Cults Inside Out: How People Get in and Can Get Out

by Rick Alan Ross

  On Friday, after arriving at the country home just before sunset, the family introduced me as an outside expert and consultant. We all sat down in a comfortable room and began our discussion. At this time I further detailed my background and the specific purpose for our meeting.

  The young woman plaintively asked her family why this meeting was necessary, considering that Falun Gong was a “harmless” and “benign” group? Each family member individually explained his or her concerns.

  Her parents said the family had chosen Orthodox Judaism, which was the basis for their everyday life and that they didn’t understand why the young woman had so suddenly rejected that commitment and seemingly abdicated her role as an Orthodox Jewish mother. One family member expressed similar dismay concerning her choices, explaining that she had been the inspiration for the family to choose an Orthodox Jewish life in the first place.

  The young woman’s husband posed perhaps the most serious questions and concerns. He emphatically asked how she could go against the mutual commitments they had made to each other, their respective families, and their community. He pointed out that never during their courtship had she ever raised any questions concerning that commitment and had instead strongly affirmed that this was her sincere choice. The husband concluded that by embracing Falun Gong, his wife had broken her promises and violated her commitments.

  These weren’t religious arguments but rather a review of the historical facts. The family wanted to understand how she could so radically change the focus and commitment of her life. Was this her choice? How had that choice been made? They wanted to better understand what the process had been to bring about this sudden and abrupt change and inconsistent behavior.

  Repeatedly the young woman assured everyone present that Falun Gong was not a religious choice but rather a physical exercise practice, which didn’t contradict her religious beliefs or family values. She also claimed that there had always been problems in her marriage and then broke down in tears.

  The family contradicted her claim, however, that the marriage had been historically troubled. Though no marriage was perfect, they said, her marriage appeared to have been reasonably happy until her deepening involvement with Falun Gong became an issue of concern, causing arguments and problems.

  At the conclusion of the first evening, we agreed to meet the following day. There was little need to solicit a commitment to cease communication with the group due to the Sabbath rules regulating phones and any electronic communication. Every form of electronic communication in the house had been turned off or shut down. This is exactly what we expected and had planned.

  The following morning we began by discussing the nucleus for the definition of a destructive cult as psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton had provided in his paper “Cult Formation.”841 Lifton’s first and foremost criterion is the existence of a “charismatic leader.” This is the single most salient feature of a destructive cult, which is the personality-driven nature of the group. The charismatic leader becomes the key defining element, locus of power, and focus of the group members.

  Lifton’s three primary defining characteristics are as follows:

  a charismatic leader who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose their power;

  a process I call coercive persuasion or thought reform;

  economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.842

  After initially identifying family concerns, defining a destructive cult is often my preferred starting point for most intervention discussions. This is done to establish a foundation or framework for the dialogue, which is based on an objective understanding of the pyramid hierarchy that typically represents the structure of the cultic group. How does this pyramid structure relate to the dynamics and behavior of the group? That is, by definition a destructive cult leader or a very small, tightly knit authoritarian cadre of leaders at the top of the pyramid is the organizational glue that holds the cult together. The leadership can be seen as the hub of the wheel, without which the group typically loses its cohesiveness and would most likely and ultimately collapse.

  We discussed the importance and pivotal role of “Master Li,” who is regarded as a “living Buddha,”843 and how this belief might fit into Lifton’s first criterion. For example, Li alone defines Falun Gong through his singular role as the most highly regarded and powerful representative of the “almighty Fa,” which is the only way to “save people.”844 I explained that this criterion could also be seen through Li’s various claims concerning his supposed supernatural powers, which further demonstrate the importance of his personal charisma. Li’s powers allegedly include “floating through walls,” becoming “invisible,”845 having the ability to “move…anywhere by thought alone,” and being able to “rise into the heavens.” I asked if there was anyone else she could think of alive today whom Falun Gong members extolled in the same way with equal significance.

  We also discussed an important core teaching of Falun Gong, which is that supposedly Li alone can telekinetically install the spinning “falun,” or mystical “wheel of law,”846 into Falun Gong devotees. The wheel subsequently makes it possible to transfer energy to the believer. I asked if this claim imbued Li with special importance and made him essentially indispensable to the group. And wasn’t such a claim about Li’s supernatural abilities a pivotal belief, which largely defined Falun Gong? I asked the young woman whether she could see the repeated pattern of such claims and beliefs. That is, didn’t they specifically emphasize the singular importance and special significance of Li Hongzhi? Didn’t these claims place Li well within Lifton’s definition as the focus of Falun Gong? And therefore wouldn’t Falun Gong fit in the category of a personality-driven group?

