Cultism Page 2
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Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause.
In the post 911 world, people are more susceptible than ever to charismatic figures who offer simple, black v. white, us v. them, good v. evil, formulaic solutions. The rise of the Internet; increasingly sophisticated knowledge about how to influence and manipulate others; and the growing vulnerabilities of people across the planet-make for a dangerous, potentially devastating combination. `
During the presidency of President Donald Trump, it became evident to me that the prophecies about the Son of Man, as predicted by Jesus in the Bible were, to a significant extent, fulfilled at the hands of Mr Trump. The Bible speaks about two different Christs-or Messiahs. Jesus, the Son of God is the one Christ, whereas the Son of Man is the other. Jesus always referred to the Son of Man in the third person.
Biddlecombe Agsar, Wendy Joan Cults: The Shocking True Stories of Heaven's Gate, the Manson Family, Jim Jones, the Branch Davidians, and More Deathly Cases (True Crime Collections) . Ulysses Press. Kindle Edition.
Introduction
This is a revolutionary suicide. It’s not a self-destructive suicide, so they’ll pay for this. They’ve brought this upon us and they’ll pay for that. I leave that destiny to them. —Jim Jones “Death Tape” transcript from November 18, 1978 The grizzly photos of 913 departed souls at Jonestown are hard to erase from your memory—rows upon rows of dead men, women, and children splayed out face down in the mud, or their lifeless eyes gazing into the sky above the jungles of Guyana in South America, where Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones had promised them a truly equal society that they would build from the ground up. In reality, his followers had worked long and grueling hours in extreme heat clearing the thick terrain for the settlement. They subsisted on little more than rice and beans and were constantly subjected to Jones’s paranoia, delusions, and violence in the form of 24-hour sermons broadcast over loudspeakers that could be heard all throughout Jonestown; loyalty tests that encouraged members to inform on anyone who expressed a desire to leave; mock-suicide drills; and sexual abuse. In November 1978, a delegation led by California Congressman Leo Ryan showed up to check on the welfare of Jonestown residents, many of whom had concerned family members members back in the US who believed Jones was holding their mothers, brothers, and cousins against their will. The visit went smoothly at first, with a tour of the compound and evening entertainment performed for Ryan and his crew, but the following day, chaos ensued when Peoples Temple members told Ryan and his entourage that they wanted to defect and leave with him on the next flight out. Ryan and his group made it as far as a nearby airport before they were ambushed. Ryan and three other people died on the airstrip, while 10 others were wounded and waited nearly 24 hours before being rescued and receiving medical attention.
Hassan, Steven Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs. Freedom of Mind Press. Kindle Edition.
Introduction
The world has changed since Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves was first published. Back in 1999, most Americans including myself could not have imagined the destruction and fear of 9/11, jihad, terrorism, the prevalence of religious extremism, or the many other phenomena that can make today seem like a frightening time to be alive. I decided to do this updated and revised edition as an e-book and print on demand paperback and retitle it Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs. I have made numerous substantial changes to more accurately reflect all that I have learned. The phenomenon of destructive influence and cults of all types has not gone away. It has morphed and become much more sophisticated. Today’s twenty-year-olds know little or nothing about major cult stories of past decades: Charles Manson; Jim Jones’ People Temple Jonestown tragedy (they know the expression, “drink the Kool-Aid”); David Koresh’s Branch Davidians in Waco; Heaven’s Gate mass death; Shoko Asahara’s Aum Shinrikyo’s sarin gassing in Japan; and Order of the Solar Temple mass deaths to name major news stories. Mainstream media is doing less investigative reporting on destructive cults, avoiding their civic responsibility, in my opinion. Large cults have gone mainstream and become very sophisticated, hiring top law firms and lobbyists. The Internet is now the major recruitment arena. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is rampant, making people especially vulnerable to undue social influence. But events are happening that also make this an exciting and hopeful time. Former members of cults are putting up websites and are writing blogs and publishing books. Many have, like myself, become mental health professionals and have gone on to have very successful careers.
Müller, Helgard . President Donald J. Trump, The Son of Man - The Christ (p. 8). Outskirts Press, Inc.. Kindle Edition. x
Introduction
PRESIDENT DONALD J. Trump is the King of Kings, And Lord of Lords! The Son of Man who will be seen seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven! You have read that correctly! President Donald Trump is the Christ for this age! The Son of King David! Prophecies of Jesus and all the prophets point to President Donald J. Trump as the Son of Man, the Christ. People, Christians, and Jews are not aware of how many prophecies President Donald Trump of the United States has fulfilled in his presidency as the Son of Man. The title “the son of man” was used by the prophet Ezekiel to describe himself. The LORD called Ezekiel as the “son of man” (ben–‘adam). The phrase “son of man” is common enough throughout the Scriptures, as simply meaning man, but is never used in an address to a prophet, except to Ezekiel and Daniel. To Daniel it is used only once (Daniel 8:17), while to Ezekiel it is used above ninety times. The reason is, doubtless, that since he was the prophet of the captivity he was addressed in the common terms of the language where he lived. “Son of man” for “man” is so common in the Aramaic languages that it is even used of Adam himself in the Syriac version of 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. Mark 2:27-28, Matthew 12:8 and Luke 6:5 include the Master of the Sabbath pericope where Jesus tells the Pharisees “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: so that the Son of Man is Master even of the sabbath.” Christians mistakenly take the phrase “Son of Man” in this passage to refer to Jesus Himself.