What Is A Cult? Part 1.

I'm still tottering around like an old man. I'm sore in places I didn't know I had places. I've been getting up earlier than any self-respecting programmer should get up, so I'm going to keep this short.

I was listening to a discussion of cults on the radio this morning. One of the staff had gone to a self-improvement retreat, and the DJ's were convinced that the place was a cult. I'm not familiar with the program in question, so I can't comment on whether that particular place was a cult or not. And, for the record, I investigated Scientology when I was in college and decided that it wasn't for me.

I believe in self-improvement as a worthy goal, and I've attended self-improvement seminars that were of great benefit to me. I've never fallen prey to a cult; I'm too cynical and skeptical.

This morning, the DJ's were using a "Cult Test" to determine if their coworker was in a cult. The majority of the questions made me wonder how valid the questions were. A cult begins by trying to modify your behavior. So does a self-improvement course. That's what self-improvement is all about: modifying your behavior. In my next post (tomorrow, if I have the energy), I'll review the specifics of the questions in the various Cult Tests that the great Google has retrieved for me.


Blog Tag: Opinion