New Humanist: ‘Cult following’
April 30, 2012
Ian Haworth sees cult recruiters everywhere. “It could be somebody knocking at your door, it could be somebody you meet at a party, it could be your doctor, your dentist, your husband, your wife … it could be that teacher at school, the person at university that you bump into.”
For Haworth, it was a beautiful young woman with a clipboard. Originally from Lancashire, Haworth was living in Canada when the glamorous recruiter approached him on a Toronto street. After helping with a survey, he signed up for a four-day self-improvement course on the promise that it would help him stop smoking. In those four days Haworth claims he was hypnotised 16 times. “Initially we just followed the instructions of the person running the workshop and sat there with our eyes closed listening to her talking,” he says, “but by the time the end of the course came along she would say, ‘Let’s meditate’ and get us into a deep trance.”
Topics, individuals and organisations mentioned in this article:
Amanda Van Eck • cult information centre • cults • ian haworth • Information Network on Religious Movements • Linda Dubrow-Marshall • Mohan Singh • new humanist • new religious movements • Rod Dubrow-Marshall • Self Realisation Meditation Healing Centre • The Nine O’Clock Service • World Movement of Yaad