Here are a few dogmatic "animal-trappings". Remember, just because it's a big and old church doesn't mean it's not a cult! It can be the biggest, richest and oldest, and still be a cult. It might surprise you how many qualify!

There are variations, of course, even between same-named churches in different parts of the same city.

We name none here--the point is to have you test whatever group you have in mind against the list. Each item in the list.

This list is deriveed from many sites on the net, and it's amazing that they're almost the same. On second thought, it's not, because these points seem so very obvious--once heard--and to that degree, not even debatable. First trap:

1. Condemnation to hellfire for disbelief in their particular sub-set of beliefs.
2. Rigid expectations of obedience and conformity. ("Are you of the body?" --A sickening phrase in a StarTrek episode)
3. A heavy emphasis on "duty".
4. Promised rewards for obedience. "Pie in the sky when you die."
5. Penalties for early withdrawal. Great efforts to prevent or to retrieve dropouts. Threats of public shaming and humiliation, Shunning, Excommunication, (formerly, they'd excommunicate your body from your head!) And they say it'll all continue after the sinner dies, so tho they don't use death-threats any more, they still have an after-death threat!
6. They require personal confessions. That's certainly asking you to give up a lot of control and privacy and power.
7. Give up control in trade for promised/supposed security.
8. Recruiting pressure--emphasis on attracting new members, to lessen the fear of being alone and exposed.
9. A we/they mentality. All those outside the group are somehow negative or not equal; one must be a member.
10. A heavy plea for donations of money and/or property.
11. Partial commitment or belief is not tolerated.
12. Isolation. Everything outside of the group is evil. Visualize the universe as an interconnected web of conspiracies.
13. Life Control. Domination of your time by the group. Little if any time is left for family, old friends, or other interests. There is often a restriction of sleep, restrictions on diet, a restricted sexuality, and a requirement of repetition of prayers.
14. Divine Authority. They claim that they're the "Chosen People" ...that they've had visions or other messages directly from God. ...that they are the wave of the future, and they're waitin' for Satan to take the hindmost... the non-conformers.

1. Rituals. [see that page.]
2. Pomp and Circumstance.
3. Liturgy.
4. Fancy Robes.
5. Big icons.
6. Incense.
7. Awe-some scale of architecture,
8. & lastly, pew-vibrating bass notes from the organ to simulate awe.

Understanding does not prove forgiveness; but forgiveness requires understanding--you cannot truly forgive without understanding their motives. The worst evil may have good motives. Understanding is the greater part of forgiveness, understanding gives respect, and respect is the greater part of love.

All the items on the above list divert attention from reality and onto a manufactured procedure. These procedures have good uses, tho it seems procedures could as easily be designed that would use and aim at real conditions and environments. Without that, the rituals have no reference or purpose. Could it be that we want an aimless experience? Like a sports game--an event that seems important, but we know isn't.

On the other hand.... Reality is like the real drug in a pharmaceutical experiment. The placebo is the mere image of reality that resides behind our eyes. The only people who get the "real pills" are the Zen Masters & all who've had an enlightening experience.
The rest of us manage to get thru life imagining ("imaging") the world we walk thru, like our head's in a box, and we can see out only thru mirrors. ("reflected reality")

Reality can be seen by your awareness, when relieved of the burden of your own input... when observed without your filters. Filters accumulated over a lifetime, now become automatic, colored with authority-given experiences and authority-given beliefs. Reality, on the other hand, is pure intake, no cultural input. That's enlightenment.

Where is reality, really? Finding it is like finding how not to hold your head on a pillow. You may lay your head for an hour and find a fatigued muscle. Muscle? You thought you'd totally relaxed. Ok, now try again. Are you sure it's relaxed now? No muscles used?

So find how your head rests on the pillow without using a muscle... without effort. This is the same thing... walk thru a forest and take it in without your personal or cultural input to contaminate it. This is prime Zen: In both ways... Rest your head! Let reality hold it.