How a cult is formed and danger signs to watch for

Cult leaders often exercise an extreme degree of control over members’ lives. [File, Standard]

You are most likely steeped in a cult if your “spiritual daddy or mum” is charismatic, intolerant, controlling, divisive, abusive and demanding too much of you.

If you consider your “Apostle”, “Prophet”, “Bishop”, “Pastor”, or “Servant of God”, a genius, always right, owns the exclusive means of knowing the truth, and is never held accountable for any action, you are wallowing in the miasma of a cult.

The draft “Religious Organisations Policy” developed by the taskforce chaired by Reverend Mutava Musyimi has not only identified the characteristics of a cult, but also the causes of religious extremism and cultism in Kenya.

It also blames state and political interference, lack of political inclusion, limitations on freedom of expression and shrinking civic space as “primary drivers of radicalisation and religious extremism.”

It says most cults always follow a charismatic leader, living or dead, whose teachings are considered to be of the highest importance.

“Cult leaders often exercise an extreme degree of control over members’ lives, including dictating what they can wear and eat and the kinds of relationships they can have. Conformity is also enforced by group members who police one another,” the policy says.

It says in a cult, there is usually intolerance for questions or critical inquiry. Cult members are led like sheep, and are strongly discouraged from questioning the cult’s doctrine and any doubts are met with shame or punishment.

The cult leaders engage in mind-altering practices which entail among others sleep deprivation, chanting, humiliation, starvation and drugs, practices which incrementally break down an individual’s defence lines and make them susceptible to the cult’s ideology.

“Members of cults are often encouraged to cut contact with outsiders, including close family members. Members cannot leave the group because exiting is considered evil. New members are often showered with love and praise to bring them deeper into the cult and foster a sense of belonging,” it says.

Other tactics include the “us-vs-them mentality”, being encouraged to see the cult as superior to life on the outside and feel that those outside the cult lack understanding or insight.

The cult members are also indoctrinated into embracing apocalyptic thinking. They then live in dread of an impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions from the outside world.

But it is the next characteristic of a cult which will get Kenyans talking. According to the taskforce policy, cults encourage members to sacrifice a lot of their time, money and energy. “Followers are expected to dedicate huge amounts of time, energy and often money to the cult to the exclusion of their own lives, interests, jobs and families,” the policy reads.

Their leaders are unaccountable to no one, including lack of meaningful financial disclosure. More often than not, they abuse their followers, both adults and children. They humiliate them, starve them, and verbally harass them into submission.

The taskforce found that the root causes of cultism are complex, multifaceted and intertwined, and is the product of historical, political, economic and social circumstances. Those who join cults usually have an unmet need and may be going through an existential crisis, a trauma, an unfulfilled dream or unanswered questions.

“Cult leaders prey on people’s vulnerabilities and manipulate them to their advantage. Going through a difficult life event can make a person susceptible to cults. People who are diagnosed with terminal or chronic illnesses, death of a loved one or serious career blunder tend to be in fragile states, and therefore might join a group that they might not otherwise acknowledge,” the policy says.

Susceptibility to cults is higher among poor families with their members feeling excluded. The unemployed, the marginalised, the grumbling, and the minorities are therefore candidates for cult practices. The fairly well-to-do but emotionally unstable, and fellows suffering from depression or melancholy are the other lot. They are easily lured into cultism because of the sense of brotherhood and family that they find within a cult.

“Some individuals see cultism as a veritable avenue for making money through harmful activities such as prostitution, blackmail, human trafficking and other unscrupulous activities. The affluent on the other hand join cults to gain fame, in the quest for power, money, status and protection,” it says.

The policy blames Kenya’s warped value system of extolling affluence without due consideration to the means. This encourages people to join cults “to make a name, to be feared and respected in the community.”

Other factors cited in the report include insensitive policing or profiling in public locations, weak state capacity exhibited by weak institutions, poor law enforcement, inadequate checks and balances, power vacuums, strong-arm tactics of the state, unreasonable laws, and poor parenting.