How to get into a sect: 9 tips to avoid it

It is difficult to define a sect; experts themselves argue on this point. In general, a sect is a separate religious group of people with teachings and practices that differ from the main existing world faiths. Despite different approaches, among researchers of this issue (and the topic is studied by sociologists, religious scholars, historians, cultural experts, etc.) one can identify key characteristics characteristic of most sects.

1. Marketing . Sectarians try to attract as many adherents as possible, so sect members are usually actively involved in promoting their teachings. You should be alert to annoying calls, letters and messages with offers to attend a free seminar on spiritual growth or awakening. Charity concerts, festivals for children, and psychological trainings also often hide pseudo-religious movements.

2. Hierarchy and double doctrine . Typically, sect initiators disguise their teachings as generally accepted values. The whole truth about the true ideals of sectarians is never told to newcomers. Often, to become “initiated” in the affairs of a community, one must occupy a high place in the hierarchy. Hierarchy is one of the main properties of building a religious sect. Such a device allows you to keep the entire organization under strict control, as well as encourage participants to be active in order to get to the next level.

3. Contributions . Most sects exist at the expense of their adherents. At some certain stage, contributions, donations and contributions to the common cause begin to be demanded from the sect member. Sometimes sects inform from the very beginning about the fees for their seminars and trainings, but often the newcomer learns that he will have to pay after “initiation” into their ranks. In order to dispose of the funds and property of their followers, sectarians can use various methods of suppressing consciousness, hypnosis and psychological pressure, even threatening life and health.

4 . The Infallible Leader . Sectarian teachings usually claim to be unique and indisputable. Moreover, the movement has a leader, from whose biography only those individual facts are known that confirm his “sacredness.” All knowledge that comes to the “supreme teacher” is usually obtained in a supernatural way - through communication with spirits, nature or alien intelligence. His level of "enlightenment" is unattainable for his followers, and his orders are not discussed. This is a kind of “dictator”, and subordination to him through the hierarchical levels is totalitarian in nature. Even if at the initial stages it seems to newcomers that participation is voluntary and democratic, in fact, everything in the structure is strictly regulated.

A sect is a teaching that is parasitic on another religion

Be careful, scammers do not care about your feelings
. A sect is not exactly what they think about it. Many believe that the sect is Buddhists, Catholics, Hare Krishnas, Satanists... The list can be continued with any random mystical and religious directions. And that would be a mistake.

Theologians have long separated the concepts of “sect” and “religion.” A sect is a religious group parasitic on another teaching. It is rejected by mainstream tradition.

Sergei Bulgakov in his “Handbook of Heresies, Sects and Schisms” reports:

“There is no sharp boundary between the concepts of “sect” and “religion.”

The history of the struggle of various religious movements knows many examples,

when sects sought recognition of their right to be called Churches,

or religions.

Even in official documents belonging to the same historical era,

one and the same community could be called a sect,

and the Church, depending on the government’s attitude towards it.”

Sergei Bulgakov

writer

Any sect can potentially become a religion if it is recognized at the state level. Because of this, the list of sects differs in different countries.

Sects can be Muslim, Christian, or any other.

It is correct to say that a sect is not something that is not Orthodox, but something that has a conflict with a major religious tradition, something like a cancerous tumor within it:

“A sect is considered to be an organized society of people

whose views are consistent with each other

and oppose the dominant Church.

This word is usually used

in relation to a group of persons,

following a certain teaching."

Sergei Bulgakov

writer

Therefore, we do not have the right to indiscriminately register everyone as sectarians. Buddhism is a faith, and therefore not a sect.

The Hare Krishnas chanting “Hare Krishna” on the streets are also representatives of the old Indian tradition - Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Even the Church of Satan, despite its shocking name, is a cultural phenomenon, but not a sect.

A sect is a breeding ground for heretical ideas, without its own historical and cultural foundation. She cannot create something of her own, but is a parasite among someone else's flock.

An example of a sect is Jehovah's Witnesses. They appeared in the bosom of Christian doctrine, distorted several dogmas and proclaimed themselves preachers of absolute truth.

A sect is not someone else’s creed, but its own, but distorted one.

