Now that I know what to look for, I can see
examples everywhere.
There is even some relevant material in the Harry Potter
books: Lord Voldemort speaks and behaves like a cult leader.
The young Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort to be,
shows signs of what is to come. His response to criticism is very typical of
the way people involved with cults react; I have encountered this reaction many times
myself.
We need to be informed, balanced and
objective and consider the source when deciding whether allegations involving
cults and cult leaders are true or not. There are such things as revenge, spite and
envy; people do lie and exaggerate; people do try to drag down or even destroy
someone who is above them or sabotage the work of an organisation that is
working to make the world a better place.
The reactions of the accused and their
supporters to allegations and criticism may help us decide whether or not the
claims are justified and true. Automatic dismissal and denial, ad hominem insults,
counter-accusations and the attack-dog syndrome are all dead giveaways!
Tom Riddle and the rejected criticism
J. K. Rowling nails it when writing about the
future Lord Voldemort and his first group of supporters.
This description of the Dark Lord’s dedicated
‘friends’ - from the time in his life when he was known as Tom Riddle and still
at school - has wider applications:
“They were a motley collection: a mixture of
the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the
thuggish, gravitating towards a leader who could show them more refined forms
of cruelty.”
From Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
When Dumbledore mentions to Tom Riddle the
rumours about his and his followers’ unsavoury activities, the future Lord
Voldemort replies:
“Greatness inspires envy; envy engenders
spite; spite spawns lies.”
True on occasion, but not applicable in his
case. I would take this automatic reaction as a sign that Tom Riddle was guilty
as charged. He is the one who is lying. What else would we expect from someone who would later come out
with this:
“There is no good and evil, there is only
power and those too weak to seek it.”
That’s what they all say, and look how most
of them end up!
