When you’ve been part of a religious or ideological group (that some people may refer to as a cult) you know that people in that group see themselves as having special knowledge.
What you may not realize is that the group you thought was unique functioned remarkably like every other high-demand group that’s led by a charismatic leader or “called by God” governing body.
These groups have BIG RED FLAGS in common!
From the outside, members of high-demand groups may look like the happiest people you know!
They will generally say their happiness is because of the knowledge they’ve learned in the group. They might even say they have no idea where they would be without the group.
If you are in a group like this OR if you are considering joining one, my recommendation is to talk to several people who’ve left the group and ask them how easy it was for them to leave.
👂Listen to their experiences.
If you are part of the group, see if you can listen to their experiences without having sentences pop up in your head (that you learned from the group) about why people leave the group.
