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You Could be in a Cult if…
(10 Signs You May be in a Cult)

by Richard Haas 

Picture
For someone to understand if they, or someone they love could be in a cult, we must first have an understanding of what a cult is. The modern definition of a cult is as follows. Any group which employs mind control and deceptive recruiting techniques. In other words, cults trick people into joining and coerce them into staying. This is the definition that most people would agree with. Except the cults themselves of course!

While this definition is broad and may cover many different types of cults we are going to be looking at one particular type of cult, the religious cult.

So what are the primary warning signs that you are in a cult? There are 10 major warning signs to watch out for that identify a cult. Now let’s notate here that if you are in a church or religious group and it adheres to one or two of these signs, it does not mean that you are automatically in a cult.  

Here are most common 10 signs of a cult:

  1. The leader or pastor(s) are Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
  2. Pastor(s) or leaders have no tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
  3. There is no meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement. How much church leaders make, where your offerings go. No, oversight board. The leader(s) or pastor(s) make all financial decisions. 
  4.  The leader(s) or pastor(s) preach and promote unreasonable fears about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies, and persecutions. They often teach that they hold the only escape from the outside world and pending disasters. 
  5. It is taught by leadership that there is no legitimate reason to leave. If someone leaves the group or church, they are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil. Only true believers or the chosen stay. 
  6.  There are recorded data, blogs, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses or false teachings of the church, group or its leaders. 
  7.  Followers feel they can never be "good enough.” They must always prove themselves to the group or leader(s) by doing works. 
  8. The leader(s) or pastor(s) is always right. It’s their way or the highway. 
  9.   Leader(s) or pastor(s) is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible. In many cult/churches, this is given through absolute adherence to the church “vision” or “Vision Statement.”
  10.  Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances. 


