Hardly anyone hears the word “cult” and thinks of positive aspects. Therefore in order to successfully create and /or propagate an ideology - in this sense, an emotionally charged conviction about a group of people and their relationship to their natural and supernatural environment - the tenets of that belief system must be pushed by its followers in a totalistic direction. This will, in most cases, occur when the purported beliefs are all-encompassing and extremely ambitious in their claims in order to dominate all aspects of the members' lives. In cases where these tenets have become a reality to a select few there has been created a religious or spiritual movement that can be called a cult. The following is a list of three criteria, which can be applied to any group in order to assess its nature as a legitimate organization or as a cult.

Milieu Control 

• This includes complete control and discretion over what a member of a cult may see, hear, write, or experience in order to exclude any information that may create conflicts within the individual or the group.
• Methods of accomplishing this include group process, isolation form all outsiders, psychological and emotional pressure, physical distancing, unavailability of outside contact, and even physical coercion.
• One is gradually encompassed into acceptance of these methods by attending a series of event such as seminars, lectures, group meetings and meals, and group activities which become increasingly intense and isolated.
• The group also creates a sense of antagonism and competition with the outside world that results in an "us against them" mentality.

Mystical Manipulation

• Within these group activities, the leaders promote specific responses, both emotional and physical, that create a pattern of emotions that seem to have risen spontaneously but in actuality have been coaxed and orchestrated.
• Group leaders claim to have been instruments specifically chosen by God to do His work on earth and carry out some sort of spiritual mission in His name and under His power.
• The principles and tenets set forth by the leader from his or her supernatural conversations soon become exclusive beliefs of the group and are structured so as to be the "truth" or the only true message from God and the sole means of salvation and redemption.
• The leader who preaches these tenets has acquired an aura of being a physical manifestation of supernatural power and mystique and is perceived as an entity that is more real and attainable and therefore more attractive to cult members.
• Methods and techniques of recruitment legitimize the use of deception and trickery in order to recruit new members and raise funds in the name of God against the resistance of the outside world.

The Demand for Purity

• Once in the group, the world becomes divided into the pure (the group) vs. the impure (outsiders) which can also be seen as good vs. evil and us vs. them in which the group is absolutely correct and the outside world is absolutely wrong.
• The individual must continually change and conform to the norm inside the group while shedding the norms of popular society.
• The members of the group use guilt and shame in order to control and manipulate individuals and create the impression that the ideas and beliefs of the group are absolute and correct.
• This separation of pure and impure is a absolute tenet both in the environment and the individual as created by the guilt and shame of having or even considering other, unregulated beliefs.
• This same guilt is used to coerce individuals into confessing any non-conformity that may occur in physical action and especially in mental and psychological processes.

Confession

• Confession within a cult is carried beyond its normal religious and therapeutic purposes and soon becomes a technique by which an individual becomes brainwashed.
• Sessions in which a member confesses to his or her sins are coupled with exercises in criticism and self-criticism that focus responsibility on the individual, blame on society, and forgiveness within the group's belief system.
• This constitutes an act of symbolic self-surrender to the group.
• It is common for confessors to admit to pre-cult sins in order to appease the wishes of the group members and to belong but still hold on to other secrets or doubts they may have.

Sacred Science

• These groups maintain an aura of respect and sacredness around its doctrines that set it apart from other belief systems as special and uniquely correct by which it achieves the distinction as the ultimate moral vision for human existence.
• The questioning, criticizing, or doubting of any of these tenets is prohibited and punished.
• Extreme reverence is demanded for the ideology, those who originated the doctrines, and the present keepers of the doctrines.
• This sacredness is often very attractive because it tends to simplify the world and answer a particular set of questions an individual might have about religious doctrines in society and their truth.

Loading the Language

• The language of the doctrines and of everyday interaction is characterized by thought-terminating words and phrases that emphasize the sacredness of the doctrines and their ultimate truth.
• The language focuses on in-group jargon and repetition of these phrases.
• Words are often given new meaning that the outside world does not understand and will not use by which a unique language is created.

Doctrine Over Person

• Every issue in a person's life is reduced to a single set of principles expressed within the doctrine of the group that must be adhered to and are seen as the ultimate solution to all problems.
• If an individual questions or doubts these principles they are criticized and made to feel something is inherently wrong with them - any questions are turned around rather than being answered directly.
• The main underlying assumption is in that the sacredness of the doctrines make it ultimately more valid and truthful than any human behavioral experience can possibly be.
• The experience of contradiction is automatically and inherently associated with guilt and wrongdoing.
• The individual is conditioned to feel any doubts are a reflection of one's own evil thoughts and lack of faith.

Dispensing of Experience

• Due to the group's notion of their doctrines as absolutely correct and true, those who are not in the group are considered evil, their thoughts and actions are evil, and they do not have the right to exist.
• Anyone outside the group can immediately attain a right to exist by joining the group.
• Anyone who attempts to leave the group is, in essence, leaving God Himself, and deserves to be punished.
• The group members are God's elite, chosen ones while those who do not believe are considered evil and cannot be saved.