Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 28
activity. Each application for the granting of such status should therefore be carefully
examined, as well as suitable amendments made to the tax laws.
The report of the European Parliament (0.83) reveals that some of the organizations
included in “the new organizations active under the protective cover conferred upon
religious entities” conceal their identity and doctrines, do not allow the potential member
enough time to consider what is entailed in the pending involvement, prevent by various
means personal and written contact with family, friends, etc., do not permit adequate
medical and mental care and/or legal assistance, occasionally incite members to break the
law in various fields, and harass those who leave or consider leaving them.
The majority of individuals joining the new groups are from an educated middle-class
background. The percentage of Jews outside Israel joining the cults is many times greater
than their proportion in the general population (0.29 0.28). Some of those joining are in a
state of ongoing mental despair in search of a substitute reality and clear-cut solution to
life. Some of them wander among the various groups trying different solutions. Other new
members (according to some sources, these are the majority) are young and suffer from no
obvious mental disorder. They may be going through a temporary crisis of sorts, a
transitional period, or struggling with normal developmental changes. Certain character
traits, if present, make an individual a prime target for recruitment: a tendency to be
dependent, an undeveloped analytical ability, difficulty coping with vague and insecure
situations, a natural capacity to enter dissociative states with relative ease (state of trance,
hypnosis, meditation, etc.). It is worth stressing that the conversion procedures employed
by some of the new groups can affect even those who don‟t have such a particular
background (0.10 0.40 0.41 0.52 0.69).
One of the studies (0.40 p. 12) indicates that a small group of joiners occasionally reaches
positions of authority and leadership, and are described as “having sociopathic tendencies
who see membership in a group as an opportunity to legitimize deviant behavior”.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that most of the members in the new groups act in good
faith from an honest conviction in the rightness of their ways. For them association with the
new group is very significant and sometimes irreplaceable. The sincerity of the members,
does not, however, necessarily reflect upon the degree of sincerity or the nature of the
leaders‟ intentions.
A considerable number of the groups which are the focal point of public controversy are
extremely sensitive to criticism and systematically attempt to undermine the credibility of
almost any criticism raised against them. At times they invest a great deal of effort and
resources in this activity. Within this context they put on showy campaigns with the aim of
creating and promoting a positive image (for example, sponsoring international conferences
of spiritualism, culture, and science). They initiate legal proceedings against journalists,
investigators, and various public bodies, alleging defamation regardless of whether they
have any basis or chance of winning.
Some initiate and commission research to be carried out about themselves --but don‟t
always expose all the relevant facts and/or permit free access to people, places, events,
documents, and papers. Others do not cooperate at all and take special care to ward off any
curious or inquisitive investigator. Screening of information and preservation of secrecy are
often the fundamentals of the ideology and practice of the new groups.
The successful struggle over their image has led to a situation in which the facts and
testimonies gathered, as well as the results of studies performed by impartial researchers,
are perceived by some of the public as biased and unobjective. Furthermore, some of the
groups malign the sources of any critical information, suggesting they originate from
interested parties such as “injured” relatives, malcontent drop-outs, or psychologists and
psychiatrists “protecting” the status of their profession.
activity. Each application for the granting of such status should therefore be carefully
examined, as well as suitable amendments made to the tax laws.
The report of the European Parliament (0.83) reveals that some of the organizations
included in “the new organizations active under the protective cover conferred upon
religious entities” conceal their identity and doctrines, do not allow the potential member
enough time to consider what is entailed in the pending involvement, prevent by various
means personal and written contact with family, friends, etc., do not permit adequate
medical and mental care and/or legal assistance, occasionally incite members to break the
law in various fields, and harass those who leave or consider leaving them.
The majority of individuals joining the new groups are from an educated middle-class
background. The percentage of Jews outside Israel joining the cults is many times greater
than their proportion in the general population (0.29 0.28). Some of those joining are in a
state of ongoing mental despair in search of a substitute reality and clear-cut solution to
life. Some of them wander among the various groups trying different solutions. Other new
members (according to some sources, these are the majority) are young and suffer from no
obvious mental disorder. They may be going through a temporary crisis of sorts, a
transitional period, or struggling with normal developmental changes. Certain character
traits, if present, make an individual a prime target for recruitment: a tendency to be
dependent, an undeveloped analytical ability, difficulty coping with vague and insecure
situations, a natural capacity to enter dissociative states with relative ease (state of trance,
hypnosis, meditation, etc.). It is worth stressing that the conversion procedures employed
by some of the new groups can affect even those who don‟t have such a particular
background (0.10 0.40 0.41 0.52 0.69).
One of the studies (0.40 p. 12) indicates that a small group of joiners occasionally reaches
positions of authority and leadership, and are described as “having sociopathic tendencies
who see membership in a group as an opportunity to legitimize deviant behavior”.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that most of the members in the new groups act in good
faith from an honest conviction in the rightness of their ways. For them association with the
new group is very significant and sometimes irreplaceable. The sincerity of the members,
does not, however, necessarily reflect upon the degree of sincerity or the nature of the
leaders‟ intentions.
A considerable number of the groups which are the focal point of public controversy are
extremely sensitive to criticism and systematically attempt to undermine the credibility of
almost any criticism raised against them. At times they invest a great deal of effort and
resources in this activity. Within this context they put on showy campaigns with the aim of
creating and promoting a positive image (for example, sponsoring international conferences
of spiritualism, culture, and science). They initiate legal proceedings against journalists,
investigators, and various public bodies, alleging defamation regardless of whether they
have any basis or chance of winning.
Some initiate and commission research to be carried out about themselves --but don‟t
always expose all the relevant facts and/or permit free access to people, places, events,
documents, and papers. Others do not cooperate at all and take special care to ward off any
curious or inquisitive investigator. Screening of information and preservation of secrecy are
often the fundamentals of the ideology and practice of the new groups.
The successful struggle over their image has led to a situation in which the facts and
testimonies gathered, as well as the results of studies performed by impartial researchers,
are perceived by some of the public as biased and unobjective. Furthermore, some of the
groups malign the sources of any critical information, suggesting they originate from
interested parties such as “injured” relatives, malcontent drop-outs, or psychologists and
psychiatrists “protecting” the status of their profession.
