NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Rick Ross

Rick Alan Ross (born November 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a private consultant and lecturer in the area of so-called cults, who maintains a website with an extensive listing of articles about allegedly destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, and related "research" about mind control theories. He also publishes the |Cultnews.com blog. He describes himself as a "cult intervention specialist", a term he coined to describe his way of doing exit counseling. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: The Forest City Motto: Progress and Prosperity Official website: www. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 34th 116,096 kmÂ² 355 km 355 km 8. ... Exit counseling, also termed strategic intervention therapy, cult intervention or thought reform consultation is an intervention designed to persuade an individual to leave a cult. ...

He has been referred to in the media as a "cult deprogrammer" (Ortega, 1996), a "veteran cult watcher" (Padgett, 2003), a "self-styled cult buster" (Grove, 2004), as an "internationally known expert regarding destructive cults" (Bond, 2005), and as a "cult expert" (Cohen, 2005), and has been interviewed and quoted in the media in the United States and other countries in relation to his interest in cults. Deprogramming is the highly controversial practice in which a persons relatives and/or others use coercive means to get him or her to leave a religious or similar group which they regard as spurious (i. ...

He is sharpely criticized by most of the groups he lists on his website as well as by most academic scholars that study new religious movements. A new religious movement or NRM appears as a religious, ethical or spiritual grouping that has not (yet) become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or body, especially when it has a novel belief system and when it is not a sect. ...

Life

Rick Ross was born to a Jewish family in November of 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio. His family later moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956, where he grew up and attended school. Ross' formal education extended through high school, which he completed in 1971. Jews (Hebrew: ×™×”×•×“×™×, Yehudim) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and converts who joined their religion. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 34th 116,096 kmÂ² 355 km 355 km 8. ... Nickname: Valley of the Sun Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) None Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 6th 113,998 sq mi 295,254 kmÂ² 310 miles 500 km 400 miles 645 km 0. ... High school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

He was arrested for two non-violent crimes committed in 1974 and 1975. On April 2, 1976, Ross was found guilty of conspiracy, 2nd degree, to commit grand theft, a felony, and was sentenced to four years probation and a fine of $1,100. Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court vacated judgment and restored Ross' civil rights in 1983. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Location in the state of Arizona Formed February 14, 1871 Seat Phoenix Area - Total - Water 23,891 kmÂ² (9,224 miÂ²) 55 kmÂ² (21 miÂ²) 0. ... In law, and more specifically, in the Anglo-American common law legal tradition, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over all, or major, civil and criminal cases. ... Upon appeal, a court judgment can be upheld, vacated, or reversed. ...

Ross became concerned about controversial religious groups in 1982, when a group that targets Jews for conversion infiltrated the Jewish nursing home in Arizona where his grandmother was a resident. Working with the director of the facility and the local Jewish community, Ross managed to stop their involvement. This led to work with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and an appointment to two national committees by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), one which focused on cults and another concerned with interreligious affairs. The Union for Reform Judaism, formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UHAC), is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. ...

During the 1980s Ross also represented the Jewish community on the Religious Advisory Committee to the Arizona Department of Corrections and was later elected its chairman. He also served as the chairman of the International Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs sponsored by B'nai Brith in Washington D.C. Ross' work within the prison system included inmate religious rights and educational efforts regarding hate groups. Ross was also a member of the professional staff of Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS) and the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arizona Department of Corrections is in charge of the incarceration of tens of thousands of inmates in Arizona. ... Bnai Brith Membership Certificate, 1876. ...

In 1982 Ross contributed to a brochure titled What in God's Name is going on in Arizona published by the Jewish Federation and endorsed by many Christian leaders, addressing the concerns about proselytizing efforts that target Jews.

In 1986 Ross left JFCS and the BJE to become a full-time private consultant and lecturer. In the following years he was involved in involuntary deprogramming cases, at the request of the families of cult members. Deprogramming refers to actions to force a person to abandon allegiance to a religious group. ...

Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults (he claims to have conducted dozens of such interventions), preferring instead voluntary "exit counseling" without the use of force or restraint. He states that the reasons for abandoning such practices are related to the exhorbitant legal fees needed in defending his practice against legal challenges by controversial groups that oppose him. He claims these challenges exist because they have recognized the effectiveness of deprogramming in extricating people from cults. He states that although the process has been refined over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming are based on the same principles. (Ross, Deprogramming, 1) Exit counseling, also termed strategic intervention therapy, cult intervention or thought reform consultation is an intervention designed to persuade an individual to leave a cult. ...

