61 What is a cult? How to recognize a cult. 8 requirements for cults by Robert J. Lifton

Skip to 3:30 for pre-recorded talk with better sound. (Only the live intro has low sound, which I was not aware of when recording.)

0:00 – Intro to pre-recorded talk on cults & streaming problems
3:32 – Intro to defining what is a cult
5:55 – Cult vs cult of personality, Alt-Right/Trumpsters vs Alt-Left
8:19 – Intro to article by Christian author & minister Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino "What Makes A Cult A Cult" https://www.patheos.com/blogs/leadershiponfire/author/lmarino/, see Live Show #22 on American vs. Hindu yoga
11:07 – Personal criteria to define cults vs modern scholarly cult study (see Live Show #62 for cult book recommendations)
14:37 – Robert J. Lifton's 8 points of defining a cult
17:40 – Cults are not just odd or not Christian or with a few points
21:44 – Cults are based on fact not opinion, cult members disconnect from outside world
26:09 – Manipulating spiritual experiences to match cult teachings, every member has the same experience
31:01 – Guru manifestations, purity of members based on donation amount, impossible standards of purity, member punishments
36:30 – Lying is okay, staying in cults to avoid acknowledging truth & growing spiritually
42:21 – Conformity to cult & prohibitions, traditional beliefs, loaded language
48:52 – End of world & survival of cult, breaking comfort zone
51:08 – How to save someone in a cult, reasons for joining cults, fake friendships in cult, lack of positive legacy of cult
1:00:49 – Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino's biography (Lee Ann's website: https://kingdompowernow.org/ & her podcast: https://anchor.fm/kingdompowernow along with other online podcast streaming sites)
1:02:04 – Closing thoughts

Originally broadcast 9/72023 but due to heavy video lag it was impossible to watch, so rebroadcast 9/9/2023 with intro & new video of my cat Fiona.

Weekly live show on society & religion, plus Vedic scriptures. Vishishtadvaita Vedanta Vaishnava. Combating conversion! Sanatana Dharma not Neo-Hinduism.

I am Premanand Das Bhagat (Aaron Joy), in Maine USA.
📣 * Contact: aronmatyas@hotmail.com
📚 * My books: http://www.aaronjoyauthor.weebly.com
🍮 https://buymeacoffee.com/aaronjoy Buy Me A Coffee for one time or long-time support and exclusive perks

I am your spiritual cheerleader, wanting to help you grow spiritually, discover your life's purpose, know god, and avoid the dark places.

📚 I'm a Mystic, Certified Spiritual Life Coach, Certified Ayurveda Specialist, and currently studying Integrel Vedic Counseling under Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri). Spiritual name bestowed by Dr. Chaturbhai Babaria (of Swaminaryan Gurukul USA, Ramanuja lineage). Student of Dr. Frawley & Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya.

Channel originates on youtube, duplicated on Rumble, Spotify, Bitchute, Amazon, Audible, Apple & Google Podcasts, iHeart, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Chromecast, Listen Notes, Podcast Addict, People Ai, Everend, Rephonic, allfeeds.ai, fyyd.de.