Thankfully, the advent of the internet made social networking easier for like-minded people to find each other.
But the convenience of finding your people also allowed for ominous groups with questionable intentions to flourish.
Curious to hear about the type of cliques people should avoid, Redditor FreshPrinceAV asked:
"What cults are on the rise that should be made aware of?"
These groups use the guise of religion to manipulate the impressionable.
Targeting Teens
"A personal experience of mine. Back in 2018 during my first year in the university, there is a Korean cult that tries to recruit teens and adults. During this time, they focus more in recruiting teens since they are 'easier to fool.'"
"They approached me outside school and asked me if I believe in 'God the Father.' So I said I heard about it but it is a little different from my religion. They proceeded in asking if I live alone and other personal stuff, until they asked me to come with them for a minute and they will explain how I can become a member of their church."
"The moment I heard the term 'God the Mother' as they call a chosen female member (mostly teens and minors) to lead their church with their pastor, I immediately refused. The thing is, it is very relevant in Korea and the 'God the Mother' is their term for the female candidate who is chosen to marry their pastor."
– facel_ess
Claiming "Bible Study"
"I was a well read Christian at some point, so when this group bumped into me they were unable to sway my opinion to their benefit. I even visited their offices in nyc to entertain myself (I wanted to understand a little better how this cult worked)."
"They do lots of 'Bible Studies' that really aren't bible Studies at all. It's simply them telling you their perspective of what the scriptures say. Nothing is up for negotiation. Their interpretation is stated as fact. They feed you the belief system with the Bible, and you're expected to simply believe it. That's the type of 'Bible Study' this group offers."
– -Asher-
Recruiting Them Young
"Youth With A Mission, or YWAM. Maybe it's better in other places, but my local chapter gets them YOUNG and keeps them entirely dependant on them. They get no practical experience, no money, no education. Tons of people there in their 30s with kids still relying on YWAM."
"If you have ever heard the story from FarCry 5, YWAM in the area it's based on is pretty close to that. We even have a pastor that gets worshipped as though he is God. Levi Lusko."
– KhaosElement
People Are Compared To Arrows In A Quiver
"In the U.S."
"Quiverful and IFB (Independent Fundamentalist Baptist). Hard to trace because there are a lot of home meetings and non-organization. A lot of IFBers have basically merged into and taken over regular old Southern Baptist churches as well."
– handle_ah_brah
The Survivor
"I escaped from the Quiverful/IFB "cult" about two years ago now. They've completely brainwashed my family. I can't even have a relationship with any of them now that I've left. I'm constantly having to de-program myself from the harmful messaging the IFB shoved down my throat my whole life. The programming was even worse for me and my siblings because we were also homeschooled. My whole life was church and my homeschool group. I wasn't allowed to have friends or beliefs outside of that protective bubble. It's a scary thing and I'm so glad more people are starting to realize it isn't an innocent movement."
– No_Lobster4141
Not all cults exploit religion to go about their manipulative missions.
MLMs
"Agreed. A cult does not need to be overtly religious to be a cult. MLMs often prey on religious beliefs and religious networks, though."
– Kangaroodle
So-Called "Coaching" Groups
“'Coaching' groups. ✋🏻"
"Those organizations will get deep into your skin if you let them, bring you a false sense of security and fellowship, and get sensible information that could be used against you.
"Mostly made out of sensitive people with a lot of issues and insecurities that these 'professionals' will exploit to get money in exchange of 'experiences.'"
"EDIT: by coaching I meant 'Life Coaching' and they go around this 'neuroscience' abstract concept. Allow me to elaborate, for those who had never been in one of those."
"My personal experience was in 2018-2019. I was in a really bad place: low self esteem, unaddressed depression, school burnout, and a recent breakup. The last one was the reason I was lured into one of these groups, when she said that this could be 'a great opportunity to make our relationship work.' I went to her level 2 graduation and she seemed genuinely happy. We had a talk and I decided to take the Life Coach program."
"Level 1: they 'deconstruct' everything for you. Make you 'realize' that all of the things you’ve done are because you’ve never payed attention to your life, and promise you that you’ll be able to fix it. With their help. For a price. Hours range from 6-8 daily. They encourage you to take the 2nd level, where you will 'explore your potential' and break your 'idea box' (this being all the things you’ve been taught and make your persona)."
"Level 2: this was the hardest for me. They will put you in a position of compromise such that your failure is everyone’s failure, making peer pressure heavy. Strict hours that will open the door to demolarize practices in order to align you with the group’s main goal (which is to succeed this course). Hours get heavier: 8 AM to 3 AM next day. They tire you down, which allow the coach to manipulate your feelings. This is also the part where they will make you confess your darkest secrets (mine was heavy, so I couldn’t say it) and will make the group to pressure you to give in. I had a mental breakdown at this point, feeling like a hostage. By the end of the level, they will 'elevate' you with the help of previous members (literally, once you beat the final test, every single one of the members in the 3 programs will come and congratulate you; it was so relieving). This sets Level 3 in motion."
