Is the Military A Cult???? Let's take the quiz!

Here is a generalized list of things to look out for if you suspect you or someone you love may be involved in a cult. This is not meant to be an end all be all comprehensive list determining beyond a shadow of a doubt whether or not you are dealing with a cult.

I will answer these questions with my answers first. If you live in a reality that disagrees with the answers that I provide then please explain your stance politely.
The answers are pretty much black and whit yes or no answers. So, let's begin shall we?

"Comparing the following statements to the group with which you or a family member or loved one is involved may help you determine if this involvement is cause for concern. If you check any of these items as characteristic of the group in question, and particularly if you check many of them you may well be dealing with a cult and should critically examine the group and its relationship to you or your loved one.

1) The group is focused on a living leader to whom members display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.

In my opinion this would be the Drill Instructor/s or possibly anyone who is your superior.

2) The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members and/or making money.

The Department of Defense has announced its recruiting statistics for the active and reserve components for Januar 2009 (the fourth month of Fiscal Year 2009). A "Fiscal Year" runs from October through September.

All of the active duty branchesbranches met or exceeded their recruiting goals for the month.


Active Duty Recruiting Statistics for Jan 2009:

Army – 9,658 accessions with a goal of 9,000; 107 percent
Navy – 2,948 accessions with a goal of 2,948; 100 percent
Marine Corps – 3,720 accessions with a goal of 3,406; 109 percent
Air Force – 2,600 accessions with a goal of 2,597; 100 percent
On the Reserve side, five of the six reserve componants met or exceeded their recruiting goals.

Reserve Recruiting Statistics for Jan 2009:

Army National Guard – 4,913 accessions with a goal of 5,577; 88 percent
Army Reserve – 3,223 accessions with a goal of 3,128; 103 percent
Navy Reserve – 712 accessions with a goal of 712; 100 percent
Marine Corps Reserve – 879 accessions with a goal of 567; 155 percent
Air National Guard – 896 accessions with a goal of 703; 127 percent
Air Force Reserve – 683 accessions with a goal of 683; 100 percent

source

3) Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged.

MC & KG: Command response to dissent varies widely. Resisters who publicly refuse orders or go AWOL generally receive a swift and harsh response through courts-martial. They can expect harsher punishment than GIs who take the same actions quietly, or go AWOL for other reasons, though sometimes military courts have responded to heartfelt objection with more leniency than commands would like.

source

4) Mind-numbing techniques (for example: meditation, chanting, denunciation sessions, or debilitating work routines) are used to suppress members' doubts.

Requiring no instruments to play, they are counterparts in oral military folklore of the military march. As a sort of work song, military cadences take their rhythms from the work being done (compare sea shanty). Many cadences have a call and response structure of which one soldier initiates a line, and the remaining soldiers complete it, thus instilling teamwork and camaraderie for completion. The cadence calls move to the beat and rhythm of the normal speed (quick time) march or running-in-formation (double time) march. This serves the purpose of keeping soldiers "dressed", moving in step as a unit and in formation, while maintaining the correct beat or cadence.

source

5) The group's leadership dictates how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, or get married

leaders may determine types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth.

Do I really need to say any more on this one??

6) The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, it's leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).

We definately think that we are the world police. Does our military have an elitist attitude? I ask you.

7) The group has a polarized we-they mentality that causes conflict with the wider society.

Again, nuff said.

8) The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

Ok, I will sit this one out for now.

9) The group teaches or implies that its "superior" ends justify means that members would have
considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities).

LOL!

10) The group's leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them

Common in basic training.

11) Members' subservience to the group causes them to give up previous personal goals and interests while devoting inordinate amounts of time to the groups."

Well, when you are in the military there isn't much time for rebuilding that muscle car in the driveway or taking up needle point.

12) Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

Do I really need a source for this? I'm tired and it's late. That's what the edit button is for. I think we know the answer to this one.



So, 9 out of ten? If I am answering this question as a seeker of truth I am going to have to say yes. Our military displayes most of the charicteristics of a cult. That is pretty evident.

If I am answering this question as a blind patriot then I would say that the person who started this thread should be tried for treason and hanged by his thumbs in the town square.


[edit on 6-9-2009 by Jesus H Christ]

1) The group is focused on a living leader to whom members display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.

False. The US Military is sworn to uphold and defend the US Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In the event one of our leaders does something that goes against the constitution, is immoral, or illegal we are duty-bound to no longer obey those orders. As a matter of fact, we are constantly vigilant in our desire to make sure our leaders are doing as they are supposed to - as are we.

2) The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members and/or making money.

A military cannot stand without people to serve in it.

3) Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged.

Illogical. Questioning fosters learning and understanding our missions helps us to better accomplish them.

4) Mind-numbing techniques (for example: meditation, chanting, denunciation sessions, or debilitating work routines) are used to suppress members' doubts.

I've been to Iraq twice and not once did we march into battle to the music of a band playing. Nor are we subject to debilitating work routines.

5) The group's leadership dictates how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, or get married leaders may determine types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth.

LOL. Wow. Okay - first of all - the only time the military dictates what I wear is when I'm at work. Much as someone who works at Wal-Mart - we have a certain uniform to wear. It's the frakkin' "military" - not a public school. The military does not tell me how to raise my child or who I should or shouldn't date or marry. Also - if you want to throw in the "don't ask, don't tell policy" - that was a US GOVERNMENT issued regulation, not a military-generated one.

6) The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, it's leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).

