The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

by Janice Hallett

There is no one more convincing than the convinced.

It’s when people are drawn away from their lives as individuals to immerse themselves in a separatist organization under a charismatic leader. Becoming part of a utopian community. Cults start with their own rules and philosophy, even if it seems they are creating an existence without either. This has a counterculture appeal for those who struggle to find a place in regular society, or who lack a conventional family.

By the time a victim suspects the organization of wrongdoing, they’re equally guilty of deceiving others.

We tend to say “cult” when we mean a negative or toxic organization. As for the leaders, the majority are mentally unstable. As a cult matures and grows, they have to exert more control to maintain their authority over more people. You can make a distinction between leaders who believe their own philosophy and those who do it for sex or money. One definition of a cult is a religion where the spiritual leader is alive.