"The term "cult" is always one of individual judgment. It has been variously applied to groups involved in beliefs and practices just off the beat of traditional religions; to groups making exploratory excursions into non-Western philosophical practices; and to groups involving intense relationships between followers and a powerful idea or leader. The people I have studied, however, come from groups in the last, narrow band of the spectrum: groups such as the Children of God, the Unification Church of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the Krishna Consciousness movement, the Divine Light Mission, and the Church of Scientology. I have not had occasion to meet with members of the People's Temple founded by the late Reverend Jim Jones, who practiced what he preached about being prepared to commit murder and suicide, if necessary, in defense of the faith."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Psychologists from the United StatesPeople from CaliforniaWomen scientists from the United StatesPeople from Denver
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Coming Out of the Cults, Psychology Today (January 1979)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Singer
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Margaret Singer
Margaret Thaler Singer Ph.D. (29 July 1921 – 23 November 2003) was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.
20 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Margaret Singer →
Related Quotes
"While everyone is influenced and persuaded daily in various ways, vulnerability to influence fluctuates. The ability …"
"Thought reform is accomplished through the use of psychological and environmental control processes that do not depen…"
"An estimated 5,000 economic, political, and religious groups operate in the United States alone at any given time, wi…"
"Hundreds of other cult leaders have gathered far more followers than Jones by promising new psychological and spiritu…"
"I do not endorse them [Landmark Education] - never have. The SOBs have already sued me once. I'm afraid to tell you w…"
"Just look up to the sky and talk to God yourself. You don't need an organization to do that. …They're all the same, r…"
"I started hearing from families who had missing members, many of them young kids on our campus, and they all would de…"
"The public takes care of their fear by thinking only crazies and stupid people wind up in cults. I've interviewed ove…"
"Psychologist Margaret Singer, 69, an outspoken Scientology critic and professor at the University of California, Berk…"
"Over the decades, cult operatives have fished through Singer's trash, sent her death threats and picketed her lecture…"