As I have said many times on this very forum, I do not think I'm better than anyone here. However, I do think that I have a higher level of intelligence than most who blindly insult an organization they know nothing about and do not understand. Aside from maybe 2 people I've worked for, my leaders have never acted as if they were holier than thou either. As for your world police comment - yeah - that, again - is directed by the US GOVERNMENT. Not the military itself. A lot of us "brainwashed zombies" think much as you do. We should stay out of others' business.

7) The group has a polarized we-they mentality that causes conflict with the wider society.

"Again, nuff said." 'Nuff said, huh? Care to elaborate? I'd like to go down this road with you, if you are up to it. The only "we, they" mentality I've ever experienced was during war and.. hm...... it seems that's just the nature of the beast. Can't look at an Iraqi soldier wielding an AK-47 and think, wow - he's a swell guy.....

8) The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

What?!?!?! Did you go to school? Let me break this down barney style -

1) A private follows the NCO.
2) The NCO follows the Officer.
3) The Officer follows the General.
4) The General follows the President.
5) The President follows the PEOPLE.... (well, should follow the people....)

So what the hell are you talking about? At least the people we take orders from are real enough to be seen and not something out of a 1000 year old dusty tome that may or may not be true.

9) The group teaches or implies that its "superior" ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities).

Well, since you laughed at your own stupid comment, I don't see any reason to trash it either.

10) The group's leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them.

Is that common in basic training? I don't remember ever being made to feel guilty about anything........ but I guess that was the whole "brainwashing thing" we were supposedly subject to. Hmm.

11) Members' subservience to the group causes them to give up previous personal goals and interests while devoting inordinate amounts of time to the groups."

Again, funny how little you actually know about the military. I know tons of people who actively pursue hobbies and interests outside of the military - I know people w/ Master's degrees who finished it in the military, I'm nearing the completion of a Bachelor's Degree as we speak - I know some of the best writers who wrote their books in the military.... I could go on, but I'm slowly becoming annoyed at the direction of these questions.

12) Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

Again, what!?!?! We are actually encouraged to get "to know the locals" in foreign countries, we are not regulated as to who we spend time with outside of work or off-duty... I'm surprised you didn't do more research before even writing these absurd questions down anywhere. Out of your list - there was only one that fit the military and only so because of the nature of an organization which requires money and people to function (go figure) - Number 2.

I've been in the US Army for 8 years. I have a wife and a child, I'm pursuing a career in CI once I'm out - I am working on school, writing a novel series and actively playing electric guitar. Before you make these types of assumptions, maybe you'd be doing well to actually talk to someone in the military and get to know us before getting on here and venting your frustrations about things you don't understand. A cult?

Before you deign to label yourself "seeker of truth", perhaps you should work on actually seeking that truth out before listing things in this manner. It would go a long way towards providing you credibility as such in the future.


[edit on 6-9-2009 by mf_luder]

mf_luder, you sound like a thinking man, but maybe a bit too trusting of your leaders. You feel your country should leave other countries alone, but you are still taking part in invading them. The reasons for invading them are lies directly from the president and the intelligence agencies (for example, they have weapons of mass destruction so we must invade now or they will use them the second they can!). Dont you see the reality of this?

You are a pawn in the game, but being a thinking pawn comes with responsibilities. Have you considered that the United States may not be the hero in all its conflicts and may actually create and instigate conflicts to set the board to their liking?



[edit on 6-9-2009 by Copernicus]

reply to post by Copernicus


My dear friend. While I would love to debate the legality of the invasion of 2 countries due to our Intelligence agencies and their information - that is not what this particular thread is focusing on. It is focusing on whether or not the military is a cult. If you would like - start a new thread and I'll come over there.

As to my faith in my leaders. You don't know me.

Haha you could say quite a lot of social groups could follow a cultist formula in the community.

Looking at the list, I think even my family fits that bill.

This whole post is way off base, but one point in particular I have to differ with is the emphasis that the poster has placed on the military following its leader in some cultlike way. The leader of the United States military is Barack Obama. People in the military tend to lean strongly right and as a rule don't particularly care for Obama's liberal agenda. Obama does have a large cultlike following, but it is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the military.

The military is a proud tradition in the United States, soldiers complain, gripe, and can't wait for the day they are civilians again when they are actively serving in the armed forces, hardly a cultists zeal.

Combat soldiers have to dig deep into their inner reserves of strength to face the challenges of warfare. A human being has to go through some serious changes to go from a soft civilian to someone who can function in a war zone. Some people who don't have the heart and strength to serve in the military like to cast dispersions on those who do. The author of this post seems to be one of those people. He obviously has no first hand experience with the military, but think he has something profound to say about it. Learn a little bit about your subject before you insult millions of us who have been there and know better.

There are sincere warriors and protectors of our nation in the military.
If we didn't have a military then China would be all over us in a minute.

Republicans are a Satanic Cult!!!!
Republicans are the true collective anti-Christ.
greed-lack of compassion-that is the opposite of Christ and the Republican philosophy.
Signed sealed and delivered-the stamp of Christ's approval on this post.

"in your opinion"

therein lies your problem ....

you have as of yet not determined consciouly what your opinion is based upon.

when integrity and compliance with the facts are the priority, then perhaps the fundamentals of what it is you rely upon for your "opinion" will be revealed for what it is.

try different viewpoints.

what if a soul was at it's core ...

defending against all enemies both foriegn and domestic ....
integrity first and service before self ... aka the opposite of self preserve ...