"Level 3: you will set goals for personal improvement for yourself. Pressure at this point was unbearable for me. I’d get calls every single hour to let know my progress, even followed around the city to 'bring reliable evidence.' It was at this point where my partner told me that she was worried about things that I did in the 2nd Level (coaches would tell her that I was unstable, and the things I confided to one of them in my vulnerable state, after they sworn to me that everything was private). I felt betrayed, and at this point I saw the thing for what it was, a scheme where vulnerable people would get comfort. For a price (which was getting more expensive each week). After that, I went home, had another breakdown. My psychiatrist recommended to call the thing off and start therapy, which I knew I needed and took the first step forward (I’d say that was the only positive thing about all this)."
"After all this, I decided to quit: they made me pay for the rest of the program and, after the swipe, I was banned from the premises. No one was allowed to look at me, call me, or other sort of contact. Even my partner decided to call the thing off 3 months after and started dating one of the guys she met there. Those were difficult times, but therapy and my nuclear family support was there for me."
"I’m in a better place now, learned from that experience and decided to get my mental health in my own hands from then on. I don’t know if it will work for other kind of people, but I’d recommend to go to a certified mental health professional instead of this."
– Abundiz93
While having a sense of belonging is human nature, be careful of the communities desperate to expand their membership.
Research, find out their intentions, and consult your friends.
When you're at a low point in life and feel lonely, your vulnerability is what makes you a target.
So be cautious when you set out to find your people. And don't ever feel obligated to pay money for your "friendships."
There are so many bad movies out there who knows where to begin. I do... Jason X (Jason in Space). It's BRILLIANTLY bad. You'll thank me later.
Cringe
marble hornets dancing GIFGiphy"The Slenderman Movie."
clover_delirium
"Definitely. I watched it once with my sister and it was so terrible that the only entertainment we got from it was making jokes about the cringeworthy scenes. They could've done so much more with this adaptation."
breakoutleppard
Oh Meow No!
"A talking cat."
Dlavernia89I
"I loved this movie. A drunk Eric Roberts literally phoning in his dialog for the cat. The very clearly homosexual dad and son talking about girl problems..."
"Then finding out the director usually makes gay porn. I made some friends watch this. They weren't nearly as smitten as I was with it. I don't like cats and they do. I figured this was just some way a rich dipsh*t found to immortalize their cat. If I had that kind of money, I would have done it for my dog."
lazyfacejerk
The Best of Bad
"Birdemic, the definition of 'comically bad.'"
david_burke2500
"Birdemic is a masterpiece of ineptitude. No part of it was not the worst it could possibly be. Terrible acting? Woo-boy. Clueless directing? In spades. Ham-handed editing? Hopeless special effects? Sound quality of two tin cans tied with string? Birdemic has it all."
cm253
Wrong...
"Dragon Ball Evolution."
SnooChipmunks126
"Goku who for whatever reason is a high school student. Imagine getting a character that incredibly wrong. A character that you could google, and learn every single inch of their personality traits, likes, dislikes, speaking mannerisms etc. You would think it's impossible to play or write that character wrong."
kynthrus
Memed Out
Emoji Apple GIFGiphy"The Emoji Movie, I hate it trying to relate to kids today it's like a teacher using dead tiktok memes in their presentation."
Front-Principle-9629
I'm strangely fascinated. Oh help me.
Compared to Books
game of thrones fire GIFGiphy"Eragon. And the Avatar movie (The Last Airbender). Technically, there are worse. But those two... Are SO bad if you even barely compare them with the original (book/series)..."
PhysicalRaspberry565
Worst of the Worst
"I visited my mom a few weeks ago and I saw this awful piece of crap movie on Lifetime with her, about a disk jockey trying to find love and running into a killer. Horrible acting, horrible story, shi**y writing. Worst movie I ever saw in my life. I don’t know the title. That movie was the first Lifetime movie I saw in full since I was a child living in a house with one television. 😂 Those things didn’t get any better."
Therednickels119
Shrewed
"'The Killer Shrews' when I was home after school in the 1950s, I watched black & white movies on TV. (I was probably 9 or 10). This one was so badly done, I kept watching out of fascination. People are isolated on an island, where shrews have grown to enormous size. There's a line like 'shrews had to eat their body weight in food every day,' so the risk is that they will attack and eat you."
"Much of the movie has people just sitting around, saying pointless dialogue, looking worried. That part is so boring. But then you see the shrews. They're dogs with big tails. They walk like dogs, casually, not at all threateningly, while the people shriek. Hand puppets of shrews were also used. The shrew scenes are so poorly done it's really funny. I had to keep watching."
aRoseBy
Ho Ho NO!
"Krampus: The Christmas Devil (2013). I thought I'm going for the 2015 Krampus I intended but mixed my movies and... it's just... bad in every aspect. Story, dialogues, scenes, acting, costumes, camera, sound, soundtrack, effects, everything is terrible!"
Boredombringsthis
"Watched it with my girlfriend during the holidays and said all I liked about it (and we didn’t finish it) was the title and I pronounced it Krahm-POOSE… over and over at random times of the day for like a week."
kid_sleepy
The Horror
Ian Mckellen Yes GIF by Cats MovieGiphy"I've seen Cats 3 times, there is something horrifying and fascinating about it to me. It's a mystifying movie, I don't understand why, it's genuinely extremely terrible. The only part that shatters the glamour and just becomes outright bad to me is James Corden."
