By Maria O'Daniel IT'S always a shock to see how much influence a cult has over individuals. After the recent news I started surfing online to see what is available in terms of resources for parents, kids and teachers.

The cult that has been causing all the trouble here have a site called Persaudaraan Ilmu Dalam Al-Ma'unah (Malaysia) at http://members.tripod.com/al-maunah/menu.htm. In Bahasa Melayu and English, this clearly offers would-be recruits magical powers that include healing, violence and mind control. Schools and parents interested in teaching cult awareness will find this an excellent resource. For other resources check out the sites below.

Most search engines and directories distinguish between religions and cults according to the following definition offered by most psychologists. In other words, cults are organisations that: have a living leader who is deemed to be above any human agency and must be completely obeyed without question, focus intently on money and new recruits, insist members only socialise with each other, force members to abandon family and friendly relationships, punish questioning, punish any member's attempt to leave the organisation, practice psychological manipulation to undermine independent thought, impose a structure of manners and behaviour and who preach that "the end justifies the means".

General resources for creating cult awareness: The psychology of persuasion at http://www.influenceat-work.com/ discusses the techniques that are used by all leaders and managers to change the way people think, feel and work.

Used properly to improve society and promote good ethics, these techniques become an educational tool.

However, as the authors point out in the cults section, they can also be used for more sinister ends. Well written and presented in nice short chunks, this site is worth a few hours read.

For shorter notes on cults, check out the American Family Foundation (AFF) resources about psychological manipulation, cult groups, sects, and new religious movements. Their 101 cult papers at http://www.csj.org/infoserv-cult101/cult101.htm offer a very good introduction into defining a cult, seeing how these organisations work and how individual people use psychological strategies to trap and convert new recruits. There's also a useful set of checklists.

About's list of links organised under Anti- and Counter-Cult Views at http://altreligion.about.com/religion/altreligion/msub13a.htm?rnk=r1&terms=cult offers information and links to the history, views and organisations which fight against cults and sects. Well organised and always pointing towards quality content, this page is worth keeping an eye on.

Resources focusing on specific cults: Ex-cult resources at http://www.ex-cult.org/ have put together a basic list of links leading to cult awareness sites plus a list of links focusing on particular cults such as ICC/International Churches of Christ/Boston Movement (Kip McKean), Gene Scott, Frederick Lenz / "Zen Master Rama", Lifespring, NeoTech, SYDA Yoga, Scientology and Dianetics and the United Pentecostal Church.

About offers a list of Sects, Cults, and New Religious Movements organised into alphabetical order at http://altreligion.about.com/religion/altreligion/msubmenu1.htm.

You'll find information, links and resources for small religious groups, cult and anti-cult basics, and the history of the anti-cult and counter-cult movements.

Includes resources for Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) the Japanese sect who were responsible for the Sarin Gas attack in a Tokyo subway, Branch Davidians who were the centre of attraction at Waco and some of the lighter groups such as the Aetherius Society who believe that aliens are already among us, ready to weed out those who don't belong to the Correct Group.

Operation Clambake at http://www.xenu.net/ is a fantastic source of information for anyone interested in the Scientology cult. This cult which has been banned from recruiting members in various countries relies on a mixture of brainwashing and legal intimidation to milk members of money.

This group is distinguished here because on October 23, 1996, the law firm which has represented the Church of Scientology for years (that is Helena Kobrin) purchased the logo and licence agreement of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN). AFF warns that any publications or communications using the CAN name or logo after October 23 (1996) should not be regarded as emanating from or having the approval of the CAN personnel or officers who were associated with CAN before October 23, 1996.

And as always with any serious subject, there are dozens of parody site reinforcing the belief that humour is a very efficient weapon.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a script that would allow anyone to build their own cult online.

However, for a good giggle visit the Church of the Profit ($) at http://home.epix.net/jlferri/profit.html which is run by the so- called The Reverend John L. Ferri who claims he operates similar to other religions, except that he always tells the truth. The site explains how the church was set up and the reasoning behind the appointment of himself as chief priest and the development of a detailed penance schedule that offers forgiveness for all sins. To remain competitive, he offers discount for bulk sinning.

The writer can be contacted at mariaod@ace.cdc.abu.com.

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