Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986 Page 46
Another way in which DTS training discouraged rational debate was by quoting the following
verses:
I appeal to you...that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought‖ (I Cor.
1:10) ―Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in one
spirit and purpose‖ (Phil. 2:2) ―I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree
with each other in the Lord‖ (Phil. 4:2) ―Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace‖ (Eph. 4:3).
The argument was, ―If you don‘t agree with us then you are causing disunity and being
rebellious -disobeying God.‖ According to Stoner and Parke, ―Cults discourage critical
analysis by dictating the suppression of negative thoughts, therefore fostering a dependency
on the cult‘s authority that arrests the maturation process.‖14 DTS, thus, was similar to life
in Rev. Moon‘s cult ―If you object to their rules, they say it is Satan working through you
against God. You are taught to mistrust your mind. You are given an interpretation for every
situation. You no longer need to think or evaluate for yourself but, instead, recall what was
told you for that situation.‖15
Also included in this type of thought reform is the use of easily learned and authoritative
sounding clichés which block studied reflection.16 DTS employed several of these, including:
―You‘re causing disunity ‖ ―It‘s pride‖ and ―Give up your rights‖ (meaning that you should
give up selfish personal preferences and rights that conflicted with the uniformity demanded
by DTS). The kind of thinking that this sort of training illustrates reflects the remark of
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard‘s son, who broke with his father some years ago: ―All
cults ...say, ‗I am your mind, I am your brain. I‘ve done all your work for you. I‘ve laid the
path open for you. All you have to do is turn your mind off and walk down the path I have
created.‘ Well, I have learned that there‘s great strength in diversity, that a clamorous
discussion or debate is very healthy and should be encouraged.‖17
Evangelical scholar Ronald Enroth agrees that ―The cultic pattern downplays the mind,‖
while ―the biblical pattern values understanding and knowledge. The Bible not only respects
the mind as an important part of the image of God in which man was created, but regards
rational thought as a virtual gateway to salvation. Satan‘s strategy is to subvert the mind
and subdue the will into passivity, thus opening the door to spirits of deception.‖18 DTS
certainly tried to subvert the mind and subdue the will.
Suppressing Critical Thinking
As a person coming from a liberal arts background, it seems as if I should have reacted
more strongly against this anti-reasoning approach. But my defenses were worn down in
several ways similar to the methods used in a weekend Moonie workshop. The effect can be
illustrated by excerpts from letters sent home by a DTS student. ―You have to understand
that I‘m being bombarded with so much every day that the context [sic] of my letters will
vary greatly ...So don‘t think I‘m ‗freaking out‘ if one letter is on one issue and another one
is on something new. It‘s a thinking process, and I suppose growth at that ...Basically,
we‘ll have lectures next week again, which I enjoy and learn a lot from. Time goes very
quickly here -almost too fast, because I can‘t absorb all the lecture material ...I really am
finding it harder and harder to write letters because I can‘t write how I feel ...There are
times I feel that they are pushing a different Christianity on me and I don‘t accept. Today it
got to the point where I wondered who I was ...I‘m scared to write to you already. I‘m not
sure you‘ll understand me. I‘m scared to write letters home because one day my head‘s full
of one thing and the next ifs full of something else.‖
Many of the lectures were two hours long and on videotape. This meant that if a student
had a question about something, he couldn‘t raise his hand and ask it, or request that a
Another way in which DTS training discouraged rational debate was by quoting the following
verses:
I appeal to you...that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought‖ (I Cor.
1:10) ―Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in one
spirit and purpose‖ (Phil. 2:2) ―I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree
with each other in the Lord‖ (Phil. 4:2) ―Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace‖ (Eph. 4:3).
The argument was, ―If you don‘t agree with us then you are causing disunity and being
rebellious -disobeying God.‖ According to Stoner and Parke, ―Cults discourage critical
analysis by dictating the suppression of negative thoughts, therefore fostering a dependency
on the cult‘s authority that arrests the maturation process.‖14 DTS, thus, was similar to life
in Rev. Moon‘s cult ―If you object to their rules, they say it is Satan working through you
against God. You are taught to mistrust your mind. You are given an interpretation for every
situation. You no longer need to think or evaluate for yourself but, instead, recall what was
told you for that situation.‖15
Also included in this type of thought reform is the use of easily learned and authoritative
sounding clichés which block studied reflection.16 DTS employed several of these, including:
―You‘re causing disunity ‖ ―It‘s pride‖ and ―Give up your rights‖ (meaning that you should
give up selfish personal preferences and rights that conflicted with the uniformity demanded
by DTS). The kind of thinking that this sort of training illustrates reflects the remark of
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard‘s son, who broke with his father some years ago: ―All
cults ...say, ‗I am your mind, I am your brain. I‘ve done all your work for you. I‘ve laid the
path open for you. All you have to do is turn your mind off and walk down the path I have
created.‘ Well, I have learned that there‘s great strength in diversity, that a clamorous
discussion or debate is very healthy and should be encouraged.‖17
Evangelical scholar Ronald Enroth agrees that ―The cultic pattern downplays the mind,‖
while ―the biblical pattern values understanding and knowledge. The Bible not only respects
the mind as an important part of the image of God in which man was created, but regards
rational thought as a virtual gateway to salvation. Satan‘s strategy is to subvert the mind
and subdue the will into passivity, thus opening the door to spirits of deception.‖18 DTS
certainly tried to subvert the mind and subdue the will.
Suppressing Critical Thinking
As a person coming from a liberal arts background, it seems as if I should have reacted
more strongly against this anti-reasoning approach. But my defenses were worn down in
several ways similar to the methods used in a weekend Moonie workshop. The effect can be
illustrated by excerpts from letters sent home by a DTS student. ―You have to understand
that I‘m being bombarded with so much every day that the context [sic] of my letters will
vary greatly ...So don‘t think I‘m ‗freaking out‘ if one letter is on one issue and another one
is on something new. It‘s a thinking process, and I suppose growth at that ...Basically,
we‘ll have lectures next week again, which I enjoy and learn a lot from. Time goes very
quickly here -almost too fast, because I can‘t absorb all the lecture material ...I really am
finding it harder and harder to write letters because I can‘t write how I feel ...There are
times I feel that they are pushing a different Christianity on me and I don‘t accept. Today it
got to the point where I wondered who I was ...I‘m scared to write to you already. I‘m not
sure you‘ll understand me. I‘m scared to write letters home because one day my head‘s full
of one thing and the next ifs full of something else.‖
Many of the lectures were two hours long and on videotape. This meant that if a student
had a question about something, he couldn‘t raise his hand and ask it, or request that a
