Please Excuse the Mess While We Prepare New Content

Blog Posts

Science Myths Section:
- Debunking Bad Science
- Science Myths Suggestion Box
- Is Science Compatible with the Bible?
Critical Thinking, Logic and Reasoning
Atheism:
- The "God of the Gaps" Hypocrisy
Cosmology and Astrophysics:
Medicine
- Positive Media for Bloodless Surgery and Non-Blood Management
Genes and Evolution:
- Failure of the "Gay Gene" Argument
Physics:
- Relativity
  - Is Relativity True?
    
    Is Special Relativity's Length Contraction Wrong?
- Quantum Mechanics
  - Is Quantum Mechanics True?
    
    "Shut Up and Calculate"—The Problems of Quantum Mechanics
    
    "Superposition" Is Not What You Think
Flip-side Science News:
- Scientist Highlights a Problem with Evolution While Doubling Down
Scientific Definitions:
Related Advice:
- How Do I Address Gender Identity in My Ministry?

Cult Myths Section:
- Debunking Bad Cult Identifiers
- Cult Myths Suggestion Box
Anti-cult History
- Ancient Dangerous and Destructive Cults
  
  The Messianic Cults
  
  The Neverending Bloodstained History of the Roman Catholic Church
  
  Reformists
  
  The Freemasons
  
  The Rise of Opposition Cults
  
  The Nazi Cult and the SS Mind Control Experiments
  
  China's Mind Control Experiments
  
  North Korean Brainwashing Experiments
  
  The CIA's MK Ultra
  
  The Rise of Charismatic Cults
  
  The Rise of UFO Cults
  
  The Rise of the Suicide Cults
  
  The Rise of the Anti-cult Movement
Biographies
- Cathleen Mann
  
  Edgar Shein
  
  Janja Lalich (CRIC)
  
  Leon Festinger^★
  
  Louis Jolyon "Jolly" West (MK Ultra)
  
  Margaret Thayler Singer (ICSA)
  
  Rick Alan Ross (CEI)
  
  Robert Jay Lifton
  
  Steven A. Hassan (FOM)
  
  Ted Patrick (CFF)
  
  Walter Martin
Anti-cult Book Reviews
- Combating Cult Mind Control (Hassan)
  
  Releasing the Bonds (Hassan)
  
  Freedom of Mind (Hassan)
  
  Cults in Our Midst (Singer, Lalich)
  
  The Kingdom of the Cults (Martin)
Identification Models
- B.I.T.E. (Hassan)
  
  Bounded Choice (Lalich)
  
  Brainwashing (Singer)
  
  Coercive Persuasion (Shein)
  
  Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger)
  
  Programming/Deprogramming (Patrick)
  
  M.I.N.D. (Mann)
  
  Thought Reform and Totalism (Lifton)
Cult Identification Areas
- Ares of Cult and Non-cult Identification
- Communication
  - Doctrinal Instruction From Healthy to Abusive
    
    Encouraging and Discouraging Questions
    
    From Truth to Fabrication
    
    Instruction Before Membership
    
    Levels of Scriptural Support
    
    Limiting Information Access—From Transparency to Opacity
    
    The Problems of Foretelling and Interpreting
    
    The Problems of Rhetoric
    
    The Usefulness and Dangers of Language
    
    Is It Wrong to Distribute Literature?
- Recruitment
  - Between Focus and Stockholm
    
    Voluntary and Involuntary recruitment
    
    Selective Recruiting
    
    Ways of Attraction
    
    savaging
- Structure
  - Between Sexism and Structure
    
    Direction From a Divine Source
    
    From Organization to Anarchy
    
    From Responsive to "Infallible"
    
    How Donations Are Used And Abused
    
    Open, closed and Secret Meetings
    
    The Reasons Churches Should Be Separate From States
    
    Reasons for Facilities
    
    The Road to Legalism
    
    From Syncretism to Parasitism
    
    The Use and Abuse of Rewards and Penalties
- Autonomy
  - Association Matters to Self-determination
    
    The Balance Between Self and Others
    
    Between Independence and Domination
    
    Confession is for Repentance
    
    Cherish Your Ability to Think
    
    The Dangers of Isolationism
    
    The Difference Between Belief and Credulity
    
    The Difference Between Hope-bringing and Doomsaying
    
    The Differences Between Temporary Partners and Perpetual "Buddies"
    
    Does a Radical Personality Change indicate a Danger?
    
