As more details spill from the NXIVM trial, we get an insight into the cult world: branding, sex slaves and physical constraint
NXIVM has described itself as “a company whose mission is to raise human awareness, foster an ethical humanitarian civilization, and celebrate what it means to be human.” Critics have alleged other definitions for the group; definitions such as “sex-cult” and “pyramid scheme.” Federal U.S. prosecutors, meanwhile, are focusing on NXIVM’s alleged criminal activity: racketeering, wire fraud, sex trafficking, and forced labour, for a start.
Part of the answer is well established, if not well explained: women are more susceptible than men to falling under the control of exploitative movements. Or they do so more often, anyway. Research suggests as many as 70 per cent of cult members in the world are women. There are many theories about why women are disproportionately represented in the population of cult followers, perhaps the most common being that women are conditioned and/or wired to believe there is something wrong with them. The urge to self-correct to find outside acceptance is human, but it’s also familiarly female: lose weight, be gracious, be grateful, be obedient. Win without hurting anyone’s feelings. Be better than who you are.
Others say that more women join cults than men because women have a greater need for spiritual fulfilment. According to Pew Research Center, women are indeed generally more religious than men, with women across the globe being somewhat more likely to affiliate with a religious faith than men. Or maybe women join cults because it’s what they know given their long history of oppression.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Woman dies after five-story fall from hotel terrace in Old Montreal
Read more »
Canada falls to Finland 4-2 at Women's Hockey Worlds, will play for bronzeCanada won't play for gold at the women's world hockey championship for the first time in tournament history.
Read more »
Man in mobility scooter falls three floors down Toronto elevator shaftInvestigators are trying to figure out how a 45-year-old man in a mobility scooter fell three floors down an elevator shaft in downtown Toronto on Thursday.
Read more »
Edmonton man found guilty of assault in 2017 road rage attack that broke woman’s armsIn a post-arrest interview with police, Jared Eliasson denied guilt 17 times, going so far as to suggest the woman’s injuries were self-inflicted
Read more »
Edmonton man guilty of assault in road rage attack that broke woman's armsAn Edmonton man who broke a woman’s arms with a crowbar in a violent road rage incident in 2017 was found guilty Friday of aggravated assault, but not of attempted murder.
Read more »
Penticton shootings: Two men and two women slain Monday, possibly in neighbours’ spatRenate Winter, the wife of the first victim – 71-year-old Rudi Winter – said the shootings were likely linked to a neighbourhood dispute
Read more »
Woman pleads guilty to GoFundMe scam involving homeless manA New Jersey woman pleaded guilty Monday to her role in concocting a feel-good tale about a homeless man rescuing her from the side of a highway in order to scam 14,000 donors out of US$400,000 in GoFundMe contributions.
Read more »
Suspect posed as delivery man to shoot woman with crossbow: policePolice say they're looking for a man who allegedly posed as a delivery man in order to shoot a woman with a crossbow in Mississauga, Ont.
Read more »
Deer kills man and injures woman who were keeping it as a petDomestic deer can actually be more aggressive than their wild cousins, but still rarely attack their owners
Read more »
Police seek man who posed as a delivery person, shot woman with concealed crossbowA Mississauga, Ont. woman was nearly killed after a man posing as a delivery person shot her with a crossbow, in what police have described as a targeted attack.
Read more »