Month: June 2017
Is there a certain type of person who is more likely to join a cult? No.
Individual vulnerability factors matter much more than personality type when it comes to joining or staying in a cult or abusive relationship.
While most people interested in vampires firmly place vampirism (or vampyrism) in the realm of fantasy, a vampire subculture has developed as well. Some take their interest even further, turning fantasy into real-life practices.
Benjamin Zablocki is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University where he teaches sociology of religion and social psychology. He has published widely on the subject of charismatic religious movements, cults, and brainwashing.
Cafeteria Religion -- also known as Salad Bar Religion, Spirituality Without Religion, or Believing Without Belonging -- is popular among so-called 'nones.'
It is a form of religious pluralism, in which people pick and choose doctrines and religious practices to arrive at a customized, personalized spirituality.
Many Christians actually take a similar approach when they fail to learn or practice spiritual discernment.
The late Robert Vaughn Young walked away from the Scientology -- only to be talked into returning.
When he later left the cult for good, he rejected theories about 'brainwashing' and 'mind control,' but eventually found parallels between victims of domestic violence and those who leave other abusive situations.