A fair question is whether Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism are distortions of original Christianity.

No. Here we are not talking about the detachment of a religious group, but the split of the entire tradition.

It is also important to remember that most faiths arise on the basis of old religions, which means they go through the stage of a sect. Early Christianity is also a sect in relation to Judaism.

But this sect transformed into a full-fledged creed with its own dogmas, traditions, and canons. And sectarians like Jehovah's Witnesses continue to exploit other people's teachings.

“The time has come to give God’s things to God”

Immediately after meeting with Natalya and Vadim, Viktor Druzich stopped eating beef and increasingly met new acquaintances from the Tula region. And they gradually and somehow unobtrusively inspired Victor that his path on earth was to create a shelter for cows. Allegedly, this path was destined for Victor by God himself (Krishna’s name was not mentioned), and it was God who sent him both eloquence in conversations with potential clients and good luck in other matters. “The time has come to give God’s things to God,” they once said to Druzhich.

At this time our second child was born. We received maternity capital and took out a mortgage on an apartment in a new building. We began to arrange things, but suddenly there were a lot of “mother cows” in our lives. Victor began to spend more and more time in the Tula region and give more and more money to this shelter. “Grandfather there speaks to me through the cows,” he explained.

Evgenia Druzich

In 2022, Evgenia and Victor had a third child, a daughter, but the successful businessman brought home less and less money: the shelter needed hay, and the house of the “mother cow” needed repairs. Even though Druzic's income increased significantly during the pandemic, his family received almost nothing.

But in their apartment in Moscow and in Victor’s office, a new friend, Vadim, began to constantly appear - the same cow lover from the Tula region

In fact, he became the entrepreneur’s confidant, but constantly said that the main thing in this life is not family and children, but cows, which have suffered so much from people, but still remain kind and faithful.

Life of adherents of the Goshala Aditi sect, which Viktor Druzich fell into

Photo: @aditigo108

In December 2022, the cow shelter urgently needed a new car, Vadim informed Victor about this and asked him to buy a car, because Druzhich’s path on earth was to help cows and no one else. Soon a bill for a million rubles arrived from the sectarians, and then Evgenia, who alone and with almost no money was supporting the whole family, flared up.

Then Victor Druzich simply kicked her out of the house with two sons and a daughter who was barely a year old. This happened on December 21, 2020.

People end up in sects out of stupidity, as well as because of emotional and life problems.

One of the main reasons why people end up in sects is because they play on their weaknesses. Let's talk about them in more detail.

Weakness 1. Poor erudition and lack of critical thinking

It is quite difficult to drag a person savvy in religion, philosophy, or even esotericism into a sect.

3 weaknesses

at least that much, leads people to sects

A well-read erudite in spiritual matters will have no problem smashing any arguments of sectarians to smithereens.

On the Internet you can find many funny stories about how sectarians literally ran away from the apartments of erudite people, where they decided to go preach.

But it’s a completely different matter - uneducated people brought up in empty unbelief. They are never interested in anything beyond the ordinary.

Therefore, any amazing fact, worn out to holes in spiritual literature, sounds fresh to them.

“Have you heard of reincarnation?”, “Did you know that archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a five-meter man?” These random facts, when skillfully juggled, illustrate any idea.

Book by Michael Baigent “Forbidden Archaeology” Buy on OZON.ru

An excellent example of how good research can become a weapon in the hands of cultists is Michael Baigent's book Forbidden Archaeology.

It was written in protest of the inertia of historical science and talks about archaeological finds that destroy the generally accepted historical picture.

However, Jehovah's Witnesses use the film based on this book in sermons to impress the audience.

Other facts are also used, gleaned from various sources: proper nutrition, psychology, working with bioenergy, etc. There is no depth to this.

But there is only a superficial collage of other people’s ideas, with the expectation that the public will not dig deeper. Often, the “information” of sects turns out to be outdated or simply false.

Weakness 2. Loneliness and emotional depression

Not every potential sectarian is looking for a religious tradition. His sectarian path begins with deep disappointment in life, people, and himself.

Any good psychologist will list a lot of factors that people have a hard time experiencing. The rhythm of life, the difficulties of socialization, competition in all areas.

