It's at the end of the 20th century that the word “sect” turned derogatory : now it's a group which force his members to be in rupture with today's society. And this, because of some scandals which shocked the public such as mass suicides, polygamy, case of pedophilia, political business, etc.. We can take the mass suicide of the People's Temple in 1978 in Jonestown (Guyana) as an example : indeed, 914 supporters of this sect killed themselves by for the most part, swallowing potassium cyanide, and among the dead persons, there were about 300 children and of course the guru, Jim Jones. By the way, this latter, said before the “massacre” to his followers that they should not be afraid because death is “a friend”.
Well, it's likely that you're asking yourself what is a sectarian drift ? So here's the “official” definition given by a french organism called MIVILUDES (which means : mission interdepartmental of vigilance and struggle against sectarian drifts) : it's the pervesion of intellectual freedom, and opinion view freedom but also religion freedom which harm the public order. Like so, behind the “good” aspect that the sectarian movement shows, this latter has got goals really disturbing for his members. In general, power and money are the main thing of a sect. But sometimes, the goal is sexual (pedophilia, rape, etc..). Moreover, once you're part of a sect, you are manipulated all the way, and finally, you deal with different types of consequences : moral, physical and of course, financial.
So let's start with the moral impact. First, the leader(s) reduce(s) the contact between you and your relatives, in such a way that they can not make you change your mind. But also the contact with non-members. In order to do that, these persons are shown as enemies : they are the past of the individual. The worst is that some sects even use life places totally closed and apart from everything, most of the time, in order to be sure that the members can not have any contact with their relatives : the Branch of Davidians led by David Koresh is a good example (see the photo below).
In this way, the sect becomes your only point of reference, and the guru can manipulate you more easily. Indeed, once you're in, you're dependent on the guru and you have to change your lifestyle (nutrition/diet, hobbies, etc..). And you especially have new beliefs !
As we said, the guru can manipulate you more easily, and mentally particularly. Indeed, he can make you do this and this for him, telling you that you'll be thanked : as an exemple, there are the “apocalyptic” or “millenarian”* sects which will tell you that you deserve the right to avoid the end of the world, like the well-known Jehovah's Witnesses. Nevertheless, it's possible that sometimes, when the guru gives you some orders without any reward/achievement, you just have to conform/comply/carry out, and this could prove to be really hard, particulary morally. So then, if you're a sensitive person, you could feel even more unappreciated among the other members and even have a breakdown.
But the manipulation can go far, insomuch that you could be able to commit some acts on yourself or someone else, knowing that you probably never do that before. Indeed, you could trespass even commit a crime, as sexual assault or murder. Well, this is rare/unusual but it could happen. For example, there's a sect called The Manson Family, led by the american criminal Charles Manson, which ordered 7 murders.
Finally, comes the inability of leaving the sectarian group, given that you do not have any connection with the exterior : your only contacts are the members of the sect. So then, backing off becomes really difficult. And the return into a life without the sect and its guru won't/wouldn't be restful : the sect won't leave you alone, not at all !
Now, let's talk about the physical impact. So to the guru, the mental is not the most important : indeed, if you're physically weak then it's easier to manipulate you. Therefore, the guru will try to weaken you as much as possible.
The most common manner is the regime which could be really drastic, and can have really serious consequences, given that the members have a bad nutrition, especially for the children. There's also, the fasting which can last several days or even weeks, causing eating disorder : Scientology, for example, uses it.
Then, there's the medicine which can cause some damages. The sectarian groups do often offer aids that they consider to be totally natural. But the problem is that it's not always true : some of these aids can worsen the disease, but to the guru, the most important is to make money by selling them. However, some sects refuse any medical treatments because to them, the physical health is linked with the mental health. Well, for example there are the Jehovah's Witnesses who do not refuse all the medical treatments, but in any case, they are against the blood transfusion. Indeed, to them, the blood has a sacred value : they reckon “God views blood as representing life”. They assure that delicate surgery can be realised with success without any transfusion.
Also, there's Scientology with its purification program. Indeed, in order to free yourself from the negativity, the sect proposes to take a lot of vitamins prescribed by Ron Hubbard himself in one of his books (which can until 30 per day), then go jogging and finally stay in a sauna for 4 hours at 158°F. As you probably notice, this practice is harmful : the side effects could be really dangerous, as anorexia, renal functional failure, etc..