    Dominance Tactics
    
    The Dark Side of Eastern Meditation
    
    How Joy Can Be Used to Manipulate You
    
    Loss of Self in "Sexual Liberation"
    
    How Much Is Too Much?
    
    The Morality of Activity Tracking
    
    Protecting Members From Government Overreach
    
    Reality Testing vs. Fantasy-seeking
    
    Standards of Membership
    
    Staying Busy vs. Staying Exhausted
    
    Using People as a Resource
    
    Value Your Sense of Self and Your Potential
- Community Relations
  - The Benefits and Dangers of Child Services
    
    Between Pacifism and Militancy
    
    Environmental awareness or Destruction?
    
    The Claim to "True" or "More Right" Religion Is Assumed By the Group's Existence
    
    The Faces of Relief Ministries
    
    From Realistic to Poisonous Views of Society and Social Reform
    
    It's a Long Road From Peace to Persecution
    
    Politics, Pride and Nationalism
    
    Proper and Improper Uses of Public Ministry
    
    Relationship to Outside Groups
    
    Secular Acceptance, Nepotism and Exclusion
    
    Should a Group Be Condemned for Historical Sins?
    
    When Good Deeds Go Wrong
- Teachings
  - From Equality to Genocide
    
    From Paragon to Corruption
    
    The Good Deeds Between Apathy and Perfectionism
    
    Remove the Weight That Terrorizes
    
    The Value of Unity
    
    How Good Health Is Viewed
    
    What Importance Should Safety Have?
    
    Learn the Differences Between Science, Religion and Superstition
- Internal Conduct
  - Destabilizing By Making Crazy
    
    Inflicting Pain Is Always Wrong
    
    Familial Bonding
    
    Family Lives of the Group
    
    How Love Is Displayed
    
    Branding is for Commodities, not people
    
    Recognize Gaslighting and Reject It
- View of Life
  - Holy War or Cult Dominance?
    
    The Value of Life
    
    The Value of Religious Freedom
- Worship
  - Historical Types of Worship
    
    Sacrifices from objects to people
Cult and Non-Cult Identifiers
- Healthy
  - Accept Human Error
    
    Accessible Vocabulary
    
    Cleaning Neighborhoods
    
    Collection Boxes
    
    Cultivate Peace
    
    Disaster Relief
    
    Discourage Bad Associations
    
    Discourage Scrupulosity
    
    Encourage Analytical Self-Determination
    
    Encourage Good Behavior
    
    Encouragement to Seek Answers
    
    Focussed Meditation
    
    Freedom to Think
    
    Good Works
    
    Guard Against Corruption
    
    Healthy Family Life
    
    Hierarchy
    
    Hope of a Cleansed World
    
    Holistic
    
    Human Equality
    
    Instruction Before Membership
    
    Literature
    
    Meetings for Worship
    
    Mindfulness
    
    No judgment
    
    Organization
    
    Partnering Up
    
    Persecution Awareness
    
    Persecution Forbidden
    
    Policies and Procedures
    
    Promote Health
    
    Promote Relative Obedience
    
    Promote Safety
    
    Protect Members From Government Overreach
    
    Qualified Volunteering
    
    Reality Testing
    
    Reasonable Open Meeting Policy
    
    Reasonable Penalties
    
    Reasonable Rules
    
    Reasonable Transparency
    
    Reasonably Confidential Confession
    
    Reasonably Others Before Self
    
    Report Sins of Other Members If Refuse Confession
    
    Respect Government
    
    Room for Correction
    
    Sense of Community
    
    Sexual Self-control
    
    Singing
    
    Tough Love
    
    Value Identity
    
    Value Life
    
    Voluntary Membership
    
    Voluntary Recruitment
    
    Welcoming
- Harmless
  - Absolute Confidential Confession
    
    Ambiguous Prophecy
    
    Animal Worship
    
    Arbitrary Rules
    
    Apocalyptic Message
    
    Avoid critics
    
    Behavioral Restrictions (Social)
    
    Blind Faith
    
    Census
    
    Charismatic or Divine Leadership
    
    Clichés and Loaded Language
    
    Cognitive Dissonance
    
    Communal Facilities
    
    Conformity to Ancient Standards
    
    Conformity to Modern Standards
    
    Demand for Unity
    
    Dietary Restrictions
    
    Dress Code
    
    "Excessive" Meditation or Prayer
    
    "Excessive" Singing
    
    "False Religion"
    
