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Say the word "cult" and what comes to mind? Perhaps you see a hooded procession of Druids carrying candles beneath a full moon or you hear Ozzy Osbourne belting out tales of Aleister Crowley. Or maybe your CNN-tuned brain recalls images of white T-shirt- and jean-clad brainwashees silent in a suicide slumber. On the other hand, you may picture strange goings-on in the woods--stick-figure sculptures, small piles of white rocks, and the elusive search for an abandoned cemetery--like in "The Blair Witch Project."

Of course, you wouldn't be wrong. The activities of pagans, Satanists, suicide-pact groups, and witches are often considered cultic. But according to the study Residence Halls and  

cults

 : Fact or Fiction? the majority of cult-like group activity on College campuses is not like these stereotypical images of evil and mass chaos.

In fact, 414 recently polled chief college housing officers across the United States claimed that 74 percent of what they deemed cult-like on campus was religious in nature. Surprisingly, they only attributed 19 percent of cult-like campus behavior to Satanists (12 percent) and pagans (7 percent).

Regardless of affiliation, however, these statistics demonstrate a growing need to be aware of cults and cult-like groups on campus. So much so, in fact, that most Colleges and Universities include warning literature in their freshman orientation manuals. Here's what you should know.

Dangers abound
Russel Elleven, Ph.D., who coauthored the article that contained this shocking poll, finds that a number of "dangerous groups" exist on college campuses of all kinds. The groups all share common characteristics--a close allegiance with a charismatic leader, a terrific desire to attain Money, and the use of behavior modification and brainwashing to keep members.

"[Dangerous] groups will cut ties with one's community, one's peer group, and one's family and friends," he says. "This is especially true in college, when the demands of the group can interfere with course work and students start to get failing grades." Be forewarned, says Elleven. "First-year students are targets for cults."

Tal Brooke, founder of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, an organization that aims to confront the occult, cults, and the New Age movement, claims cults feed their ranks with those who have misguided ideals and are looking for instant answers. "People are looking for quick, easy pleasure," says Brooke. "Then it's like a Mafia Don. Once you're immersed in evil, you can't enjoy it."

Paradise lost
Although the dangers associated with cult activity are vast, the fervor with which cultism on campus is being combated can itself become dangerous.

In Maryland, for example, the legislature recently created the "Task Force on New Religions in Senior Higher Education" to specifically police collegiate cult activity. It is strange to note that the resolution that formed the Task Force, however, does not define the term "cult," although that is what it is designed to study.

One article, appearing in the Religious Freedom Report, quoted an unnamed student at the University of Maryland (UM) who feared his rights might be trampled: "All freshmen [here] have to fill out a questionnaire in which they are asked about their religious preference. Will some of us who provided this information now be placed on a 'blacklist?' Is this Task Force going to tell us which religions are OK and which ones are 'cults'?"

Paradise regained?
Opponents of the Task Force cite Article 18 of the United Nations' Charter, which aims to protect new or small religions particularly. They call the Task Force unconstitutional.

Their reasoning can be traced back in history. Remember civics class? The framers of the Constitution thought protecting each others' beliefs was so important, they didn't just tack it onto the back of the Bill of Rights; they slid that bad boy right up front in the First Amendment.

James Pellechia, a spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses--one of the groups discussed in Elleven's study--has been watching the events in Maryland unfold with apprehension.

"We believe this is an ominous precedent. The United States is catching 'sect-ophobia' from parts of Europe," he says, referring to those governments overseas that label Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholic charismatic groups, and even the YWCA as dangerous. "In regard to the U.S. Constitution, this is not permissible."

The Constitution has come into play on more than one occasion in recent scenarios where cult-caution has turned into what many consider an infringement of rights.

The principal of Lincoln Park High School in Michigan, for instance, so feared Satanic cults, he banned pentagrams and pagans from school. He then testified in court to inadvertently trampling on that religious landmine, the First Amendment. A 17-year-old senior said the pentagram is a symbol of her faith--she is a Wiccan.

Losing my religion
Although the specifics surrounding cults are complex and controversial, the fact remains that there are groups out there that continue to prey on students.

According to Elleven, anyone can become vulnerable to a cult recruiter. "There is no typical student type," he says. "Vulnerability cuts across race and economic factors. It comes at a point when there's a major transition, like going from home to college, [when] there's a void where something used to be."

Likewise, says John Weldon, Ph.D., author of scores of books, including "Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions" (with John Ackerberg, Harvest House, 1999), everyone is a potential victim. "It's not an individual's vulnerability, but a recruiter's skill."