  Her response was typical of many cult members. When confronted with uncomfortable facts about the group or leader, the follower will try to change the subject or refocus the discussion on something else. Instead of directly responding to questions about Li Hongzhi, she tried to shift the focus to the Chabad Lubavitch. The young woman replied, “Wouldn’t the ‘Rebbe’ [Rabbi Schneerson] be a cult leader then by that definition?” She elaborated, “There are supernatural claims made about him, and he is revered as the messiah or ‘King Moshiach.’”

  At this point her family seemed shocked. But before the conversation went completely off track, I agreed with her, tacitly admitting that the Chabad Lubavitch sect could be seen as a personality-driven cult per Lifton’s criterion regarding the centrality of a charismatic leader. But I added that the level and seriousness of complaints I had received about Falun Gong far exceeded whatever complaints existed concerning Chabad. Also to my knowledge Schneerson’s teachings weren’t linked to deaths due to medical neglect, which have been alleged concerning Falun Gong.847 Certainly there were no Lubavitchers who had engaged in self-immolation as a means of protest; several Falun Gong followers had done so in 2001, resulting in deaths and severe injuries.848

  I explained that the purpose of my visit, the focus of this discussion, was Falun Gong, not the Chabad Lubavitch. I wasn’t there to evaluate messianic claims about Schneerson but rather to address the concerns expressed about how the practice of Falun Gong had affected her life. We then agreed to refocus on the topic of Falun Gong.

  We now discussed the meditation practices of Falun Gong and the process of trance induction. Did Falun Gong encourage suggestible, altered states of consciousness? Could some of the group’s exercises be seen as self-hypnosis? How could such an altered state of consciousness and increased suggestibility be used to manipulate the thinking or feelings of Falun Gong practitioners? Couldn’t this manipulation explain the subjective results achieved through the practice of Falun Gong, which is based on feelings rather than on anything that can be objectively proved or scientifically measured? Other than anecdotal stories, was there really any scientific evidence that Falun Gong had accomplished anything in the
realm of healing?

  As we discussed this issue, I linked it to Lifton‘s second criterion, which describes “a process [that is in use] call[ed] coercive persuasion or thought reform.”849 One of the eight criteria Lifton cited850 to recognize the existence of a thought-reform program is called “Mystical Manipulation.” According to Lifton such manipulation “seeks to provoke specific patterns of behavior and emotion in such a way that these will appear to have arisen spontaneously, directed as it is by an ostensibly omniscient group, must assume, for the manipulated, a near-mystical quality.”851

  I asked the young woman whether the type of meditation Falun Gong participants practiced might be seen as a form of Mystical Manipulation. Were the subjective results achieved through such practices really spontaneous, or could they be seen as a planned result? After all, what objective evidence could Li Hongzhi produce to substantiate any of his supernatural claims? I then cited some of the fantastic claims Falun Gong practitioners had made, such as that Falun Gong devotees would appear younger and that elderly devotees “will have less wrinkles and eventually they [the wrinkles] will almost be gone.” I pointed out that Li has claimed specifically that elderly women “will again have their menstrual cycle.” Li says this will be accomplished because “all cells in the bodies of practitioners will be replaced by high energy matter.”852

  These points were discussed throughout the day and well into the afternoon. The young woman was often resistant and defensive, and she expressed some resentment. She reacted negatively to the suggestion that something was wrong with Falun Gong, which she had somehow failed to recognize. The young mother repeatedly tried to minimize, if not negate, the central role of Master Li and whatever controversy existed regarding his teachings. But she remained respectful of her parents. The young woman endured the stressful discussion to demonstrate that respect, even though she continually refused to recognize the substance and significance of her family’s concerns.

  As sundown approached the young woman again tried to change the subject and focus of conversation. She pointed out that the supernatural claims made in the context of Judaism could likewise not be proved.

  She asked pointed questions. “Did the miracles mentioned in the Bible really occur?” “Did Moses part the Red Sea?” “What about Noah’s Ark?” “What accounts in the Bible were actually proved to be historical?” The young woman’s questions were an attempt to create an alternate argument that would engage everyone, especially her family.

  I then asked her if she meant to imply that the supernatural claims Falun Gong made were the equivalent of the stories found in the Bible—that they should then be understood as religious claims based on faith. She didn’t readily respond to this query. But I pursued the point and asked specifically if she meant to say that Li Hongzhi’s claims were religious claims. And if so, had that been her understanding when she first made contact with the group? Had Falun Gong been presented to her as a religion, and not just a set of exercises? Had she been recruited or proselytized by a religious group? She didn’t answer directly, but these questions seemed to intrigue her.

  I then made two points in quick succession. First, if Falun Gong was a religion based on faith claims, she should have been told this fact from the very beginning. It was deceptive if she had been led to believe that Falun Gong was merely a type of physical exercise. Anything less than full disclosure during the initial recruitment phase had been deceptive. Second, if Falun Gong was, in fact, a religion, how could she be expected to practice two religions simultaneously?

