At the same time, the new member is made to question his own self worth. He   
   will be constantly reminded of his own human imperfections in order to   
   further weaken his resistance. The recruiter will paint himself as a friend   
   whose only interest is to save the new member from the error of his old ways   
   of thinking and doing things, and thus invoke appreciation from the new   
   member. In short, a power struggle is underway in which the recruiter is   
   slowly seeking to dominate the will of the new member.   
      
   While all of this is occurring, the new recruit is likewise being slowly   
   bombarded with the new doctrine, so that the old frame of reference is   
   forgotten, and replaced by the new. It is similar to a form of mental   
   rewiring, or brainwashing, if you prefer. Any manifestation of doubt, or   
   resistance, by the new recruit is looked upon as potential disobedience and   
   even disloyalty and is immediately brought to the attention of the new   
   recruit, usually in a subtle, intimidating manner. Being as he wants to   
   please his new spiritual masters, and show his worthiness, the new member   
   will amend his ways, thus further diminishing his ability to think on his   
   own. Of course, so that the new member doesn't become overly discouraged by   
   the constant reprimands during the initial stages of this subtle process, he   
   is also constantly reminded that he is chosen and special, and a part of a   
   small elite group called either by God, his country, or the superiors of his   
   organization. In short, the recruit's desire to belong to something, and to   
   be accepted, is fulfilled, and he acquires a true sense of loyalty.   
      
   Eventually, after days, weeks or months, depending upon the character of the   
   individual, the process is complete, and the member loses all free will, and   
   becomes totally dependent on the recruiter for both his spiritual and   
   material needs. He has acknowledged his own lowly state, and is thankful to   
   even be a part of the movement, society or organization. He's also aware   
   that his continued participation in the organization is conditional upon his   
   willingness to remain submissive. At the same time, a double-psychology is   
   brought into play whereby the new member is made to feel that in spite of   
   the physical privations or psychological hardships he may have to endure,   
   (even though the leaders may actually live quite well off in some cases), to   
   leave the group would be equivalent to total failure on his or her part.   
      
   In the case of religious cults and organizations, quite often the new member   
   is made to feel that to fail the organization, or the group leader, is   
   equivalent to failing God; and living with the conscience of having failed   
   God, or at least with the belief of having failed God, is difficult for   
   anyone to bear. Religious organizations and churches refer to this   
   "betrayal" of the faith as backsliding. A person who has been a victim of   
   heavy indoctrination by a religious cult, and then chooses to leave, or   
   manages to escape, can sometimes take many years to overcome the influence   
   of the group; and sometimes they never do. As I noted earlier, while most   
   people have the impression that thirty-nine members of the Heaven's Gate UFO   
   cult died as a result of their death pact, the truth is that forty-one   
   members actually died. Two of them chose to take their lives later;   
   apparently believing that they had failed their leader and missed the boat   
   on March 26, 1997; which is the day that the thirty-nine bodies were   
   discovered in Rancho Santa Fe.   
      
   So as I was saying, the new member becomes just another part of the   
   collective whole, and would never doubt that his older brothers, elders,   
   superiors or whatever they call themselves, have his best interests at   
   heart. From this moment forward, and once the indoctrination and   
   brainwashing process has been completed, the new recruit's entire objective   
   will be to do as he is told, and to simply be an obedient submissive member   
   who will do his best to please his new masters, and carry on the work of the   
   organization. After all, he doesn't want to acquire the reputation of being   
   a troublemaker, and face the danger of excommunication. If he proves   
   himself, with time, he may even find himself moving up in the ranks and   
   becoming responsible for other members below him. He may acquire the status   
   of being an "older brother", or possibly a leader.   
      
   Given enough time, the desire to please and impress the cult leader can   
   become excessive and reach a dangerous level. Cult fanaticism reveals itself   
   in different ways. It may involve performing special deeds, such as having   
   sex with the cult's leader, or engaging in heroic acts, such as being   
   willing to die for the belief system of the group, or perhaps even to die in   
   the line of duty in order to protect the cult leader himself. This has   
   become known as the "martyr syndrome"; that is, being willing to die for a   
   cause, or for a person, as a means to demonstrate one's worthiness, or even   
   to convince oneself that one is truly worthy. In some cases, as we have   
   seen, it stems from self-doubt and an inferiority complex which has been   
   slowly instilled in the new recruit over the years by those who are seeking   
   to dominate him.   
      
   ----- End Quote -----   
      
   In short, please pray for those people who choose to leave Harold Camping's   
   misguided cult. They will require all of the spiritual support that they can   
   get.   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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