So, what is the attraction for students to join a cult?

Like so many of the people who work at the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, Brooke can speak from personal experience. He joined Sai Baba's group in India back in 1969.

"Did I come from a strong, stable background? Yes in some ways, no in others," says Brooke. "I was looking for a profound truth."

Clues to cult chaos
If you should encounter a group at college that seems to have a ready supply of absolute answers, warns Elleven, consider that a heads-up. "When a group can answer all of your questions," he says, "when there's no ambiguity and it seems too good to be true, it usually is."

In fact, say the experts, the signs of cult involvement are often easy to spot.

As stated in the Maryland resolution, "college students who become involved with cults undergo personality changes, suffer academically and financially, are alienated from their families and friends, and are robbed of the very things universities were designed to encourage."

What's out there
The poll in Elleven's article prompted mention of a number of groups that housing officials dubbed "dangerous." Among those mentioned were organizations such as Jehovah's Witnesses and those involved with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And, according to Weldon, it is sometimes difficult to label groups in such a manner--especially mainstream religious faiths and pagan religions with a long practicing history.

"Pagan religions have a lengthy history so they're not cults in that sense, but they practice an amoral power," he explains.

It is such 'power' that tends to concern the uninitiated.

"Housing officers were asked to name groups they thought might be dangerous and we did not provide suggestions," explains Elleven of the study. He adds that the religions mentioned as dangerous or cult-like "could have been due to personal bias."

Black church, white magik
What about Satanists and pagans?

According to Elleven's study, they accounted for 19 percent of the groups mentioned. That means one in five dangerous groups you may run into in class will be Satanic or pagan.

It's useful to note that there are numerous differences between Satanists and pagans, explains Patricia Vitale, Rocky Point, NY, who practices magic and calls herself a Christian pagan.

The first, easy-to-spot difference can be distinguished by their pentagram symbol, says Vitale. In the Satanic version, the five-pointed star points down, making it look like it's got two "horns" on top. In the Wiccan version, only one point is on top.

"It points to the higher self," she says.

So, before you run screaming down the hall to your resident assistant--terrified that your new roommate is down with the devil--make sure you know which way she hangs her five-pointed star.

Signs & omens of cult involvement
Spiritual Dictatorship: The leader of the group claims to be 'da bomb,' with unique access to the truth.
Us vs. Them: The notion of 'superiority because of membership' is a common feeling encouraged by cult leaders.
"Your Family Is the Devil": "Your family will be described as the devil if they try to get you to leave," says Weldon. In other words, if the group claims to have divine knowledge and absolute truth, anyone who tries to take you from them, they claim, must be working for the devil.
Economic Bondage: Whenever a group is preoccupied with making money, it is suspect. This is especially true when it asks for large sums from your personal stash.
Fluctuation in Dogma: When, as Brooke says, "what may look like eternal truth one year, ain't that in three years," be suspicious.
Bondage to Regimen: A common brainwashing technique is to deny necessary bodily functions (like sleep) or dietary needs in homage to enlightenment. "Poor diet and little sleep reduce our mental faculties," says Brooke.

For more information, hit the Spiritual Counterfeits Project's Web site at www.scp-inc.org.

"What am I getting into?"
How can you know if you're being recruited?

"You won't know for sure until you join and then try to leave," warns Weldon.

Brooke agrees. "It's not easy to get out of some groups." He cites voodoo cults, Satanists, and some militia organizations as examples.

What to watch out for:
- "Make sure you have freedom to come and go," says Pellechia.
- Beware of 'love bombing.' "[Some groups will often] bombard you with compliments and literature," explains Elleven.
- Before you join any kind of group, find out as much as you can about them. "Check out the group thoroughly before any meeting," says Elleven. "Know the name of the organization and find out the name of the leader. Determine whether or not the group does what it purports to do."

Be a guardian angel
If a friend is involved in a cult, says Elleven, he or she usually won't stay a friend. "In your opposition to the group, they'll often feel you oppose them."

If you're concerned about someone close to you, says Elleven, get in touch with someone at the dean's office or university ministries, and be ready with specific examples of your friend's changes.

"Behavioral and attitudinal changes can be convincing," he says. "For example, if your friend was once accepting but now they're narrow and argumentative, bring that up."

If you are personally involved in a questionable group, Elleven offers some additional advice: "Contact the chaplain's office or university ministries. Campus administrators should be able to help."

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