Ross later wrote an 11-page paper in 1995 titled The Missionary Threat addressing Jewish concerns about fundamentalist Christian groups that target Jews specifically in missionary efforts:

As of 2005, the FAQ of his website states that the average intervention costs are about $5,000.00 at the basis of a fee of $75.00 per hour excluding travel expenses. These costs are comparable to the typical costs for exit counseling given by David Clark in Recovery from Cults ($500.00 to $1000.00 per day). According to Ortega, he never has earned more than $31,000 from deprogramming in a single year, and he rarely makes more than $20,000 (Ortega, 1995) David Clark, Baron Clark of Windermere, PC, is a United Kingdom politician, for the Labour Party. ... Cover of the Book Recovery from Cults is a book edited by Michael Langone, published by the American Family Foundation, an anti-cult organization, and is premised upon the mind control model of NRM membership. ...

Ross' resume lists lectures at Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College, Baylor University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University and Arizona State University. He has been a paid consultant for the television networks CBS, CBC and Nippon of Japan and retained as a technical consultant by Miramax/Disney for the Jane Campion film Holy Smoke. He has been qualified and accepted as an expert witness in eight states and has been deposed and/or submitted affidavits as an expert in an additional five states. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the largest institution for higher education in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ... The University of Pennsylvania (Penn is the moniker used by the university itself ) is a private, nonsectarian research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Dickinson College is a private liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. ... Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated university located in Waco, Texas. ... The University of Chicago is a private university principally located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1890 and opened in 1892. ... Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Arizona State University (ASU) is currently (as of Fall 2005) the largest university, in terms of student enrollment, in the United States, with a main-campus student body of 51,612. ... CBS (an acronym for Columbia Broadcasting System, the former legal name of the network) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Cipher-block chaining ... The true name of Japan as said in Japanese ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Jane Campion (born April 30, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a film director. ... Holy Smoke! is a 1999 Australian film directed by Jane Campion. ... An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, or profession, or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion. ...

In 1996, Ross started a website which is widely cited as a resource for information about controversial groups and movements. The website's FAQ takes care to discern between cults and destructive cults (Ross, Defining a cult, 6). A disclaimer linked from all articles on the site states that being mentioned on the site does not define a group as a cult or an individual as destructive or harmful, and that "all the information archived must be evaluated critically, through a process of independent and individual judgment." (Ross, Disclaimer, 3) This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Ross moved to New Jersey in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely accomplished through its website. In IRS EZ-990 form of 2002, its income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS. (IRS EZ-990) Official language(s) None defined, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 47th 22,608 kmÂ² 110 km 240 km 14. ... IRS is short for U.S. Internal Revenue Service short for Indian Revenue Service short for Independent rear suspension, used in automobiles. ...

Ross' role in the Jason Scott case

In 1990, Ross and associates kidnapped Jason Scott, then an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International. Scott's mother, Katherine Tonkin, had been a member of the church, but had left due to concerns about the means the church used to keep members in line, their focus on material donations to the church, and a relationship between an elder church member and one of her two minor sons, Jason's younger brothers. After leaving the church herself, and on the suggestion of Shirley Landa, a part-time volunteer for the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), whom she had called, Tonkin asked Ross to assist her in the deprogramming of her two minor sons. After speaking with Ross, the two minors chose to leave the church. Jason Scott is a former member of a controversial religious group whose lawsuits over his attempted deprogramming bankrupted the anti-cult activist Rick Ross and led to the bankruptcy of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), at that time one of the worlds largest cult-monitoring organizations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cult Awareness Network - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Deprogramming refers to actions to force a person to abandon allegiance to a religious group. ...

In 1991, Tonkin asked Ross to provide a similar intervention for her son, Jason which was unsuccessful. Criminal charges were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment during the deprogramming. The charges filed were dropped, but re-filed again two years later. The trial ended in acquittal for Ross in 1994. In criminal law, an acquittal is the legal result of a verdict of not guilty, or some similar end of the proceeding that terminates it with prejudice without a verdict of guilty being entered against the accused. ...

In 1995, a civil suit was filed by Kendrick Moxon, long-time member and counsel for the Church of Scientology representing Jason Scott. The jury in the second trial held Ross liable for conspiracy to deprive Scott of his civil rights of freedom of religion. The suit ended with Ross and the Cult Awareness Network being ordered to pay judgments: The jury awarded Jason Scott $875,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages in the amount of $1,000,000 against CAN, $2,500,000 against deprogrammer Rick Ross, and $250,000 each against Ross' two accomplices. Scott v. Ross (Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion En Banc Opinions) Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late author L. Ron Hubbard. ... Look up Conspiracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Conspiracy, as a legal term, is an agreement of two or more people either to commit a crime or to achieve a lawful end by unlawful means: see conspiracy (crime), and conspiracy (civil). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... The cross of the war memorial and a menorah for Hanukkah coexist in Oxford. ... Compensatory damages are damages awarded for civil cases, it is awarded to the succesful party, in the case of the plaintiff, it is awarded as a compensation for the pain undegone and also in most cases is included the legal services payment, however if it is the defendant that wins... Punitive damages are damages awarded to a successful plaintiff in a civil action, over and above the amount of compensatory damages, to: punish the conduct of the civil defendant; deter the civil defendant from committing the invidious act again; and deter others from doing the same thing. ...

