The definition of a cult centers on a few harsh realities: absolute obedience to someone who is not all that competent and generally unable to work out his own stuff. Giving up thinking for oneself which is an insult to one’s own intelligence. Bestowed by the Creator. And also taking away one’s dignity. Sufi or not Sufi - cults are made up of false leaders and broken adults who both deny themselves and are denied access to their own power, autonomy, independence, maturity and wisdom.
We have the same problem here in Israel with some Jews opting into cult-like movements in which their adherents give up their normalcy and their psychological health in exchange for a psycho-boss that leads them basically to their continuous enslavement to a lower-tier lifestyle. They all dress the same, say the same lines, learn the same content, and seek domination over other Jews as well as hefty donations as none of them run their own businesses or have “normal” jobs like high tech, or science etc.
One severe such cult is the Chabad Meshichist movement in which 500 rabbis have signed a declaration that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe who left this world in the summer of 1994 - 26 years ago - is “alive in a physical body” only concealed right now - and will be soon if not today revealed as the Messias our Rightheous Redeemer. To top it all off these people declare that because they as “ordained rabbis” have rendered a Halachic Torah law ruling - there force now G-d Himself must agree and bring about this reality....
From this we see that in education of children and youth we must provide them with psychologically healthy structures and really enough love to NOT become lost in the difficult phase of early adulthood to get sucked in by these dangerous soul catchers...I intend to confront the cults here in Israel 🇮🇱 with intelligence so that people get it no you don’t need Scientology or whatever to be ok in life, you need a healthy community of positive and healthy people who do constructive action and who actually think for themselves.
Blessing in your newly won freedom and recovery.
