Cults

I know this is not the sort of thing many people are into.  But I had an experience with one one time, and it piqued my interest as to why people join cults.  I have never been in one, but I know that one was attempting to recruit me.
It is my experience that has led me to find out more.  My research has been small, but there is a commonality to what others are saying.  It is one of those things I saw firsthand.
They were speaking my language.  Everything they said fitted within my worldview.  I would say exactly the same thing.  They said it in a friendly manner.  I had heard of them before and was told they were sus.   Thankfully, as is my way I wanted to check out the organization for myself.  For me (and I say it often), being told something alone does not cut it.  I need to prove something for myself when it is within my power to do so.
What I found was there was a huge discrepancy between what I was told and what the organization stood for.  In fact, things they did were diametrically opposed to what I was told and what I held to.  Everything sounded right but it was a ruse.  It highlights another thing I am big on and that is not just talking the talk but walking the walk.
I have seen this in a number of organizations.  What is espoused later is like “deeper” knowledge.  It is used to justify actions that are inconsistent with what is propagated in the first instance.
Another thing cults seem to be good at is isolating people.  In many instances it seems that family or friends associations are discouraged and seen as counterproductive.  Friendships are within the group only.
To me that is a classic strategy.  When something is isolated, it is easier to pick off.  I see it often even in the way animals hunt.  A pack isolates one from the herd.  One is easier to deal with them many.  Depending on the success or otherwise of the organization a number of ones make many.
I really do think social media lends itself to such things.  Often a person is alone on their device, and someone appears saying all the right things.  There is no counterbalance.  It is one on one only.  In that environment people are ripe for recruiting.
There is a guy that seems to be regarded as a bit of a guru when it comes to these things who makes the point that people who join cults generally are not silly, weird or neurotic.
There are other reasons why people join cults, and I am inclined to write more about it some other time.  This was just what I had experienced.