Another member of the old Conservative Conspiracy Forum highlighted a feature that is often found in cults when she said this:
“Personal loyalty and love must be sacrificed for 'the cause'.”
This is very true. Such sacrifices are standard practice in many sinister organisations.
The article about the inversion of values in cult members contains some examples of people ignoring their personal responsibilities in favour of working for the cause; it is even worse when cult members cut their personal connections altogether. I have seen some examples and been on the receiving end of this myself. Many more examples can be found online, including admissions from ex-members.
This article contains more recycled material from my posts on the old forum.
“So why would a cult member cut all contact with you? There are several possible reasons. We know that a non-member might be dropped for rocking the boat by saying the wrong thing, criticising the organisation, the lifestyle or the leader or asking awkward questions. This is unforgivable in their eyes.”
This applies to individuals who question various aspects of the organisation rather than a member's entire network of connections; it is what happened to me when I asked about some disturbing information I had read.
“They may be telling you indirectly that they have better, higher, more important things to do than socialise with an unbeliever.
They may be kept so busy that they can't find any time to fit you in. They may be so obsessed with their cause that you barely register with them any more. They may realise that they are getting nowhere with you where money and recruitment are concerned. They may be afraid that you will convert them to normality or say something that threatens their precarious equilibrium. They may find that coping with normal people in a normal environment becomes increasingly difficult.”
These are all possibilities, but the primary reason for cutting people off is that they have been ordered to do so:
“It is very common for cult members to be ordered to cut connections; they will be coerced if necessary. This is said to be for the member's own good, or for the good of the cause. It could be done in the name of Jesus; it could be a way to show how dedicated a member is to the cult leader. It is a test to see how far they will go and how successful the programming is.”
There are several possibilities; power and control are the main reasons:
“The underlying motive is that isolated people, people with few options, are easy to subvert and control. Brainwashing is easier when the victim is not exposed to other ideas – and worked very hard with not enough food and sleep. People are lured in, then step by step turned into prisoners and hostages who are incapable of critical thinking and self-assertion.“
Turning people into mindless robots is what it's all about.