Alienation of an individual from society is a great pain for such a social creature as a person.

Who hasn't had misunderstandings in the family, problems at work, etc.? Friends and classmates disappear after school, neighbors disappear after they move. Almost any person has reason to call himself lonely and misunderstood.

Whether he realizes it or not, the urgent need for an island of stability cannot be avoided.

Meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is not a religious event for all sectarians; many are here for the sake of “friends” and “spiritual family”

And sects provide such an island. Responsive people, interest in a person, a desire to envelop him with attention. Members of the sect act as a “big family.”

Many people go there to escape the hardships of the world. Who makes up the flock of these same Jehovah's Witnesses?

Lonely grandmothers, insecure young people and children whose psyches were broken by fanatical parents.

Do elderly pensioners think about the nuances of Holy Scripture and eternal truths at meetings? Of course not. They come to the “family”, to “friends”, to chat.

This could even be called useful, if not for one “but”: friends and family need to be made in real life, and not replaced with a sectarian surrogate.

Psychological problems should be resolved with a psychotherapist, rather than putting yourself at the mercy of false teachers.

Weakness 3. Life crisis

The nature of such a crisis may vary. For example, if a person suffers from alcoholism and drug addiction, there is a chance that a sect will help him.

Many leaders are strong personalities who can inspire. So they exchange one psychological dependence for another - sectarian.

This is not difficult, because a drug addict and alcoholic is a broken person who is ready for anything. Neglecting religion is nonsense for him, and if he was an atheist, then he will generally do it playfully.

Of course, there is zero faith in such “sectarianism,” but the leadership of such organizations most often does not care.

Grigory Grabovoi, leader of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation sect, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for fraud

It happens that sects simply find a person broken by a difficult event and play on his weaknesses. Let's say a mother's daughter committed suicide.

What does an inconsolable parent want to hear? That everything is fine with the child, he is in a better world, etc.

Can an Orthodox priest assure you of this? No, the Christian tradition is tough and categorical regarding suicide.

But sects are more free in their statements and are able to go beyond Christian dogma. If they want, they may even promise to resurrect the child. For example, the leader of the “Doctrine of Universal Salvation and Harmonious Development” Grigory Grabovoi attributed such abilities to himself.

Hope is a strong magnet; it will hold a teacher, guru, mentor, etc. around for years.

“The sectarians were literally zombified”

On November 25, Anna’s sister called the Investigative Committee’s “Child in Danger” hotline in Yekaterinburg and reported that the body of a murdered boy was buried in the South-Western Forest Park. Investigators quickly got on the trail of Gafurova and her sect: by that time, all the “Disciples of Christ” were already in Ufa, where they were detained on November 29. Both Kuznetsov and Gafurova were taken under arrest as a murderer and his accomplice.

All the sectarians were literally zombified: they refused to answer our questions, saying only “God wills it so.” Everyone had to be treated, and only a few weeks later people, having gotten rid of the obsession, began to talk in detail about what happened

Major of Justice Alexander Pankratiev

Religious experts have admitted that the Disciples of Christ sect created by Gafurova is quasi-Christian and non-religious - that is, it promotes the imminent end of the world and the holiness of the only person on earth - its leader.

Detention of Ivan Kuznetsov

Frame: Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Sverdlovsk Region

Psychiatrists found that Gafurova caused serious harm to the mental health of all participants in this religious association. She was charged with a range of crimes: from accessory to murder to the deliberate destruction of government documents.

But psychological and psychiatric examinations revealed severe mental disorders in Ivan Kuznetsov, Zemfira Gafurova and another woman, the mother of a seven-year-old boy, who was also brutally beaten with rods.

By a court decision, all three were sent for compulsory treatment and released from criminal liability as mentally ill. The eldest son of Ivan Kuznetsov and his now ex-wife Anna live in Vitebsk, with his sister Anna. They have nothing left.

People fall into sects gradually, under the influence of psychological techniques

How do you get into a sect? Easier than it seems. Ordinary sin is a clear act against conscience; it does not occur unnoticed by a person. Sin is a conscious spiritual crime, a transaction with conscience.

But sectarianism is an act of a different nature. It is often dictated by good intentions: to cope with some kind of misfortune, to develop spiritually, etc.