The judgement drove CAN, which had already been weakened by the cost of defending over 50 previous lawsuits, (most of them similar and filed by Moxon) into bankruptcy. CAN's name, logo, phone number and files were considered assets and were purchased by Scientologist attorney Steven Hayes at an auction.

Ross went into bankruptcy as well, but emerged in December 1996, when Scott reconciled with his mother and settled with Ross for $5,000, and for 200 hours of Ross's services "as an expert consultant and intervention specialist." Moxon was fired the next day and Scott then retained long-time Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer instead. Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, immediately filed court papers seeking to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he called "incapacitated." That effort failed. (Ortega, 1996)

Ross' role in the Branch Davidian standoffs

The role of Ross before and during the Branch Davidian standoff at Waco, Texas caused some controversy.

Ross deprogrammed Branch Davidian David Block in 1992, prior to the raid. That Davidian was later interviewed by the BATF, which also interviewed Ross. Ross says he deprogrammed another Davidian during the standoff, but this was not reported. He was also one source quoted in the Waco Tribune-Herald's series titled "Sinful Messiah" for which they interviewed over 100 people. The Branch Davidians are a religious group originating from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. ... The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE or ATFE) is a law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. ...

According to the FBI Ross approached them during the standoff and requested that he be interviewed, which he was. The Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (February 28 to April 19, 1993) states that:

Ross states that this information is not correct and details that he was contacted by FBI agent Bobby L. Siller on March 4, 1993 and in the later course by several others which he also names.

Nancy Ammerman insisted they relied too much on Ross, a view which is not shared by the other three experts reporting to the Justice department. In her official report to the Justice Department Ammerman wrote: Nancy T. Ammerman is a scholar who was commissioned in 1993 by the U.S. government to find out what went wrong in its dealings with the Branch Davidians at Waco. ...

In his account to the Department of Justice, Ross gives very different examples of advice he gave to the FBI agents.

Ammerman claims that the FBI interview transcripts on the Waco tragedy include the note that "[Ross] has a personal hatred for all religious cults" and would aid law enforcement in an attempt to "destroy a cult". Ross denies this emphatically.

Carol Moore, author of "The Massacre Of The Branch Davidians A Study Of Government Violations Of Rights, Excessive Force And Cover Up" 1994 published by Gun Owners of America[2], writes: Carol Moore is an ethicist and systems theorist best known for her theories of secession and her analysis of Mahatma Gandhis methods as an intuitive systems theorist. She is considered an influential critic of globalization; Although not widely read or followed in the protest-oriented wing of the anti_globalization...

Kimberly Post, a sociology student working on a class assignment for Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden, wrote in 1997: Jeffrey K. Hadden (1937 - 2003) was a Professor of Sociology who began teaching at the University of Virginia in 1972. ...

Ross recounted his role regarding the Waco Davidian standoff in a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno [4] and responded to critics such as Ammerman in a statement published by the Washington Post. [5]

Catherine Wessinger, Professor of the history of religions and women's studies at the Loyola University in New Orleans, characterizes Ross as a "spurious self-styled expert[s]" in her paper The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, 1993-2003 [6], in which she criticized that Ross was often cited by the local media. Rick Ross describes her paper on his site as follows: Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational Jesuit university in the United States with 5,900 students (3,800 undergraduates). ...

Criticism

Ross is criticized for his lack of academic credentials, for the two felony crimes in his twenties previously mentioned, and for his former deprogramming activities, the tort of unlawful imprisonment. A great part of the criticism originates from those associated with new religious movements, controversial groups or organizations which are listed in his website, such as the Church of Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre. A new religious movement or NRM appears as a religious, ethical or spiritual grouping that has not (yet) become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or body, especially when it has a novel belief system and when it is not a sect. ... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late author L. Ron Hubbard. ... The Kabbalah Centre is an international organization dedicated to teach its contemporary interpretations of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ...

Other critics note that he has had conflicts with other anti-cult figures such as Steven Hassan and Anton Hein [8]. He is a frequent poster on Internet newsgroups as well. Steve Hassan Steven Alan Hassan is an anti-cult activist and director of the Center for Freedom of Mind. ...

Scientology

The Church of Scientology, known for no-holds-barred actions against its critics, maintains a 17-page critique about him supplemented by a 196-page document at "Religious Freedom Watch" consisting of court transcripts, jury verdict forms, news articles, psychiatric records, the bankruptcy filing petition and more [9]. Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late author L. Ron Hubbard. ...