Let's move on to the worst : the punishments assigned by the guru, if this latter is not satisfied. Like so, the sentences can be sequestration, isolation, chores, etc.. We think that the thing which can illustrate this part the best is the “goulag” of Scientology. This “goulag” was invented by Ron Hubbard himself in 1974, and it's commonly called the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). So, this RPF is a work camp (often enough in a boat, since Ron Hubbard liked a lot the maritime world but also in earth : in Copenhague, East Grinsted, Sydney, Clearwater on the sea and San Jacinto in the californian desert) used to renovate people who either put in doubt the principles of Hubbard and criticized him, or refused to obey, or commited “sin”, or did not do their jobs well by not getting enough money. In this way these persons are treated as subhumans, at the end they are reduced to obedient robots knowing that a person can stay there several years, and if he/she wants to leave, he/she has to testify that he/she lived this experience of his/her own free will and that it was magnificient : so he/she was victim of a brainwashing. Here's some of the living conditions :
→ talking ban : you can't talk to someone without permission
→ you're obliged to walk at the double
→ only 30 minutes of break daily
→ you eat the leftovers of the crew
→ only 30 seconds of shower daily
→ you are victim of humiliation
→ you wear dirty clothes
→ you are subject to never-ending questioning
Again in Scientology, the guru of the group, David Miscavige is a man not really cool.. Seriously, he is a real dictator : if anyone contradicts him or something like that, he will punch you even if you are high graded. In this way, everybody is scared of him. Moreover, he uses to get ride of anyone who threatens his authority. How ? By jailing the persons who are mostly high graded in an office building called “the Hole” (invented by Miscavige) with only 3 windows and 2 doors closed. Obviously they are watched by a guard 24/24 and nobody was able to leave.
But there's much worse : even if alive people represent more money than dead people, it happens that occasionally the guru pushes his members to death. For that, the guru can have recourse to the things that we cite above, that is the excessive diet or the bad human treatment. But the most known remains the mass suicide. The guru always finds the good words to convince his followers that the suicide is a “good thing” to do. For example, there's the mass suicide in 1997 of a sect called the Heaven's Gate in Rancho Santa Fe (California). Indeed, 39 members of this sect killed themselves after the guru, Marshall Herff Applewhite told them that “it was the only way to evacuate this Earth” and that after their deaths, a “UFO would take their souls to another level of existence above human”. In this way, the members and the guru himself took phenobarbital mixed with pineapple, washed down with vodka and secured plastic bags around their heads. But there's also the mass suicide of 914 members of the People's Temple we talked about above.
Marshall Herff Applewhite
And finally, we are going to broach the subject of the financial impact. So as you probably understood, the first goal of a guru is to collect money with the members, in order to maintain the layout, and equipments. Like so, there are different ways to reach it. First, when you're a new arrival, it's necessary that you get hold of things like “religious” books of the sect, lessons, trainings, kits, evidently supplied only by the sect. Let's take thexample of Dianetics : The Modern Science of Mental Health by Ron Hubbard for Scientology which is a book that all the scientologists have to own. Also, you have to give a part of your earnings or even your inheritance, especially if you want to stay into the community. There's for example, the mormons : the members give each month, 10% of their income, called a tithe, knowing that this group is extremely rich (it owns about 30 billions of dollars). But, the church assures that the “tithing funds are used for :
▬ constructing temples, chapels, and other buildings
▬ providing operating funds for the Church
▬ funding the missionary program
▬ preparing materials used in Church classes and organizations
▬ temple work, family history, and many other important Church functions
▬ education”
In this way, we realise that the entry into a sectarian group represents a lot of money, knowing that most often the price tag is big which is obivously voluntary. And at the end, if you decide to leave the group, after all the material and financial donations, you end up without any means, therefore, you're in the impossibility of leaving it.
Well leaving a sect is not impossible, but it asks a lenghty and hard fighting : when you're out, the drifts by the sect are not necessarily over. Nevertheless, they are two different ways to leave without taking into count the suicide (mass or individual) : the expulsion if the leader(s) reckon(s) that the adept is not useful anymore ; or the voluntary exit. This latter could be subject to “sectarian drifts”. Obviously, they are not extreme but we think that harassing or putting pressure on an ex-adept could be called sectarian drifts right ? Well, “little” ones. Indeed, the guru will try at any cost to convince you to come back : if you won't, he is afraid that you reveal some indecent practices kept secret. In this way, as we said above, the guru will probably put pressure on you, psychologically but also financially to be sure that you are obliged to stay ; or make his members harassing you by phone or by following you in the street, wherever you go. That's why you need a lot of will and especially self-confidence (unfortunately this is what some sects usually take from you).
