Cult Next Door

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Search for Spirituality
(to be discussed after reading section)
1. When you hear the word "cult," what do you picture?
2. Describe the people you might expect to find in a cult.
3. What does "spirituality" mean to you?
4. Compare and contrast spirituality to religion.

My Past: Oct. 1940 to Sept. 1977
1. How would you describe Elizabeth's relationship with her mother? her father?
2. Which life events contributed to Elizabeth's emotional vulnerability?
3. Elizabeth's mother was involved with a series of gurus. What might drive a person to seek a guru?

January to December 1980
1. Explain whether or not George handled his first meeting with Elizabeth in a professional manner. What might her emotional state have been at the time?
2. What is George's agenda with Joe, and how does that affect Elizabeth's emotional stability?
3. Does Joe's death make Elizabeth more vulnerable to George? Might she have handled George's advances differently if she wasn't depressed?
4. What are some of the things George does to create dependency?
5. Is there truth to any of George's assertions about "The Program," the state of society, social conditioning, etc.?
6. Where does he depart from rational logic into faulty logic to further his agenda?
7. How might George's childhood have affected his personality and personal goals?
8. What is the point of the headshaking, and is it a form of hypnosis?
9. Define hypnosis. What are some methods which might induce hypnosis aside from the classic swinging pocket watch?
10. Why do cults often encourage members to give up family and friends?

Fall 1984 to Summer 1987
1. Describe Elizabeth's conflict over her relationship with George.
2. How does George gather more recruits? Why is he able to use the school system?
3. How does George draw in newcomers? What are they looking for? What do they think he has to offer?
4. What is magical thinking? How does George manifest this in himself? How and why does he teach it to his flock?
5. How does he use his atypical, strange behavior and habits to gain the allegiance of his group?
6. Why does Elizabeth abandon her former plans for a career in medicine?
7. What is the purpose of pairing up group members as couples?
8. How does George create a state of isolation in his devotees' lives? Why?
9. How and why does George create a unified belief system within his group?
10. According to George, what is "The Energy" and what is its purpose? What do you believe The Energy is?
11. What emotional needs of members are being filled by participating in The Group?
12. How does George exploit his members for personal gain and what does he gain? How does he cover up or validate the exploitation?
13. What are some of the socially unacceptable activities which George is fostering? Is he doing anything illegal?
14. Given that the group members are adults, not minors, evaluate the following: "These people are here of their own volition and are responsible for the consequences of their choices; the cult leader isn't forcing anyone to participate."

February to December 1991
1. How does George motivate his followers to spend more time with him? What does he gain from their increased participation?
2. How does George validate shop-lifting? Where is his logic at fault?
3. Why do his devotees, responsible citizens up to this point, agree to engage in shop-lifting? Why don't they report him to the police?
4. In the Thanksgiving morning session, why does George interrogate Pauline? How and why do Pauline's peers support the interrogation?
5. What is George's attitude toward family holidays and why?
6. How and why is Serena able to take control of Elizabeth's business?
7. Why does George oppose Elizabeth's desire to leave Max?

January to December 1993
1. How has Serena's personality been shaped by her father? Given the power of her father's influence, to what extent, if at all, is she responsible for her unreasonable behavior.
2. Why does George quickly convince Elizabeth to give up Preston?
3. From the guru's vantage point, what is the true purpose for the trip to Washington, D.C.?
4. What does George accomplish by threatening to abandon his followers?
5. How and why does George treat his children differently from the rest of The Group?
6. Why, after ten years, does Lisa decide to leave? Describe the opposition (internal and external) she faces in order to accomplish this.
7. What does the guru intend to accomplish by joining the Perot group United We Stand America? Is this a common strategy among cults?
8. What is the difference between Elizabeth's friendship with Judy, and Elizabeth's relationships with her peers in the cult?

Saturday August 27, 1994
1. Why does George criticize Elizabeth for being upset when her mother faints?
2. Why do you think Corrine's children dislike George?
3. Why does Serena fail to win back her position in the Perot group? What does this show about the difference between insiders' and outsiders' responses to George's will to control?
4. Why does Judy tell Elizabeth that God doesn't like what's going on in George's den? Why doesn't Elizabeth understand what she means? Do you agree with Judy? Why or why not?
5. Why do most of the group members accept responsibility for Ben's death?
6. How does George change after Ben's death, and why do most of the (college-educated) group members so readily follow his lead?
7. Elizabeth has trouble accepting the "Ben mission." In your opinion, why? What does she do instead?