  The young woman seemed puzzled by this question, but I moved on, realizing there was limited time before sunset and the end of Sabbath restrictions.

  We then discussed the racist statements Li Hongzhi had made. Li has stated, “By mixing the races of humans, the aliens make humans cast off gods.” He also claims that “mixed races” are supposedly excluded from the “truth” and “have lost their roots.” He says that “they belong to nowhere, and no places would accept them…The higher levels do not recognize such a human race.”853 According to Li the offspring of mixed-race unions are somehow “intellectually incomplete” or “with an incomplete body.” According to Li only he can “take care of it” by resolving that “incomplete” state. This is supposedly done when “such a person wants to practice cultivation” according to the precepts of Falun Gong.854

  I pointed out that A Adolf Hitler and the Nazis had often expressed such concerns about racial purity. And that such concerns led to ethnic cleansing and the extermination of six million Jews. I asked how she, a Jew, could accept such racial edicts and intolerance.

  Her response was to routinely recite Master Li’s teachings. She explained that his racist remarks must be understood in the context of a cosmology that included many gods with particular links to specific races. According to Li, he is simply making these distinctions based on this cosmological understanding. His teachings are therefore not racist but an earnest attempt to avoid heavenly confusion with dire earthly consequences.

  At this juncture I pointed out an inherent problem for her with Li’s teachings. As a Jew she observed the Ten Commandments. For example, we were currently observing the fourth commandment, which states, “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.”855 I asked her what the first and foremost commandment is. She hesitated but finally answered, “You shall have no other gods beside me.”856 At this point I asked her how it was possible for her to hold to two different belief systems simultaneously, especially when they were in such conflict and directly contradicted each other. That is, on one hand Judaism is monotheistic and has only one God, but Falun Gong practitioners preach there is a plurality of many gods.

  I also asked her if Falun Gong practitioners had explained all this to her when she initially made contact with the group. And if this wasn’t the case, wasn’t this evidence of deliberate deception during what could be seen as their recruitment process? That is, the Falun Gong practitioners knowingly withheld or obscured information about the specific religious nature of their group, which forms the foundation for their practice. Hadn’t she deserved to know about all this before becoming more involved?

  As the sun set she seemed to have reached an impasse. The young woman insisted that somehow her involvement with Falun Gong was possible without any conflict. She then promised her husband and family that her children would be raised in a “Jewish home.” But I reiterated that monotheism was the single most important and consistent feature of Judaism and therefore the basis for a Jewish home. If she expected to honor her stated commitment to raise her children as Jews, how could she do so honestly while simultaneously embracing the teachings of Master Li? Wasn’t this a contradiction? How was it possible? How could she reconcile Falun Gong within the traditional framework of her very structured and regulated Jewish life? A life she had repeatedly said she would honor and which she expected her children to follow and understand? How would this work?

  At this juncture there was a kind of meltdown. The young woman tearfully refused to talk further and said our discussion must be concluded. It was near sundown, and soon the Sabbath restrictions concerning travel and communication would be over. The intervention had consumed about a day and half, which wasn’t enough time to cover everything, but it had been sufficient to share substantial information, raise some serious questions, and touch on key concerns and relevant issues.

  Ultimately everyone agreed to honor the young woman’s wishes and end the intervention—but with the understanding that the couple would participate in professional marriage counseling with someone they would both mutually agree on. The young woman also implicitly agreed to completely terminate her involvement with Falun Gong or anyone associated with the group. I had serious concerns regarding the sincerity of her commitments, but I subsequently received no complaints from her family that she had broken any of her promises.

  CHAPTER 14

  SCIENTOLOGY

  Before detailing an intervention concerning a Sciento
logist, having a basic understanding of about the organization and its history is important. Some of the most notable and historically significant events in the history of groups called “cults” are tied to Scientology. Scientology can be seen as perhaps the most notorious cult in the United States. It certainly seems to be the most reported about and the enduring focus of public fascination. This is largely due to the many celebrities who are Scientologists, such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Kirstie Alley.

  Scientology has a relatively long history, beginning in the 1950s. There are certain key events during its more than five decades of history that provide some perspective and context so we can better understand Scientology, its development, and its current position.

  1977—FBI Raids on Scientology

  In 1977 FBI raids on Scientology churches led to the indictment of eleven people, including the third wife, Mary Sue Hubbard, of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. The defendants received sentences of one to five years in prison. But L. Ron Hubbard remained an “unindicted co-conspirator”857

  Scientology’s covert criminal operation called “Snow White” during the 1970s remains astounding in its scope and success in penetrating the US government. Scientologists reportedly undertook this operation “to spy on and burglarize multiple federal offices, including the IRS and Justice Department, with the aim of stealing and destroying government documents about Scientology.”858 The operation also included spreading stories about Scientology’s perceived enemies.