We haven't talked enough about the children so let's see what happens for them, especially when they grow into the sectarian group and are educated there. So as the adults, there are also affected by the sectarian drifts. But the consequences are not really the same. It's even worst, most of the time. So, here are the three main impacts : on the emotional, physical and mental development.
As a normal person, each/every child needs the affection of his parents, right ? Especially when they are young. Actually, it happens only for a child who grows up into real life.. not if he grows up into a sect ! Indeed, the emotional relations between a child and his parents especially do not exist for a sect.. well for certain sects, not all. Usually, the kid is more or less deprived of his parents from his birth. In this way, the sect becomes the ersatz, so the only point of reference. Moreover, the parents are not the authority representatives anymore : it's the guru. It's sad to say but given that the parents are themselves treated as children since they are in the service of the guru, they are reduced at the status of “brothers” and “sisters” to their own child : indeed, this latter has to call them like that, in certain sects. Like so, the child is totally confused and can not make the difference. For example, in some centers of Scientology, a child only see his parents 30 minutes per day. Obviously, this is well-calculated beforehand, especially because the adults have to always be available for the guru instead of taking care of their children.
Which is miserable is that, being themselves mentally manipulated by the sectarian group, the parents accept to be separated from their child. And in this way they can not be aware of the physical and psychological pain beared by the child. Indeed, the kids can be victim of sanctions and violence, which is a form of indoctrination given that for him, the violence becomes “normal”. Moreover, one teaches them that violence is required because with it, they can supposedly get the demons out of the way. In Scientology for example, sometimes the children have to carry out hard physical tasks : they are almost treated as adults.
Nevertheless, this is not the only physical issues. If a child wants to have a normal growth, he needs to be correctly fed. To the sect, this conception does not really exist. Indeed, the food is impoverished for the adults, and it's the same thing for the kids. In this way, these latters have frequently deficiencies. Also, some sects are vegetarian, crudivorian or vegan, so the food is not balanced enough, especially for the kids.
Then, there's pedophilia which is usually shown as sacred ritual to the children by the guru, in this way they couldn't be able to realize that they are victim of rapes. Sometimes, the guru can even organize his wedding with a child, most often with a minor girl. We have two examples for this part. First, a sect called Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints*¹ was practicing polygamy and incest in a big ranch called YFZ Ranch (Yearning for Zion) in Texas. But the most important here, is that the leaders, especially Warren Jeffs have been arested for sexual assault on kids and severals marriages with minors. Thereafter, 460 children have been found into the ranch. Secondly, there's the sect “the Children of God”, now called “The Family International” or "The Family Love", in which the girls was subjected to the “flirty fishing” (in other words prostitution) in order to attract new male adepts. Also, the guru David Brandt Berg (1918-1994, the current leader now is his widow Karen Zerby) called Moses David practiced the incest with his daughters. However, some sects advocate chastity.
YFZ ranch
Warren Jeffs
Moses David
Some sects let the kids live freely their chidhood, but others condition them from their birth. This is calculated by the guru since the beginning : he is conscious that if he enrolls the person very early she/he is going to be reliant on the sect and her guru. In this way, this latter makes sure that the kid is in a closed world, that he is isolated. The guru manipulates the mental of the kid through various ways, but especially education. Indeed, into some sects, the child gets a teaching with a lot of restrictions, most often focused on the sect and its doctrine. So his integration into the society is more difficult, since he doesn't know anything about the exterior world which is shown dangerous by the sect. Yet, sects like the Jehovah's Witnesses for example let their young members go to public schools, but they can't be representatives, or even elect representatives, be a part of club or sports association, celebrate birthdays, or celebrations as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc.. Also, the young Jehovah's Witnesses have to only see other Jehovah's Witnesses given that the relation with people of the “outside” is discouraged.
Thus, if a person who grew up into a sectarian group wants to leave, it's really difficult after. Indeed, once he/she's outside, he/she doesn't really have a personality, and sometimes, legally he/she doesn't have an identity because the sect doesn't put her into the register of births so he/she's not declared. In this way, she has to start a whole new life, by learning again how to live in an unkown new world to her eyes. It's hard but possible, do not forget that.
In order to close this section, we think that the episode 9 of the season 13 entitled “The Joy of Sect” of the well-known show : The Simpson, is a good conclusion. Indeed, as you can notice with the title, this episode is focused on the sects, and we would even say, especially the sectarian drifts. So in this episode, the “Movementarians” which is more or less a sect takes over Springfield saying that “The Leader” will guide his followers aboard a spaceship to a planet called “Blisstonia”, where they all will live in everlasting happiness, in this way, the main characters Homer and his family become members. Homer and his children are “quickly” enrolled after several attempts of brainwashings, but Marge is more reluctant. She is the only one who resists and escapes. Then, with the help of Reverend Lovejoy, Willie and Ned Flanders, she tricks her family and “kidnaps” them. Finally, she manages to deprogram her children and at the end, Homer. And fortunately, the truth about the guru of the Movementarians breaks out.
