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BOSTON -- With the upcoming sentencing of the two members of the Body of Christ cult in the murder of their children taking place in Attleboro and the unprecedented situation of Johnny Walker Lindh, the issue of cults, though a mystery for most, remains high in many people's minds.
Dating back as far as the 1800s, mind-controlling cults took the form of utopian movements. Today, they take the shape of religious-therapy- and business-based groups that incorporate a wide range of mind control techniques.
Most Jews who have gotten involved with cults tend to be from the Reform movement who are looking for a higher level of devotion. They tend to be recruited into groups like the Twelve Tribes of Israel, a bible-based group wanting to re-establish the Twelve Tribes.
"Jews often get caught up in other communal groups that seem to be fulfilling an Old Testament model," notes Bob Pardon, director of the New England Institute of Religious Research.
Structured in a hierarchical pyramid, there are general characteristics that shape most bible-based cults.
The groups tend to have a leader claiming to have a direct connection with God. Scripture tends to be twisted into meanings never intended, which is used as a means to control the group.
Deborah Reichmann, a former member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel cult, finds that "they are not upholding the whole [religious] law," only certain parts.
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