Ä Area: InfiReligi ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Msg#: 1777 Date: 09-02-96 22:09 From: Dirty Lil' Elf Read: Yes Replied: No To: All Mark: Subj: Cult Eval Scale ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ THE BONEWITS CULT DANGER EVALUATION SCALE An unfortunate trend in the past few years has been that people use the word "Cult" to mean "religious group *I* have doctrinal differences with." The dictionary defines 'cult' as "any sect, religious group, or group devoted to an ideal', so it seems more useful to look at what makes any given group more or less DANGEROUS than any other given group, or, as some of us say, how to identify a HIGH CONTROL GROUP. To this end, Isaac Bonewits has developed the CULT DANGER EVALUATION SCALE. One takes the 15 questions and scored the group from 1 (low) to 10 (high) of each of them and adds up the score. Generally, the higher the numerical value scored by a given group the more dangerous it is likely to be. Isaac is, of course, the ArchDruid of Ar nDraiocht Fein Druid Fellowship. And most of you out there know that the ADF is one of the religious groups I'm a member of, too. It is also true that I've been posting this scale on P$ for several years before I joined the ADF, just because I find it so useful. 1. INTERNAL CONTROL, amount of internal political power exercised by leader(s) over members. 2. WISDOM CLAIMED by leader(s); amount of infallibility declared about decisions. 3. WISDOM CREDITED to leader(s) by members; amount of trust in decisions made by leaders. 4. DOGMA, rigidity of reality concepts taught; amount of doctrinal inflexibility. 5. RECRUITING, emphasis put on attracting new members amount of proselytizing. 6. FRONT GROUPS, number of subsidiary groups using different names from that of main group. 7. WEALTH, amount of money &/or property desired or obtained; emphasis on members' donations. 8. POLITICAL POWER, amount of external political influence desired or obtained. 9. SEXUAL MANIPULATION of members by leader(s); amount of control over sex lives of members. 10. CENSORSHIP, amount of control over members' access to outside opinions on group, doctrines, or leader(s). 11. DROPOUT CONTROL, intensity of efforts directed at preventing or returning dropouts. 12. ENDORSEMENT OF VIOLENCE when used by or for the group or its leader(s). 13. PARANOIA, amount of fear concerning real or imagined enemies, perceived power of opponents. 14. GRIMNESS, amount of disapproval concerning jokes about the group, its doctrines or leader(s). 15. SURRENDER OF WILL, emphasis on members not having to be responsible for personal decisions. ... I'd like to find your Inner Child and kick it's little ass! -Eagles ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] -!- ! Origin: The Rat Trap 318-949-6758 (68:3181/5)