So, this episode is really interesting, because there are a lot of references about the sects, and particularly as we said above : about their drifts. In our opinion, this episode is mainly devised to criticize and denounce these sectarian drifts. Here's an analysis of the episode :
01:55 ► you can notice that the “Leader” of the sect called “the Movementarians” clearly looks like L. Ron. Hubbard, the creator of the Scientology
01:57 ► the two missionaries dressed with the same uniform which is a reference to the missionaries of sects like the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons for example, propose to Homer and Bart to be a part of a free session of information : indeed, the sects usually use this approach method
03:55 ► “beer is not allowed” : it refers to sects like the Mormons which prohibit alcohol consumption
04:11 ► “you're free to leave at anytime” : if they tell you that, do not trust them ! Indeed at 04:43, we can see that they try the most as they can to keep you there with various implicit methods
04:19 ► “once we collect enough money for fuel, our leader will throw open the doors of the forbidden barn where we will all board our intergalactig vehicle […] upon our arrival, we will begin our new, perfect lives on Blisstonia” : it's a reference to the Heaven's Gate sect given that this latter believed a spaceship was going to carry them to a better life
05:18 ► “when you surrender yourself to the Movementarians, you are guaranteed a perfect life of serenity and love, and loving serenity.. (quickly) nothing guaranteed.” : indeed, happiness is not really what the members live..
05:50 ► “the circle of jugement never fails to destroy their self esteem, then he'll be ours to mold” : this is typical, because after that, the new members are more easily manipulable. Moreover, this scene is invevitably a reference to Scientology which practice the “bullbaiting” (for this church it's a way of learning to communicate and controling situations)
06:15 ► “our low-protein gruel” : in this way, the sects drive their members weak
07:36 ► Homer joins the group, and he had to give their (of the Simpson family) “live savings, the deed to the house and a commitment of ten trillion years of labour” which is insane but unfortunately, it happens in real life even if the producers exagerate a little. Also, the contract of “ten trillion years” is a reference to the Sea Org*² : scientologists who become a member of the Sea Org sign contracts that link them to the church for one billion years
08:42 ► the Movementarians took over the local television : Scientology has the reputation of manipulating information sources
09:55 ► the camp where they live, and the farming property are a reference to Jim Jones and his sect, People's Temple
09:30 ► it shows you that you can be really quicly victim of a brainwsahing without having the time to realize
10:22 ► the Rolls Royce : this is how the guru really uses the money of his members..
12:50 ► it's clearly a reference to the Unification Church : the reverend of this sect organized a “mass mariage” and many of the couples were matched randomly
13:15 ► as if the guru was omniscient and omnipotent
13:45 ► the person is conditioned since her childhood
14:30 ► “people are free to go whenever they wish” : the surrounding covered of landmines, vicious dogs, gators in water and barbed wire show us that it's not that easy actually, BUT with determination/will, you can get through it, Marge is the living proof
16:47 ►“outsiders have kidnapped some of our property” : they treat the members as objects, and not as humans being
16:53 ► the lawyers of the Movementarians are a reference to the lawyers of Scientology since this latter has also the reputation of deploying lawyers to defend themselves against any criticism
21:10 ► “I should've stayed with the Promise Keepers” : indeed, some gurus decide to create a “new religion” after being a part of official one
21:52 ► it shows that even if you're not enrolled by the sect anymore, the media still “controls” you
Thus, as you could notice, this episode illustrates well the sectarian drifts. Even if some parts are amplified, at least it's a good way to denounce the drifts and inform the population on the danger that they could risk if they let a sect go into their lives.
* Millenarian sect : this is a type of apocalyptic sect who used to announce some disastrous events at the end of each millenary.
*¹ Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints : this is a movement from mormonism (but do not admitted by this latter) which practices the polygamy even though the LDS Church (Mormons church) ceased to practice it in 1889. This group is a considered as “a white supremacist, homophobic, antigovernment, totalitarian cult” by the American association Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC) which keeps a close eye on the association religious or extreme-wing which advocate the hatred in the USA.
*² Sea Organization : it is an elite group within Scientology created by L. Ron. Hubbard in 1966, led nowadays by David Miscavige. This group is more or less the top of Scientology.