    House to house ministry
    
    Idolatry
    
    Indoctrination
    
    Insufficient Criminal Prevention
    
    Legalism
    
    Membership Disqualification of Criminals
    
    Mystical Manipulation
    
    One True Religion
    
    Passing the Plate
    
    Process of Conversion
    
    Public Preaching
    
    Strange Vocabulary
    
    Syncretism
    
    Them Against God
    
    Them Against Us
    
    Time Commitment (Keep Busy)
    
    Unique Sacred Scripture
    
    "Unorthodox" (a.k.a. Sect)
    
    Unprotective
    
    Unverifiable Beliefs
    
    Withhold or Restrict Information
- Potential Red Flags
  - Allow Only Positive Thinking
    
    Animal Sacrifice
    
    Artificial Ecstasy (a.k.a. Rapture)
    
    Chanting
    
    Childcare
    
    Class Distinctions
    
    Conscription
    
    Demand Bodily Fitness
    
    Demand Purity
    
    Discourage Outside Association
    
    Disregard Professed Holy Writings
    
    Divine Messages Without Proof
    
    Doctrine Over Person
    
    Doomsday Message
    
    Easy Membership
    
    Formal Military Trappings
    
    Grand Orthodoxy
    
    Identity Rejection
    
    Inappropriate Declarations, Singing or Prayer
    
    Infallible Doctrine
    
    Involuntary Information Collection
    
    Latchkey Program
    
    Leadership in Luxury on Donations
    
    Logical Paradox Teaching
    
    Manufactured Happiness
    
    Membership for Life
    
    Mentalism
    
    Nationalism
    
    Permission to Abort
    
    Permission to Commit Suicide
    
    Perpetual Buddy System
    
    Persecuting Others Not Discouraged
    
    Political
    
    Promise Sense Fulfillment to Recruit
    
    Prosperity Gospel
    
    Pushy Preaching
    
    Radical Personality Change
    
    Redefined Vocabulary
    
    Reject Specific Medications or Treatments
    
    Representational Rewards and Punishments
    
    Required Communal Living
    
    Sacred Science (Pseudo-science, Superstition)
    
    Selective Recruiting
    
    Sexual Freedom Doctrine
    
    Shunning (a.k.a. Ostracism)
    
    Social Reform Goal
    
    State Religion
    
    Teach Thought-stopping Techniques
    
    Transcendental Meditation
    
    Unerring Leadership
    
    Voluntary Tithing
- Dangers
  - Anti-social Rhetoric
    
    Approval Needed for Personal Decisions
    
    Authority to Execute
    
    Bigotry
    
    Blind (Absolute) Obedience
    
    Blind Faith Testing
    
    Branding or Tattooing
    
    Cannon Fodder
    
    Castes
    
    Condemnation of Sinners
    
    Confession Abuse
    
    Constant Meditation, Chanting, Singing, Prayer or preaching
    
    Crazy Making
    
    Deceitful Recruitment
    
    Demand Property
    
    Domination
    
    Donation Abuse (Guilting)
    
    Doomsday Threatening
    
    Emotional Suppression
    
    Enslavement
    
    Fleecing the Flock
    
    Food or Water Deprivation
    
    Forbid Outside Association
    
    Forced Conversion
    
    Gaslighting
    
    "Give Until It Hurts"
    
    Harmful Diet
    
    Human Sacrifice
    
    Inability to Leave
    
    Incite Own Persecution
    
    Incite to Violence
    
    Inflicting Pain
    
    Isolation
    
    Jihad (Holy Uprising) Teaching
    
    Knowingly Polluting With Dangerous Substances
    
    Love-bombing (Not simply welcoming)
    
    Lying to Members
    
    Militancy
    
    Obsess Over Other or Former Group
    
    Only Others Before Self
    
    Parasitic Religion
    
    Permission to Murder
    
    Persecutes (Verbal or physical violence)
    
    Propaganda
    
    Purposeful Exposure to Harmful Substances
    
    Reasoning is Evil
    
    Reject All Medical Treatments
    
    Required or Forced Medical Treatment or Substance
    
    Secret Society
    
    Secretive Worship
    
    Segregation
    
    Sexual Exploitation
    
    Spying
    
    Stockpiling Weapons
    
    Teach Abortion
    
    Toxic Positivity
Cult Types
- Conspiracy Cults
  
  Control Cults
  
  Cults of Personality
  
  Doomsday Cults
  
  Jihadist Cults
  
  Mafia Cults
  
  Motivational Cults
  
  Murder Cults
  
  Opposition Cults
  
  Prosperity Cults
  
  Purifier Cults
  
  Sex Cults
  
  Shaming Cults
  
  Street Gangs
  
  Suicide Cults
Psychology and Sociology
- Do Not Be a "Victim"
- The Bigotry of Elitism
  
