Source: http://www.ujno.sk

From the spiritual dependence

A boy was my acquaintance. From one of the days onto the other one changed. Had a haircut, on his head an short sikhá was left over only, had started being to a linen trousers and a shirt. The card battles were canceled, the wining, the bacon frying - instead in ghí baked strawberry, capáti and halavá ate. Dawn from four six Haré Krisna sang, got Bhagavad-gíta share of place simply already though on his bookshelf... One s Krisna joined for all times consciousness...

You are there there is an other familiar woman, who denied his previous life likewise,. A Sunday packed up in the morning, and left his husband and their underage children. Today already only in the dianetics, the intellectual health believes in his modern science. His auditor gets rid of his engrams slowly with his help and becomes clear. That is who lives in a total freedom will be a purified man with boundless memory, with a tall intelligence quotient... The woman the scientology steadfast faithful...

A granddad did not take note of his family long since they did not go away with him into Jehovah's Witnesses congregation. Since then his children and scratches along without his grandchildren in this the (Christ's throne him being left and the one between doomsday being imminent) in an age -  and this already the end of the times is left in this manner. His children and his grandchildren do not escape then from this annihilating battle, they may not make a step then in into the "new world", where he is a thousand year will rule over Christ's side...

The christian teaching (or rather the historical churches) they are not already with an effect like that onto the people, than we say it with a hundred years before - because themselves are in a crisis. The man, who looks for spiritual handhold,, somebody else turns into a direction many times because of this. We are audible increasingly more frequently from new churches, from sects, from aged ones and from young persons who are converted. Who tells which one are the right way, from what a religious tendency will be sect?

Miroslav Lojda psychologist the State's and Churches' Relation his institute's colleague. His speciality the spiritual manipulation: gives advice the sects' victims, and the victims' relatives for him.

- What let us understand under sect? Would define it punctual, from what kind of religious groups there is a word?

- Sect all organisms with a so totalitarian character, which are the psychic manipulations, make use of it in the course of the membership recruitment concerning the devices of the violent persuasion. The devices of the manipulation onto a first appearance they may appear harmless (music, dance, song), but the abuse is made possible. The sects not merely religious groupings, may be therapeutic, political, their business interests, a some kind of ideology may be adored, a leader or the money.

- How it is possible to get into a sect?

- More of the manners of the recruiting are known. The victim may be addressed directly on the street: they talk with him, book, newspaper is sent in his hand. Onto meditation invite on leaflets on which it is possible to read things like that, that is "Dissatisfied with his life? He has troubles on his workplace, in his privacy? Would like to make changes in his life? - let him come then between us." On the meetings pleasant the atmosphere, the music sounds, there are interesting people on a sign. It is related on his end that this was only an introductory lecture for the wide publicity. They give phone number then where the interested ones may receive further informations. The circle is limited to one, newer lectures, meetings they come next - commonplace, but into a sect may not be to enter. The man does not take it to reason, and already neck is in him.

- We with what they have influence on the victim?

- On the music, on the song, much are manipulated with the time apart from the dance. Little time is left for the sleep: 4-5 clocks, they make their members, who get tired in mind, body and soul, make physical work. They do not have time in this manner, their strength to reflect on it: where I go, where I am heading? It is allowed to read the books given out by the organism to the members simply and newspapers. The members of some organisms live in a community ended strictly where the television is prohibited, the radio, the Internet, in brief all kinds of contact with the external world, yet the correspondence. The members are due evenly mostly, each other are checked in this manner. Prohibited to give a thought to anything else, prohibited to deal with anything else, than that the rules you are the religious leader prescribes - prohibited the criticism. The victim is torn away from the external world, who is vague otherwise, conscious, looks for a crutch to the existence: it is made to believe that the outside world is bad with him, immoral, false, and the person who gives up the sect is damned.

- Who turns into victim? A group like this may suck anybody?

- Everybody may turn into victim, who is spiritual,, you are spiritual in an emotional crisis is, was disappointed in his priest, in his church, or is looking something, which gives a hope, for just for him. Those on the workplace of who they have problems are in increased danger in their family, in their marriage. Anybody may get into a crisis situation - and these associations offer a solution on all of them bodily and onto spiritual trouble.

- We may realize that we loved on his basis a sect's harmful influence got under it? Which ones the warning signs?

- Certain groupings suggest the alteration of the lifestyle first. Much sect requests alike clothes and a hair-do of his members: this expresses the cohesion, the otherness, the selectness strengthens his faith. It is advised for the members, let them devote all of their strength and their time not to waste themselves on secular things in favour of the company rather, or that let their old contacts be broken. It is made to believe that they are their family members with them the responsible ones on all of them bodily and for their spiritual trouble. There is some kind of dependence legally quasi if the parents see that their child's lifestyle changes suddenly. Dependence from a drug, from drug - or from an idea.

- What may the family members make at this time? How let them behave, what make?

- It is allowed to leave the child alone in no way, to make reproaches for him - this most serious mistake, we may make a mistake,. Much it is necessary to talk with him, that let him feel it: onto our important number. Let us rehearse meanwhile at what to get more information from the sect which he joined. This not heavy, because the victim speaks with pleasure on his front: would like to divide the elementary experience, which it had. He is important for the family members not to remain aloof. Let an advisory centre be looked up if the situation is seen as dead-end one: let specialists be asking it, psychiatrists' and psychologists' help.

- It is not possible to quit if we say that it is not possible to enter a sect neither from him?

- The plainest, if the man leaves them voluntary. This is an easy matter if he did not pledge himself to them yet totally. Later but already very heavy. The worst, what may happen to the victim: if they exclude it. A sect member shows similar symptoms, than the drug addict. To be a sect member reports dependence just like that, only just the sect membership somebody else character: psychic, spiritual dependence. If the victim is deprived of the "drug", that is it is disinherited possibly if they forbid it from the company, collapses nervewise. Believes it since, that there is not truth apart from the sect, the outside world bad - and from one of the days onto the other one loses everything, in which he believed, and yet always believes. Unfortunately, they were cases that the sect excluded a member - who found whose way into a dead-end situation onto so much hereby, that it found escape in suicide. By that time was left alone since he eliminated all of his old contacts.

- What the specialist may make?

- A third way, which we call secession counsel, exists. The method started being applied in the octogenarian years in USA. He visits us in children shoes simply yet. His essence, that the family members invite a specialist home, who tests it, to convince the victim. We talk about secession counsel hidden if he gives himself out to the family's friend. Opened if the specialist thinks that he may uncover himself from counsel. Valid, that the pendant for a man - let it be a drug addict you are a sect pendant - it is necessary to provide it something substitute. We may refer to his work here, onto his family, the adviser tries to resuscitate the past in the victim, old bonds, emotions. Complicated, lengthy and hard work this!

- Why it is not possible to limit their function if these sects are dangerous for this much?

- The democratic countries' constitutions vouch for the free religious practice - the limitation so would be the violation of the fundamental human rights. The desperate parents tried to save their child in that manner initially in America, that it was locked up in the room forcible, or it was taken onto some kind of distant place. They were punished finally, a major citizen was restricted in his freedom of movement because he is human in his rights. With the question but on emphasized one deal, it is distributed already for example in the union countries, in a what kind of proportion ground for divorce the spouse's religious fanaticism. We are not yet here. The was eastern in the countries of a block decades the churches were oppressed, it is necessary to treat the question sensitive because of this. But we may read that these groupings are being watched black and white there if we look at the website of the Slovak information service for example, mainly the scientologist and the munists.

-  I say thank you for the talk!

Emese Bernád