Do you belong to a cult? Chances are, you don’t. But you might get sucked into one without even realizing it. Six things to consider when analyzing the groups you belong to.

I remember picking up a book on sects and cults as a teenager and the shock I felt when I discovered the author classified the denomination I belonged to as a cult. I knew I didn’t belong to a cult (only stupid people got suckered into cults, right?). No one stood up front and harangued me to give more money or move into a communal farm in the middle of nowhere. No one shaved their heads, wore orange robes, or passed laws against wearing clothes in the park. Nope. I didn’t belong to a cult.

But the word cult has a broader meaning than most of us imagine. According to Stephen Hassan, cults fall on a spectrum. Many groups have cultish tendencies (Swifties and Pelaton owners come to mind). But not all cult leaders turn into Jim Jones or Adolf Hitler.

No one wakes up one day and says, “Hey, I need to join a cult.” But it would behoove each of us to examine our group memberships periodically to ensure we don’t get sucked into a destructive cult without realizing it (not all cults require communal living).

When I think of some of the cult-like behavior I see today in the United States, I’m shocked by how the media (both social and so-called news) seems to support cults. I haven’t watched the news regularly for a quarter of a century, but I recently stayed with a sweet family that religiously watched the evening ‘news.’ The commentators and newscasters seemed intent on polarizing the country with one of the classic cult objectives (instill an ‘Us versus Them’ attitude in followers). What I saw on the evening ‘news’ made me fear for my country, my neighbors, and my freedom.

I challenge you to listen to today’s podcast and spend some time analyzing the groups you belong to. Maybe you belong to a cult and didn’t even know it!

These books might interest you.

Do you belong to a cult and don't even know it? #cult #cultish #selfcare
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Next week we’ll tackle how to fit self-care into our busy lives.

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