There are "cults", but whose to say whether the Catholic Church, the Jewish religion, or the Baptists are more of a "cult" than the Moonies, the Hare Krishnas, or Scientology. It seems that what primarily defines a "cult" is that it is smaller than the others, non-traditional and threatens the established larger, organized "cults". Still, Hassan does shed light on the nature of mind control, but one needs to keep in mind that the mechanics of "mind control" is probably just as common with modern accepted traditional belief systems as with any of the so-called "cults".

Psychologists and psychiatrists are the main creators and instigators of "mind control". The CIA was directly involved in the Jonestown incident involving the People's Temple and Jim Jones. Apparently the CIA created and nurtured a cult to experiment with psychological theories about group control, and to ascertain just what they could get people to do in the name of "religion" and "belief" (including suicide and murder). There is evidence that various Satanic "cults", ritual murder, and off-the-wall occult practices are also in some cases similar experiments in "mind control" conducted by government agencies. Psychiatrists and psychologists on the payroll of the government secretly conduct human experimentation so they can figure out just what people can be "tricked" into believing and doing.

One should therefore read anything by them which claims to understand and "solve" cults and "mind control" with a suspicious eye, since, in fact, they are the primary cause of many of these things. The "Cult Awareness Network" (CAN), using "modern" psychological theories about "cults" routinely abducted, coerced and even tortured family members in an attempt to "break" them from their beliefs which the rest of the family members didn't like or agree with. The FBI and BATF based their decisions at Waco, Texas with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians on suggestions from the CAN resulting in a complete catastrophe. For the most part they don't know what they are talking about. Read this book with that in mind.

Reviews
A reader from Europe, July 13, 1999
Crispy details of mind controls techniques
I loved the book. The book is very precise, very clear and has many examples. I am not an (ex) member of any cult, I am a Roman-Catholic person, but this book opened my eyes to our modern world of 'supermarketed of beliefs'. I advice it to everybody supporting anti-cults, ex-members and parents and friends of cult members. Drugs, AIDS and Criminality are a problem today, and so are destructive cults.

gordon_neufeld@hotmail.com from Calgary, Alberta, July 9, 1999
This book changed my life!
As a former member of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, I was convinced, even after I left, that there was no such thing as mind control. In fact, I even refused to read any books on the subject, nor would I read any of the first-hand accounts of former members. The reason for this was that I had a deep phobia about the very idea that mind control existed -- which I suppose is in itself a good argument that mind control is real. Finally, six years after I left the Unification Church, I steeled myself to read Steven Hassan's book, expecting to hate it and disagree with every word. To my amazement, Mr. Hassan's arguments won me over completely. I had to concede that his description of mind control had, in fact, happened to me. This revelation ended my six-year-long vacillation during which time I still felt some attachment to my former cult. I now realized what harm had been done to me, and I became very properly angry - and, finally, I began to read the first-person accounts of other former members. This book set me free to think clearly about my experiences again, and to create the psychic break needed to get on with my life.

pmosier@idirect.com from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, December 11, 1997
Great Perspective from Someone Who Has "Been There"

An excellent examination of the cult phenomena. Described as "The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults," Haassan's book explains what elements are common to cults, and what defines a cult.

As a former member of the the Unification Church (a.k.a. "Moonies") and a psychologist (he obtained his degree after exiting the Moonies), Hassan offers a unique perspective and insight into the cult movement.

Although peppered with examples and anecdotes from the Moonies, Hassan is careful to keep the analysis general enough to apply to many other "questionable" groups and organizations.

When is a cult not a cult? Does a group have to be "religious" to be a cult, or could a "non-religious" cult exist? Hassan answers these questions and more, and clearly defines the difference between unusual beliefs (which do not necessarily identify a group as a cult) and dangerous & destructive social factors (which, independent of the beliefs, make a group a cult, according to Hassan's definition).

Strongly recommended for anyone who has friends or family in an "unusual" group; this book will help you to either dismiss your fears of cult involvement, or give you the advice you need to deal with this difficult situation.

Even more strongly recommended for anyone who feels they are an a group that has been "mislabeled" by society as a cult. This book will either help you to understand what defines a cult (so you can defend yourself against criticism) or else give you an interesting perspective on how others view your organization.

A reader, May 8, 1997
Very enlightening
As a former member of a destructive cult, reading this book was therapeutic for me, giving insight into the psychological factors that induce people into destructive cults in the first place. The author defines "cults" not by examining unorthodox doctrines of groups, but by observing the amount of control the group exerts over the lives of it's followers. If you have family or friends in cults, this book tells the way to go about dealing with the problem, and also how to protect yourself from being recruited into a cult. A must-read for anyone affected by the cult problem.

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