RDAwesome
Now that is a list of horror. I can't imagine any of that sober.
So who here still depends on the kindness of strangers?
1986
Baby Facepalm GIF by MOODMANGiphy"I was leaving the hospital in 1986 with my husband and newborn. A lady in the elevator admired the baby and then looked at us and said, 'be good to each other.' We weren’t."
potato_bod_mom
Pay it Forward
"When I was 18 I was at McDonalds trying to get breakfast for all the guys from work, I came up like 5 bucks short and this old guy paid the difference and said 'you’ll have to help somebody out someday too.' So now whenever I get the chance to do something like that for someone that’s what I say. I hope the cycle makes it back to that guy."
hockeybag7
Thank You!!
"One day I woke up and had a headache. And that headache lasted every day for 2 years. I saw every doctor I could and tried every diet I could. No answers. My quality of life was non-existent and I was on the cusp of losing my job. I was at a restaurant with my mom, I was on one of my specialty diets that was supposed to help with headaches (spoilers, it wasn't)."
"I asked the waitress what was in the salad dressing. She asked 'I know it's none of my business, but can I ask why"' A short conversation later, she mentioned a doctor that worked specifically for people dealing with mold toxicity, otherwise known as MYCOTOXICOSIS."
"That waitress saved my life that day and I don't even remember her name. This was in Superior, Colorado at the now closed CB&Potts. If you happen to read this, you have no idea how grateful my family and I are to have run into you that day. Thank you."
thisendup76
Thanks Sweet Lady
"I had a person like this when I was a kid and I left my wallet next to a vending machine at the mall and when I came back it was gone. I lost a whole 7 dollars and I was devastated. This sweet little old lady saw me having a melt down and I was freaking out about how my parents were going to kill me and this lady legit gave me a 20."
"To an 8 year old who gets 2$ allowance per week a 20 was like getting handed 300$ as an adult. I hope it came back around for her too. Since this was in 1997 and she was probably 70 I don't think she would still be alive today."
mikee8989
Hungry Food GIF by America's Funniest Home VideosGiphy"The Sikh man I met on a flight from god-knows-where to London who invited me to their temple to eat for free."
EbonicalHillbilly
I'm amazed. There are good people in the world. Still jaded.
Thank you stranger...
Ufc 205 Thank You GIF by UFCGiphy"My anxiety was at it's peak and I was walking home from school. Then someone came up to me and just started talking to be like I was a normal person."
"Social skills were @ss, but he didn't seem to care. Gave me the confidence I needed to start doing the same and helping others who were lonely. Thank you, stranger. It was because of him that I was able to help others get out of their Social awkwardness."
p1tch-dark__
Freezing
"It was around February 2016 and the city got hit with a massive snow storm, I remember waiting at the bus stop with a mother and her child in a stroller. The bus was 45 minutes delayed, it was very cold with the wind chill, when the bus arrived we both got on."
"I chose a seat of the opposite side of the bus and this mother and her now crying child was sitting near the front, I could see that the mother was trying to warm her sons hands but was having no luck while her child kept crying. I moved from my seat and sat next to her and took her child’s hands in my hands. His hands were freezing while mine were toasty from my gloves."
"After about 5 minutes, the child calmed down and the bus was quiet again. I stayed with that mother and child for almost 2 hours on the bus until we finally got to our stop. I never learned of the child’s name or the mothers. I just simple sat there with them warming her child’s freezing hands up."
Niishin
Stay for Me
"I don’t remember him, just what he did for me. I was 19, got t-boned in an intersection by someone running a red and was knocked unconscious. He was a witness, and I think someone said he was the first person to call 9-1-1. He took my phone while I was out (before the days of locking phones), called my house, no one home, called my dad’s cell, which was answered."
"He told my dad what had happened and which hospital the paramedics said they were taking me to, and somehow managed to avoid making my dad panic about me. I mostly came to before I got loaded into the ambulance, at which point he gave me back my phone and said my parents would meet me at the hospital."
"I gather he then stayed to talk to the cops to speak up for me because I didn’t remember what had happened and the other driver kept saying it was my fault. I never got to thank him for going so far out of his way to help a complete stranger."
DefunctPenguin
I think about her often...
"I believe I was 19 at the time. I worked at Walmart at time and was working in the back that day when a lady that worked in the meat department was walking past me crying, I hugged her and asked what was wrong. She was covered in bruises and she told me her boyfriend beat her. She opened up and told me she was leaving him so I asked if she needed a place to stay that way she's safe and she told me no."
"Turns out he was waiting outside for her during her lunch, I once again asked if she was okay and if she needed help and she said no. After that night I never saw her again. I have no idea if she is alive and safe. I hope she's okay, I think about her often."
Vampire_Bun
Crash
Crashing Relapse Records GIF by Red FangGiphy"This guy that helped me out after I rolled my truck, he was late for work because he stayed with me until the tow truck got there. Really restored my faith in humanity."
hockeybag7
Some people just leave a lasting impression. So better. Be kind.