Why Cult Leaders Keep Asking, "Am I Right?"

Leader's Question Followed by Collective "Amen!" Voices
Individuals, Even Without Consent, Easily Overwhelmed by Majority
In the Moment Swept by Atmosphere, Saying "Amen" Leads to Affirming Doctrine

Since the release of the eight-part documentary series "I Am God," which exposes the shocking realities of cult leaders, interest has grown in how cult groups recruit people through Netflix. Questions continue to arise about how ordinary people are deceived into blindly following cult leaders and why they do not escape even when they realize something is wrong.

A 'Helping Hand of Salvation?' Descending Upon the Lonely Me

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According to a 2008 paper by Aaron Kay and his research team at Duke University in the United States, the more helpless and vulnerable people become, the more they tend to believe in the existence of a god who governs their lives and exhibit extreme religiosity.

Exploiting this, cult groups are known to prefer targeting individuals with psychological deficiencies for proselytizing.

The proselytizing method of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) is particularly representative.

According to a 2021 thesis by Jo Eun-ah from Yonsei University's Department of Theology, Shincheonji selects proselytizing targets and then gathers all information about the individual, including family relationships, personality, and interests. Afterward, they assign members within the Shincheonji group who match each individual's characteristics to naturally build relationships.

When someone is 'hurt' or 'struggling with depression,' a person with a similar background who understands their feelings inevitably feels like a 'gift' or 'salvation.'

Many religions besides Shincheonji use similar methods.

For those struggling with job preparation, they offer employment counseling, and they also provide dating advice like a friend.

The Christian Gospel Mission (JMS) also used similar methods for proselytizing. For example, they approached aspiring models struggling financially by offering "model walking lessons at an affordable price," filling an individual's deficiency.

In 2010, Renate Isele-Dick, a professor at Carleton University in Canada, stated in a paper that "cults provide people with psychological deficiencies with a 'reason for existence' and 'positive social support.'"

In the closed environment unique to cults, members spend most of their time with others who share the same identity, exchanging positive interactions and support. Through this process, their sense of belonging becomes solidified.

As a result, religion becomes not just a part of an individual's identity but their very reason for existence and the 'absolute standard of life.'

Gaslighting to Manipulate at Will

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Gaslighting refers to manipulating external circumstances and the victim's psychology to make them distrust themselves, thereby increasing the manipulator's influence and controlling the victim.

Cults typically designate their leaders as divine beings such as the "Messiah (Savior)" or the "Second Coming of Jesus."

They then instill a sense of crisis by saying things like "the world is surrounded by enemies" or "the end times are near," brainwashing members into believing that complete salvation lies with the leader. They induce a fear that if one does not believe in the cult, they will die.

Some cult members who say they cannot attend cult gatherings due to family events are labeled as "evil," while lying to their families to attend religious meetings is labeled as "good," enforcing a dichotomous way of thinking.

This method is known to sever members' interactions with family and friends, forcing them to live solely within the closed cult community.

They then fill the victim's psychological deficiencies while simultaneously sending messages like "Only here do we acknowledge you; hasn't society already rejected you?" to prevent voluntary departure from the cult.

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Additionally, during sermons, cult leaders spread religious doctrines while repeatedly asking, "Am I telling you the truth?" or "Am I right?" prompting members to respond with "Amen!" This naturally blocks any "No" responses, leading members to conform to the majority opinion regardless of their true thoughts.

In this process, people experience "cognitive dissonance." Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort caused by inconsistency between one's beliefs and actions, which leads to changing beliefs to resolve the discomfort.

Since members have already affirmed the cult's doctrines by saying "Amen," they abandon their previous beliefs and adopt the cult's teachings.

This cognitive dissonance is also used to justify the cult's hypocrisy and crimes.

Victims of sexual assault by cult leaders or executives reportedly rationalize the situation by thinking, "There must be a reason for this behavior," or "This act is not sexual assault but a religious healing practice."

In fact, a witness testified that a JMS sexual assault victim was confused about whether "this was love or if God was using this person to work through them."

'The Ground Hardens After the Rain?'... The Unshakable 'Us' Through Any Trial

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According to a 2009 study by Scott Wiltermuth and his research team at the University of Southern California, even random meaningless movements performed together by multiple people increase mutual liking, trust, and a spirit of sacrifice compared to when movements are not synchronized.

Such various religious "rituals" not only foster a sense of belonging and loyalty to the cult group by having members act together but also strengthen bonds among members.

According to a 2010 paper by Jesse Graham and his research team at the University of Virginia, cults have their own unique standards of right and wrong, justice, and blasphemy, which tightly guide members' behavior.

This removes uncertainty from many aspects of life and provides an unquestionable "correct answer" to follow. These "correct answers" also grant authority to the cult, functioning as a mechanism to enforce strict obedience among members.

Furthermore, cults sometimes go through a process of "screening" to distinguish "true believers" from others.

Those identified as "true believers" develop pride in being the "elite minority" chosen and believe they hold moral superiority over false believers, which intensifies extremist tendencies.

When such extremist groups become social issues, they perceive persecution from out-groups (false believers and non-believers) whom they had previously looked down upon, which further solidifies the in-group (cult group). This process also creates a vicious cycle of increased aggression within the in-group.

For this reason, JMS members also refuse to acknowledge Jeong Myeong-seok's crimes, believing that just as Jesus Christ suffered from the world, Jeong Myeong-seok is also facing threats from the world and bearing everyone's sins. They even resorted to threats and assaults against those trying to expose the crimes externally.

Once Caught, an Inescapable Trap... How to Prevent It?

Thus, cults become an individual's very identity. Social relationships become limited to the cult. According to the moral code given by the group, opposing the group becomes "wrong."

Every aspect of the cult pressures the individual.

Even if problems arise within the cult and members recognize them, they fall into rationalization that "our group cannot be bad." Since the group itself has become the individual's identity and the remaining social relationships are all within the cult, it is easier to deny the fact than to admit that the group they believed to be "good" is actually bad.

Experts say that to prevent cult crimes, it is necessary to widely publicize the victimization. When inside the group, victims tend to believe what they experience is not a crime, so informing them that it is a crime plays an important role. At the government level, it seems necessary to provide social safety nets such as good jobs and environments that can replace cults.