 Have Questions or Comments?
​
​Contact us at Talkbackebc@gmail.com

or by calling or texting 414-369-2242 
  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Who We Are
      • Mission & Beliefs
      • I Need Jesus
      • Support / Donate
      • Contact Us
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    • What is Polemics?
    • Extra Biblical Movements >
      • Dominion Theology >
        • Over View of Dominion theology
        • Joel's Army
      • Egalitarianism >
        • The Egalitarian Movement
      • IHOP Movement >
        • International House Of Prayer
        • The Demonic Worship Of IHOP
      • Progressive Christianity >
        • What is Progressive Christianity?
        • Liberal Theology The Birth of Progressive Christianity
      • The NAR >
        • What is The NAR?
      • The Red Letter Christians
      • Word of Faith Movement >
        • Is The Word of Faith Movement Biblical?
    • Preachers / Teachers >
      • ECUMENICISM >
        • Luis Palau
      • EMERGENT CHURCH >
        • Andy Stanley
        • Mark Batterson
        • Perry Noble
        • Rick Warren >
          • Who is Rick Warren
          • The Three Problems With The Daniel Plan
        • Steven Furtick
        • Stovall Weems
      • Oneness Pentecostalism >
        • T.D. Jakes
      • New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) >
        • Bill Johnson
        • Lou Engle
        • Louie Giglio
        • Mike Bickle
      • Progressive Christianity >
        • Who is Jim Wallis?
      • PROSPERITY PREACHING (GOSPEL) >
        • Joel Osteen
        • Perry Stone
      • WORD OF FAITH >
        • Joyce Meyers
    • Revivals / Christian Conferences >
      • Awakening Revival >
        • Christine Caine ~ "Awakening Revival"
      • Code Orange Revival >
        • Code Orange Revival ~ Code Heresy Abound
        • Lou Engle's "The Call"
    • Twisted Scripture >
      • Psalm 46:10
      • Is 2 Chronicles 7:14 For Us Today?
      • Jeremiah 29:11
      • Malachi 3:8-10
      • Matthew 7:1-5~ Judge not, that you be not judged
      • What Is Matthew 18:20 Really Saying?
      • Matthew 18:36
      • ROMANS 4:17
      • 3 JOHN 1;2
      • 1 Cor 2:15 &Judging (For Those Who Think We Should Not Judge)
    • Twisted Theology >
      • Blood Moons >
        • Blood Moons Prophecy or False Teaching?
      • Prayer >
        • Contemplative Prayer
        • What is the Lectio Divina
      • Satan
      • Binding and Loosing Satan
    • Ask The Polemicist
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    • What is Apologetics?
    • Religions Movements & Cults >
      • Major Religious Movements >
        • Atheism >
          • What is Atheism?
        • Roman Catholicism >
          • Are Roman Catholics Saved?
        • Islam >
          • Basics of Islam
          • Can Muslims Lie to Unbelievers?
        • Jehovah Witnesses >
          • Overview of JW's False Teachings
        • Mormons >
          • The Basics Of Mormonism
          • Who is the Mormon Jesus
        • Oneness or Apostolic Pentecostalism
        • Orthodox Church >
          • Why There’s a Need to Address the Orthodox Church?
        • SDA~Seventh Day Adventist >
          • The History of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA)
          • What The SDA Teach & Believe
        • The Church Growth Movement >
          • What Is The Church Growth Movement
        • The Way International
      • Minor Religious Cults & Movements >
        • Chrislam >
          • A Precursory Look at What Chrislam is and What it Teaches
        • The Mighty I AM
        • Secular Humanism >
          • What is Secular Humanism
        • Sikhism
        • SWEDENBORGISM
        • The Hebrew Roots Movement
        • Unitarian Universalism >
          • What is Unitarian Universalism?
        • Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) >
          • Three Biblical Reason, the Westboro Church, is Unbiblical
        • Victory Outreach International
        • The Vineyard Movement
    • Ask The Apologist >
      • Can Christians Judge Other Christians?
      • Is It Biblical To Call Out False Teachers?
      • Is Tithing Required For Today?
    • Specific Topics >
      • Cults >
        • You Could be in a Cult if....
        • 15 Things Cults Do
      • Death & After The Life >
        • What is Soul Sleep?
      • God >
        • Are We Little Gods?
        • Can God Lie?
        • Does God Hate?
        • Will of God
      • Jesus Christ >
        • Is Jesus a Socialist?
        • Who Is Jesus?
        • Why Did Jesus Die For Our Sins
      • Holy Spirit >
        • Who is the Holy Spirit?
        • Does the Holy Spirit Have a Gender?
      • Prayer >
        • Does God Talk Back to us in Prayer
        • What is Biblical Prayer?
      • Same-Sex Marriage >
        • What Jesus Taught About Same-Sex Marriage
      • Salvation >
        • Signs of a True Christian
        • Are You Really Saved?
        • Age of Accountability
      • Transgenderism >
        • Why Transgenderism is a Sin.
      • Trinity >
        • What is the Trinity?
      • Women in The Church >
        • Can Women be Pastors or Elders?
        • Are Women Elders & Pastors Allowed Because Phoebe Was a Deaconesses?
        • Should Women Teach Bible Studies?
    • Miscellaneous Topics >
      • Questions To Ask A Pastor Before Joining A Church
      • Halloween >
        • Celebrating Halloween How Does it Benefit The Christian?
        • What Does the Bible Say About Christians & Halloween
  • Terminology
    • A >
      • Antinomianism
      • Apostasy
    • B >
      • Backsliding
    • C >
      • Christology
      • Communicatio Essentiae
      • Communicatio idiomatum
      • Communio Sanctorum
      • Complimentarianism
      • Condemnation
    • E >
      • Economic Trinity
      • Egalitarianism
    • F >
      • Federal Headship
      • Free Will
    • G >
      • Gnosticism
    • H >
      • Heresy
      • Heterodoxy
      • Hypostatic Union
    • I >
      • Illegitimate Totality Transfer
      • Imputation
      • Infralapsarianism
    • J >
      • Justification
    • M >
      • Monergism
      • Mysticism
    • O >
      • Ontological Trinity
      • Ordo Salutis
      • Orthodox
    • P >
      • Pelagianism
      • Pneumatology
    • S >
      • Sadotheism
      • Scientific Naturalism
      • Seeker-Sensitive Churches
      • Semipelagianism
      • Socialism
      • Surpralapsarianism
      • Synergism
    • T >
      • Theology
      • Total Depravity
      • Traducianism
      • Transfiguration
      • Transcendental Meditation
      • Transubstantiation
      • Trinity
  • EBC†RADIO NETWORK
  • Blogs
    • Polemics & Apologetics Today
    • EBC Blog >
      • The Kaleo (The Called)
    • Brennan Unleashed
  • Church Reviews
    • Info about Church Reviews >
      • Kansas >
        • Grace Church, Overland Park, Kansas
        • Lenexa Baptist Church ~ Lenexa, KS
      • Missouri >
        • Journey International Church
        • Quest Church
      • North Carolina >
        • Elevation Church >
          • Elevation Church "The Review"
          • Breaking "The Code" A Review of Elevation's "Code"
          • Revisiting The Code
      • Pennsylvania >
        • Hilltop Baptist Church
        • South Hills Assembly of God, Bethel Park,PA
      • South Carolina >
        • Newspring Church, Anderson SC
        • Sardis Baptist Church
      • Wisconsin >
        • APOSTOLIC LIFE CHURCH, Waukesha, WI
        • Elmbrook Church ~ Brookfield
        • Faith Builders International
      • International
  • Multimedia Watch
    • Books >
      • The Circle Maker ~ Mark Batterson >
        • Introduction Chapter 1~ The Legend of the Circle Maker
        • The Circle Maker ~ Chapter 2 ~ Review
        • Chapter 3 ~ The Jericho Miracle
    • Video >
      • The Bad >
        • Joel Osteen & Oprah on Sin & Many Paths to Heaven
    • Television >
      • Jesus, Tebow and SNL
  • Prayers & Praises
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • EBC YouTube Channel
  • Online Bible
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    • Media Center >
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      • Suggested Listening (Podcasts)
      • Video
      • Photos
    • Library >
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      • Non-Reformed
      • Text Books
    • Online Book Store >
      • Monergism Books
      • westminster Book store
      • Christian Book
      • Johnsen and Taylor
    • Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
    • World View Week
    • Alpha and Omega Ministries
    • Heart cry missionary ( en español)
    • stand for the Truth
    • ligonier ministries
    • The Gospel Coalition
    • The trinity Foundation