Many people end up in sects following their relatives. They just come to meetings to see how they can join the sect. Often - to make it easier to convince him. And they themselves remain.

The reason is quite simple - sects have a lot of leverage over individuals. We live unprepared for such a confrontation, and therefore we do not know how not to end up in a sect if you are being manipulated. And the sect’s leadership has been polishing its techniques for years.

Techniques of sectarians:

• favoritism - various incentive measures and everything that can play on a person’s selfishness;
• group consciousness - a person follows the majority, and the majority is sometimes not so critical of any information;
• facilitation - the leader acts as one of the group members, he is close to them, which means he receives more trust;
• Seeds are goals that are easy for people to achieve at first. They don't get the taste.

There are many other techniques, depending on the ingenuity of the sect’s leadership. The Internet has revealed an almost limitless arsenal of psychological techniques for influencing groups.

And the main thing is gradualism. No one will dump all the ins and outs of the sect on a new member. They will start with free brochures, or even books, about goodness, love, God and humanity.

They will continue with a small request. And a year later, another - a person works for free for the guru, pays tithes, preaches among those around him who no longer tolerate his company.

The following test will help to distinguish a sect from a confession:

• the confession is recognized by law and has appropriate permission on our territory, the sect is not;
• a confessional church has the sole purpose of organizing service to God , while a sect extends the influence of the leader to its members ;
• sectarians are cut off from society , the leaders cultivate dependence in them, while the church does not force the laity to isolate themselves ;
• The denomination has a system of voluntary donations , and sectarians practice seizure of funds and property . These differences are enough to understand that the threat is real.

Advice: to get a person out of a sect, you need to communicate with feelings, not reason

Are there any tips on how to get a person out of a sect? Yes, the main recommendation is to pay more attention to him.

People come to the sect for a reason, but due to some problems or life circumstances.

It would be wrong to enter into theological disputes with a sectarian.

In a sect, a person is held not by ideas, but by feelings.

The teachings of sects are rarely the main factor that holds a person back. Arguments like: “Scientists have said otherwise” or “Scripture says that...” will not reach the addressee. Whether he believes the scientists and the Bible or not, he joined the sect for a different reason.

So what to do if a person falls into a sect? Find out what he was missing. Was he unable to overcome some kind of crisis, find his place in life, cope with alcohol or drug addiction?

If you help solve this problem, the need for a sect itself will disappear.

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"Your grandfather speaks to you through cows"

...The family of Viktor Druzhich moved to Russia in 1991 from the Kyrgyz city of Osh, when Russians fled the unrest in that country. Then Victor was 12 years old. In Russia, he graduated from school and soon began doing business, and quite successfully - thanks to his natural contacts.

Druzich found himself in the field of online entrepreneurship and made good money, then he became interested in cryptocurrency and increased his fortune even more. In 2009, in a nightclub, Victor met Muscovite Evgenia: they got along from the very first day and got married less than six months later. In 2011, their first son was born, and in 2017, their second.

His grandfather played a huge role in the upbringing of Victor and his brothers, so there was always a very touching attitude towards him. The name of Alexei Ivanovich was always pronounced with reverence, all his relatives loved him, and this was not particularly hidden. Victor always, appropriately and inappropriately, talked about his grandfather

Evgenia Druzich

At the end of 2016, Viktor Druzich ended up in the Tula region on business, where he met what he thought were nice people - Natalya and Vadim. They spent several hours talking in an informal setting, and at the end of the meeting, Victor learned that his interlocutors were social activists and cow defenders.

As it turned out, Natalya and Vadim believed that the cow was the best animal created by God, and it was sacred. Moreover, Druzhich's new acquaintances wanted to create a special shelter for cows in order to protect and cherish them. They also hinted to Victor that cows could become a link between him and his late grandfather.

Your grandfather will speak to you through cows

Natalya and Vadim to Viktor Druzhich

Only many months later, Victor and his family learned that behind the modest name “Cow Shelter” there was a group of followers of Krishna - more precisely, one of the branches of this Hindu religion - Goshala Aditi, whose adherents consider the cow to be the highest being and the incarnation of God on earth.

