I went to a really great site (http://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html) and found this very interesting list of signs of an unsafe group or leader:

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.

•Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
•No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
•No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
•Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
•There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
•Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
•There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
•Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
•The group/leader is always right.
•The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Wow! imagine that!!

Wow, great list. Sounds just like Alcoholics Anonymous!

Thanks for the post,

The Positive Atheist


http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/ofcourse.htm

who is being smeared ?

You're on Santa's naughty list now. Probably get laid twice this Christmas.