  Conditioning—The Psychology of Exposure
  
  Anxiety Over Cults
  
  Establishing Your Boundaries
  
  God Cannot Be a Narcissist
  
  How to Think Effectively
  
  The Leadership Void
  
  The Obsession of Disgruntled Former Members
  
  Overcoming Bias
  
  The relationship of Cults to Narcissism
  
  Satan Is a True Narcissist
  
  Victory Over Enslavement
Flip-side Anti-cult News:
Anti-cult Book Reviews
- Combatting Cult Mind-control (Hassan, 2015)
  
  Releasing the Bonds (Hassan, 2000)
  
  Freedom of Mind (Hassan, 2013)
  
  The Cult of Trump (Hassan, 2018)
Anti-cult and Psychology Definitions
- anti-cult
  
  authentic self
  
  brainwashing
  
  coercion
  
  cognitive dissonance
  
  conversion
  
  conversion therapy
  
  counter-cult
  
  deprogramming
  
  exit counseling
  
  exposure therapy
  
  mental conditioning
  
  mind control
  
  programming
  
  reality-testing
  
  reprogramming
  
  thought reform
Related Advice
- Do Not Be a Victim
- Resolving Cognitive Dissonance

Theology Myths Section:
- Debunking False Theological Claims
- Theology Myths Suggestion Box
Bible History and Archaeology:
Bible Translation:
- Does James Strong's affiliation matter?
Higher Criticism:
- How Do We Know That Paul Wrote Hebrews?
Interpretation
- Deep Research Takes Effort
  
  The Problems of Foretelling and Interpreting

What It Is Not

Salvation vs.

Non-Thinking

Hellfire
- Hellfire and the Underworld

Law, Faith or Grace Alone

The Trinity/ Binity

Flip-side Bible News:

Proof of Older Bible Timeline?

Theological Definitions:

What "This Generation" Is Not

Related Advice:

Testimonials

"Hello! I just wanted to say thank you. That is all. Thank you so so much for this website. I don't know who you are (I REALLY wish I did). But I am a young brother who has been struggling for quite some time; I have lost many friends due to the snares of apostasy, and if not for these works readjusting my thinking I believe I would be lost too.

"Again... I just wanted to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to you. Please don't ever delete this resource."—Jay (United States)

"To those questioning, your site is invaluable. Keep it up."—J.M.

"Fantastic work you're doing. Many questions I had difficulty answering were answered here. Thank you. ...

If it weren't for Opposers Dismythed (and there’s also some others) I don't know where I would've been by now. (I read too much [negative] junk on the internet—something I NEED to [cut out], I know.) Well done with the article on the ARC. When I watched bro. Jackson being questioned I couldn't help thinking if some apostates weren't somewhere behind the scenes influencing the commission. You clarified what that kind of questioning was all about." —Jesse Hendrix (United States)

"Dear brother[s], I am a witness from England and I just wanted to thank you for your EXCELLANT website. Some of the things that people say about us are certainly poison and your website has helped to get rid of such poisonous doubts. - I just wanted to thank you for your time in making it and hope you are well. - Christian love" —Joel (England)

"The reason I enjoy your blog so much is because it helps me appreciate the organization more. I don't know how to do that for people, but you do and I thank you. I wouldn't know how to defend the smash and grab lies, for instance, but now I can and do. Your blog is valuable." —Robert Murphey (United States)

"May God bless you greatly for this insight. ...and I'm happy that this blog exists." —Tope Famayegun (Nigeria)

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"I love your blog it is small in comparison to all the negativ[ity] and lies spread throughout the internet about Jehovah's Witnesses, but it's lovely to see the truth." —Terica Callaway (United States)

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"It is so wonderful to see yet another webpage dedicated to upholding our most holy faith in Jehovah God and Jesus Christ and begs us to keep our faith in the Organization with Christ as its head. We may not make a very big dent when compared to all of those apostate/anti-JW sites on the web but at least we can have our voice heard." —Sean (United States)