Materials from adherents of the Goshala Aditi sect, which Viktor Druzich became a member of

Photo: social networks

Prevention of traps

If you fall into a sect, the same logic applies as when putting out a fire: it is easier to prevent a fire than to put it out. How to prevent falling into a sect?

Among these paths, one cannot fail to note the desire to find an easy, clever, bypass path to health, wealth, sexual satisfaction, success or fame. A passion for esotericism and alternative medicine also contributes to joining a sect. The spiritual search, the search for going beyond everyday life, also often leads the seeker into a dangerous cult.

Various supposedly harmless hobbies in “spiritual” practices, the power of thought, the law of attraction, meditation, shamanism, bioenergy, and extrasensory perception should not be encouraged. If you see that a person dear to you is immersed in the search for easy ways, a miracle drug, effective psychotechnologies, expanded consciousness, a wise subconscious, inner harmony, etc., hurry to take fire-fighting measures.

Fortunately, today there is enough material on bookshelves and on the Internet exposing all kinds of charlatans, esoteric dealers and psychological swindlers. The scientific worldview is indeed, in a number of cases, capable of protecting a person from “innocent” esoteric, extrasensory, and occult practices.

It is unlikely that a person who knows what energy and field are from the point of view of modern physics will be carried away by the pseudoscientific concepts of bioenergy and biofields, and a person who is well acquainted with chemistry and pharmacology will be carried away by miraculous drugs.

“The cow shelter needs land.”

Two weeks later, Viktor Druzich checked out of the apartment, the loan for which had still not been repaid, and checked out his wife and children. According to the law, he could not discharge minors onto the street, but for some reason the migration service of the Ostankino district removed the children from registration without a moment’s hesitation.

Life of adherents of the Goshala Aditi sect, which Viktor Druzich fell into

Photo: @aditigo108

After another 14 days, Victor came to the guardianship and trusteeship authorities and wrote a denunciation against his wife: she allegedly violated the rights of the children, since they lived without registration and, in fact, became homeless. After this, Evgenia stopped paying benefits as a mother of many children.

This is all done in order to return the money for the apartment purchased with a mortgage. The fact is that the cow shelter needs a car and a new plot of land, which they have already looked at. And Vadim advises Victor on the steps to implement all these plans

Evgenia Druzich

It turned out to be easy to establish Vadim’s identity, but, alas, this was done after the drama that broke out in the Druzich family. Vadim Kozhaev, a former Belarusian police officer, was found guilty of attempted murder of a fellow villager in 2004 and sentenced to a relatively short term.

Immediately after the verdict, he fled to Russia, from where he wrote a statement to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that he had been slandered because of his religious beliefs as a Hare Krishna.

It is noteworthy that he lost his lawsuit at the ECHR: judges in Strasbourg found no signs of persecution on religious grounds, but found plenty of evidence of an ordinary crime. Kozhaev was extradited from Russia in 2014.

And in 2022 he returned to the Tula region.

Life Spring:

• Lifespring: a sect of personal growth
  - Vitaly Burkin
• Lifespring - a “leap” of money from your pocket and a flourishing life for trainers
  - Mikhail A.
• “Sources of life” or parasites of illusions
  - Evgeny Volkov, Mikhail Vershinin
• The psychiatric aspect of “Lifespring” or recipes as old as time for “new life”
  - Elena Ispolatova
• Conclusion of the Novosibirsk Information and Advisory Center on Sectarianism regarding the Lifespring sect
  - Archpriest Alexander Novopashin
• Young people risk becoming victims of deception and manipulation in “personal growth training”
  - Vera Pechorina
• About the Ufa training center
  - Maria Larionova

“No violations of the law were identified”

Today Viktor Druzich is hiding from his family, partners and the bank: he couldn’t sell the apartment, but he also stopped paying for it. The cow shelter in the Tula region has changed its name, now it is called “Aditi Vedic Farm”. Recent photographs show a new flatbed UAZ - the same car for which Victor kicked out his wife and children.