October 1995
1. Name one or more of George's pseudo-scientific assertions. Why would educated people accept his statements without question? If one of his devotees confronted George with scientific fact, how might he handle this?
2. Why does The Group oppose Elizabeth's friendship with Judy?
3. Define the power of suggestion. How does it manifest in George's group?
4. How do the "Enoch Commandments" differ from The Bible's Ten Commandments?
5. Which personal experiences and strengths make Judy an ideal person to help Elizabeth?
6. Which dysfunctional and self-destructive behaviors does Judy observe among group members while attending George's meetings?
7. Envisioning the "hand in glove" analogy, describe some complementary roles played by guru and devotee.
8. What does Judy offer to Elizabeth which is unavailable in the cult?
9. How does George try to manipulate Corrine's children? In your opinion, regarding Corrine's choice to expose her children to George (despite their protests,) is she a good parent? Why or why not?
10. Are the children in the same or a worse position than George's adult followers?
11. It is clear that Elizabeth doesn't want to give George any more money. So, why does she continue to attend sessions and pay him?
12. Do you find it incredible or understandable that George is able to peddle his wares in respected institutions such as Barnes and Noble Bookstores and Sing Sing Prison? Explain.
13. How is it that George is able to circulate within "normal" society without being spotted and rejected or attacked?

February 1996
1. Why is George so upset when Elizabeth visits a doctor?
2. Despite his blatant mistreatment of others, why does Serena insist on always defending her father?
3. Do you feel empathy for Elizabeth's lament, "I want my twenty years back?" Why or why not?
4. Despite the fact that Serena is a poor business partner, why does Elizabeth feel that "divorce" is not an option?
5. Why does George eject Elizabeth from the fold?

January 10, 9:00 PM
1. What price does Elizabeth pay for not returning to the cult? What does she gain? What challenges does she face now?
2. Compare objective to subjective perception. Which does Serena use to confirm that her father was able to lengthen a light bulb with The Energy? How is her reasoning in contradiction to the scientific method?
3. Describe the reasoning Serena uses to convince herself that her father has not committed any wrongdoing, despite concrete evidence to the contrary.
4. Speculate on what you would do in Serena's position and why.
5. Why isn't the legal system available to both help Elizabeth obtain restitution from George and prevent him from continuing his practice?
6. Why do group members, including Elizabeth's mother, take George's side when he throws Elizabeth out?
7. After Elizabeth has figured out George's con, why doesn't Elizabeth's mother embrace her daughter's discoveries?
8. Can you find fault with some of the assertions George makes during his radio interview?
9. Describe some lessons about life choices and relationships between people which you are able to take away with you after reading this book.

Cult Fundamentals

General:
1. Define cult.
2. Name some different types of cults.
3. How do they differ, and what do they have in common?
4. Compare cults to organized religion.
5. Define sociopath. Are cult leaders necessarily sociopaths?
6. Compare cult leaders to religious leaders (priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.) vis a vis personality, ethics, personal agenda, and behavior.
7. Define brainwashing.
8. What is mind control?
9. How is mind control achieved in a cult group?
10. To the cultist, what are some of the harmful effects of cult involvement?
11. List some benefits which could, in certain cases, be gained by a cultist from cult involvement?

Campus Recruitment:
1. Why do many cults recruit on college campuses?
2. What are some common methods of on-campus cult recruitment?
3. Which personality traits might make a person vulnerable to cult recruitment?
4. What life events might make a person vulnerable to cult recruitment?
5. The methodology of cult recruitment is generally considered unethical. Why?
6. What could cause you to suspect that a friend or family member has fallen under cult control?
7. In order to establish that a group is not a cult, what questions can you ask before agreeing to participate in an off-campus retreat or other group-led event?

Myths:
Here are some common myths about cult involvement. Why are they inaccurate in many cases?
a. Only losers and weirdos join cults. If I check out a group and find normal-looking, friendly, and articulate members, then it can't be a cult.
b. This is an issue of freedom of choice. People choose to become members freely.
c. Cult members can leave any time they want to.
d. It's an issue of religious freedom.
e. He (or she) is an adult. He says he's happy. What right do I have to judge?

Moral Issues:
1. What are some things which take place in cults that are morally wrong and/or illegal?
2. In general, are morally wrong actions also illegal? Give some examples.
3. Name some cult activities which are morally wrong but not illegal.
4. Is it fair to conclude that cult devotees generally have a weak moral character? Why or why not?
5. What is the difference between subjective truth and objective truth?
6. Cults are sometimes called "truth-twisters." How do members come to choose cult doctrine over objective truth?