Jeffrey K. Hadden

Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden at the University of Virginia wrote that "Rick Ross is a highly visible entrepreneur who has carved out quite a niche for himself as a self-proclaimed expert and counselor to families desperate to retrieve family members from new religions. His past has been called into question by the Church of Scientology which has uncovered evidence of alleged mental instability and an attempted robbery conviction".[10] Jeffrey K. Hadden (1937 - 2003) was a Professor of Sociology who began teaching at the University of Virginia in 1972. ... Website Virginia. ...

Shupe and Darnell

Anson D. Shupe was an expert witness for the plaintiff in the Jason Scott case. He testified against Ross and the Cult Awareness Network. Later working closely with Scientology lawyer Kendrick Moxon he co-authored a paper with Susan Darnell, [11] who "manages a credit union in Gary, Indiana and is a civil rights advocate journalist." [12] Anson D. Shupe American sociologist who studies religious groups and the anti-cult movement. ...

In a paper written with Darnell he is critical about deprogrammers, characterizing them "[...] as vigilantes and mercenaries rather than as bonafide counselors or therapists." Specifically about Ross, he asserts that "even coercive deprogrammer Rick Ross was terming himself only an Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist (an unique euphemism for exit counselor) on his late 1990s Internet Website." and that "[...] expert Rick Ross [was] still physically abducting unwilling adults belonging to unconventional religions and criminally restraining the latter according to the old deprogramming/mind control mythos."[13] The comment of Ross on the article is:

Shupe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian writings, referring to a letter to Priscilla Coates, a CAN activist, dated July 30, 1987, in which Ross complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN and that "some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids 'bang the bible' than pay."[15] In another letter from Ross to Coates, dated April 28, 1988, Ross describes his strategy to get the media to promote his business as a deprogrammer. He told Coates about his idea to get on television as someone that “had deprogrammed fundamentalist Christians” in order to “stimulate some deprogramming cases in California.”

References

id="External_links"> The Journal News is a newspaper serving the New York counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam. ... Daily News Building, Raymond Hood, architect, rendering by Hugh Ferriss. ... The Cable News Network, usually referred to as CNN, is a cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner[1] [2]. It is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System, owned by Time Warner. ... Tony Ortega is a singer/songwriter from Covina, California, born April 22nd, 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona. ... The Phoenix New Times is a free, weekly Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, put out every Thursday. ... Tony Ortega is a singer/songwriter from Covina, California, born April 22nd, 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona. ... The Phoenix New Times is a free, weekly Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, put out every Thursday. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Notable Time magazine covers from the dates May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Websites opposed to Rick Ross

Cult In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ...

Opposition to cults and NRMs | Christian countercult movement | Cult apologists Opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) comes from several sources with diverse concerns. ... The Christian countercult movement, also known as discernment ministries is the collective designation for many mostly unrelated ministries and individual Christians who oppose non-mainstream Christian and non-Christian religious groups, which they often call cults. ... A cult apologist is a term to describe a scholar of cults and/or new religious movements perceived as responding to the movements they study with advocacy instead of with neutral scholarship. ...

Charismatic authority | Mind control | Brainwashing | Exit counseling | Deprogramming | Post-cult trauma The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ... Brainwashing or thought reform is the application of coercive techniques to change the beliefs or behavior of one or more people for political purposes. ... Exit counseling, also termed strategic intervention therapy, cult intervention or thought reform consultation is an intervention designed to persuade an individual to leave a cult. ... Deprogramming refers to actions to force a person to abandon allegiance to a religious group. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Religious intolerance | Apostasy | Witch hunt | Bigotry Religious intolerance is intolerance motivated by ones own religious beliefs, generally against anothers religious beliefs. ... Apostasy (from Greek Î±Ï€Î¿ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î±, a defection or revolt from a military commander, from Î±Ï€Î¿, apo,di away, apart, ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¹Ï‚, stasis, standing) is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of ones, or one who apostatises. ... A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ... A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions differing from his own. ...

Cult of personality | Cult checklists | List of groups referred to as cults | List of religions once classed as cults | Cult suicide A cult of personality is a political institution in which a countrys leader encourages praise of himself and his deeds to such a degree that this praise affects nearly every facet of the countrys culture. ... A cult checklist is a group of factors proposed to identify objectively which groups, cults, or new religious movements are spurious, or likely to abuse or exploit or otherwise harm its members. ... This list indexes a number of groups that have been referred to: as a cult directly by specific listed sources; as a sect directly by specific listed French-language or United Kingdom sources; as such within the last 50 years; as the group has existed within the last 150 years. ... This list indexes a number of groups that have been referred to: as no longer qualifying as cults. ... Cult suicide is that phenomenon by which some religious groups, in this context often referred to as cults, have led to their membership committing suicide. ...

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