunted!

This case is very reminiscent of the 2010 Marcus Wesson case : http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/marcus-wesson-mass-murder-surviving-family-speaks-abuse/story?id=11089648

More on the 13 siblings and their story:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/girls-escape-exposes-horror-13-siblings-captive-52398392

Preventative education is essential, being inquisitive and alert to the people, children, groups, churches etc that are around us is essential and is all of our responsibilities.

The extraordinary amount of courage and strength these 13 siblings posses - to have endured so much - our hearts and prayers go out to them.

Please visit our website to educate yourselves and your loved ones about manipulation, predatory personalities, high control groups / cults and abuse.

https://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/Cult-Education/

Thank you,

The FACT Team

Components of High Control Groups and or Cults

Our blog post dated Dec 29, 2017 covered how High Control Groups and Cults Recruit New Members, especially targeting young, unsuspecting college students.

Today we're focusing on the main elements that contribute to mind control, undue influence, brain washing or the plethora of other terms used to describe this form of manipulation. 

An ex-Scientologist and activist did an extensive survey among six different ex-community group members. She then created this graphic based off her findings and submitted it to our organization. 

Let's take a look at each one:

1. Practice Shunning / Ex-Communication:

If you disagree, challenge or otherwise are not mostly in agreement with all the policies, practices and mentality of the organization and it's members - will you be shunned, ostracized or otherwise not part of the group?

2. Pressure to donate time and money:

Is it never enough? Your precious time for door to door service, bible study, disaster relief, handing out booklets, counseling others etc.

Does your group / church / organization ask more of your hard earned precious dollars? High pressure tactics to save the world, help others?

Many people mortgage off their homes, their estates, their jewels, all their assets, borrow money. Are you or someone you know being pressured to do similar things?

3. Reporting system in place; members reporting on each other:

We all should keep our Own Counsel. We innately Know what's right and wrong and what we need to do to survive well, if all our faculties are in tune! Do group members report on you to elders/ the organization, other members, if they feel you are not doing what is in line with the groups purposes?
This can be either in written reports or verbal gossiping; which can sway a persons view of you and your character.

4. Strict regime for All / Core Members:

A strict regime for example; for sea organization members (Scientology Billion Year Contract Members) would be something like 4-8 people living in an apt or dormroom style quarters; up at 6 or 7 a.m, eat, work, lunch, work, dinner, work again until 10 or 11p.m.

Weekends would still be full of work with the exception of possibly Saturday morning off for cleaning their personal living quarters, personal laundry etc for a few hours. Any real vacation time off would need to be approved by management, but only after an extensive written notice of how all their duties would be done already or covered by another staff member. Pay for these enormous hours would be a cot & three squares a day and maybe a $50 a week stipend (unless you're part of the elite upper management, which may get your more than $50). Sometimes 3 squares a day means rice and beans if you're work duties (statistics) are not above the prior weeks work load! This is the same regime for very young Sea Organization members who are recruited at a young age of 16.

5. Us vs Them Mentality:

Does the group you're involved in say things like: 

"We have the Only Answers to Mans Demise", "The End Times are Coming or Upon Us", "There is No Time to Waste", "We are the Only Answer to Spiritual Salvation". The ONLY Answer is within our Group, The Planet Depends on Us" !

These points are all Things to Critically Think About and Discuss with others.

If you or someone you know would like to Report a Cult, Need Help and or Support or want to Tell Your Story please feel free to fill out and submit one of the forms on our website:

https://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/cult-help/contact.html

 We receive e-mails and calls daily asking for help and support from victims.

Although we'd like to help every single victim who reaches out to us, we are very limited in resources. We hope to double and or triple the amount of help we can offer to victims this year. Any help you wish to gift will go a long way to reaching that goal and is extremely appreciated.

https://fact.networkforgood.com/projects/27300-fact-fundraising-for-2018

Please feel free to comment and share this with friends, family, on social media platforms etc.

Thank you again for all your continued support in this fight of darkness.

Sincerely,

The FACT Team
Families Against Cult Teachings, Inc
 www.FamiliesAgainstCultTeachings.org
 

Activism and Avatar Expose

We were recently contacted by a woman named Amanda, in Australia who told us her story of being victimized,  manipulated, financially exploited and brain washed by a group that sells "classes" under the names of the Stars Edge Network, the Advanced Intern Program, Avatar Course and Stars Edge International. She had recently gotten out and part of her healing is that she wanted to tell her story, help others who've been harmed by this group, try and help those who are still involved and expose the violations that she knows to be her truth!

Exposing a group, church, cult, guru etc is quite extensive. It takes a lot of time, energy and effort; talking to victims, compiling facts and putting it in a format for the general public to review and digest. You're donations are extremely valuable and appreciated, they go towards supporting victims, preventative education and exposes. We here at FACT would like nothing more than to expose every single church, group, guru etc that exploits and manipulates vulnerable, unsuspecting victims. We receive emails, calls and messages daily from people asking for our help! Here are examples of just a couple of the emails out of dozens we've received just in the last couple of days:

"Assembly of Yahweh in Bethal, Pennsylvania is a cult. Please help me get my daughter back"

"The meeting consisted of a long speech given by (name left out for now). During the speech he talked very passionately, quickly, and angrily about the ills of capitalism and the need for revolution. I was instantly hooked, and I have talked to other students that were hooked by this same tactic.

I would like others to know that the facade fades quickly. It feels as though you are home and you are taken seriously, yet any failure to live up to your tasks is met with disdain; this is personally damaging for a newly-independent college freshman.

Damaging Aspects: I suffered from (and still suffer from) complex post-traumatic stress disorder. I was hospitalized twice. I am currently attending therapy twice a week, and I am fighting urges to cut, binge+purge, starve, and commit suicide."

However, due to the limited budget constraints we can only do so much. A lot more help is needed so that we can be available to a lot more victims and educate a lot more of society. Until then, we do the best we can with the resources we have. If you would like to donate to our cause, it would be greatly appreciate and you can do so here:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fact

Amanda is a true activist, her heart is in the right place and she has invested a lot personal time and dedication into uncovering and exposing what she knows to be her truth.

This is her website and her expose : Avatar Uncovered 

https://avataruncovered.is/

Here is what Amanda e-mailed us after the launch of her website and expose!

"I want to thank you and the whole of FACT.  Your organization has been by far the most proactive I have communicated with regarding this expose and indeed the way you bring other destructive cults to light. Your work and exposes have inspired me.  As you see I have used the essence of it in our perspective"

She is very excited about the launch of this expose, she hopes to help those who have been harmed by this group and also to educate others so they don't fall victim to the things she experienced.

She also said in her email to us "Its already making an impact"

We Salute you Amanda! 

If you have knowledge about or have been victimized by the Avatar group, feel free to post your truth in our comment section of this post or contact Amanda via her website. Exploitation, abuse and manipulation is unacceptable in every form!   

Sincerely, 

The FACT Team
Families Against Cult Teachings, Inc
www.FamiliesAgainstCultTeachings.org