The investigative department for the Tula region carried out an inspection and reported that no violations of the law had been identified and that there was no need to write anywhere else, because no new checks would be carried out on applications against Viktor Druzhich and Vadim Kozhaev. The Prosecutor General's Office is still conducting its inspection, but for five months now we have no information on it

Evgenia Druzich

Now Evgenia and her children live in a three-room apartment with her father who sheltered her and the family of her older brother (their mother died several years ago). Everyone sleeps in one room, where there is not even room to put a desk for the eldest son, a schoolboy. In fact, there are no living conditions there, and the guardianship authorities are simply obliged by law to remove all three children and send them to an orphanage and an orphanage.

Evgenia Druzich is still being helped by Victor’s former companions: strangers turned out to be more conscientious than their husband and father. But the future of the children is still very vague.

Create and explore

It is useful to switch a person from searching for geopathogenic zones and places of power to art. It is the inability to express one’s emotions from a beautiful landscape or building that leads to the emergence of various “energy” sensations. Fortunately, today there are not only many opportunities to learn how to draw, photograph, write poetry and music, but also many options for sharing the fruits of your creative growth with others.

True, on this path you should be wary of all sorts of charlatans. Some gurus promise to teach you how to draw in three sessions by activating the right hemisphere or awakening hidden creative resources dormant somewhere in the subconscious.

Often a person is drawn to a sect by a passion for China, Japan, India, and Tibet. In this case, it can be very useful to receive an appropriate serious education - historical, linguistic. Yes, quite often the study of the true history of the same Tibet, captured by China, or India, captured by the British, completely dispels the esoteric illusions about the mysterious Mahatmas, capable of killing with one wave.

“Sinton” by Nikolai Kozlov:

• About Nikolai Kozlov
  - The truth of information business
• What is “Synton” by Nikolai Kozlov?
  - Cathedral of blessings. Prince Alexander Nevsky
• Antipsychology
  - Alexey Ivakin
• Unformatted destructive sects
  - Fontanka.Ru
• Cruel games "Sinton
  " - Natalia Dmitrieva
• Training “Flight” - harmful magic under the guise of psychology
  - Boris Volkhonsky
• For me, Nikolai Kozlov is the scolder about whom the Apostle Peter wrote
  (answer to the question) - Maxim Stepanenko
• The militant promoter of sodomy and pedophilia Nikolai Kozlov suffered a crushing defeat in the Basmanny Court of Moscow
  - Center for Holy Martyrs. Irenaeus of Lyon
• Sect studies lessons at Sinton
  - Ksenia Kirillova
• A court decision has been made on the claim of the leader of the Sinton psychocult, Nikolai Kozlov, against Deacon Mikhail Plotnikov
  - Center for Holy Martyrs. Irenaeus of Lyons
• The decision of the Chertanovsky court in the case of Nikolai Kozlov against Deacon Mikhail Plotnikov
  - Center for Holy Martyrs. Irenaeus of Lyons
• I was “blind” in the hands of a “guide”
  - Tatyana Kovyneva
• "Sinton" - a club of destructive psychology, lust and fornication
  - Alexander Kuzmin
• Defenders of Kozlov’s “Sinton” are putting pressure on the whistleblowers of this sect
  - Professor Alexander Dvorkin, Priest Lev Semenov
• A militant sodomite against a clergyman
  - Professor Alexander Dvorkin, Priest Lev Semenov
• Sadomasochism in Sinton, as an example of the perversity of the psyche of its leader Nikolai Kozlov
  - Center for Holy Martyrs. Irenaeus of Lyons
• Saransk sect of “peaceful” perverts
  - Ilya Rakhmanov
• — Ilya Rakhmanov’s website
• What is Synton and Tomology?
  — Irina Vorontsova
• Satanists without panties
  - Andrey Lisovsky
• Expert opinion of the Association for the Protection of Families and Individuals from Negative Information and Psychological Impacts
  on the book by N.I. Kozlova “Philosophical tales for those pondering life, or a cheerful book about freedom and morality”
• Expert opinion of the Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-Traditional Religions No. 46-e dated February 25, 1998
  on the book by Nikolai Kozlov “Philosophical Tales for Those Contemplating Life: A Fun Book about Freedom and Morality”, made at the request of the Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation N.V. Krivelskoy - priest Oleg Stenyaev