People Didn’t Realize They Were In A Cult Until These 40 Moments

A quiet coastal town in Kenya was left reeling when police made a gruesome discovery in the Shakahola forest near the Indian Ocean in 2023: Mass shallow graves containing hundreds of bodies, including men, women and children.

All had died sometime between January 2021 and September 2023, after being led into the forest by a man they respected and trusted, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie.

It would later emerge that Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, had pivoted to become a self-proclaimed pastor. He had a history of extremism and a slew of previous legal cases against him.

The pastor/cult leader had originally encouraged his followers to move to the Shakahola forest in preparation for the end of the world. He had offered them parcels of land for under $100 to entice them. Mackenzie reportedly partitioned the forest into different areas and gave them biblical names like Judea, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

A court would later hear that the self-proclaimed pastor had ordered his followers to starve themselves and their children so that they could get to heaven faster. This, he said, was their golden ticket to "meet Jesus." It's been dubbed one of the worst cult disasters ever.

Dr. Steven Eichel is a forensic psychologist and renowned cult specialist. Bored Panda reached out to him to delve deeper into the underground world of cults and to find out how to spot them. "Most people have heard of religious cults, but there are political cults, therapy cults, marketing cults, and cults that blend all of these together," Eichel told us during an intriguing interview.

Interestingly, Eichel says that due to the confusion around the term "cult," most of experts in the field refer to these groups as "high-demand" or "high-control" groups. But in this article, we will stick to the term "cult."

The forensic psychologist added that cults vary tremendously in the content of their beliefs and rituals. "However, their processes are usually very similar and that's how we recognize cults. Not by their 'crazy' beliefs, but by how people are treated in the group, and by the psychosocial processes they use to recruit and keep members," said the expert.

He tells us that there are several "tell-tale" signs of a cult. Most are very secretive and will only allow certain information to be known by the recruit. Groups that alienate members from loved ones, families, and friends are another sign. "Lovebombing" (paying special attention to the new recruit, or even hinting at the possibility of romance and/or s*x) is an indicator, he adds.

"Personal growth or therapy cults often make recruits sign NDA and other nondisclosure documents, or make you promise to never reveal the group's 'special' techniques or beliefs," reveals Eichel. "In the worst cases, like NXIVM and Scientology, they collect 'collateral' (information that, if revealed, would cause harm to the person) to ensure that you do not violate their rules about nondisclosure."

Eichel adds that asking for unusual donations of money and/or time can be a sign. "Most cults are apocalyptic in some way," says the specialist. "Time is always of the essence. So pressure to join or take classes or whatever 'as soon as possible!' is often present."

Unfortunately, many cult member don't realize this until it's too late, says Eichel, but there are usual "exit costs" that are eventually made known to the member. "That is, if they leave, all kinds of terrible things will happen to them (and/or loved ones)," he explained.

"In the Unification Church, leaving not only condemns you to hell, but also condemns all your ancestors and the souls of all your future progeny," Eichel told Bored Panda. "Compare this to the average 'mainstream' political group or church. If you leave the church, you may get a few calls or a visit from the pastor, but it is unlikely you will be told your life is now doomed for eternity."

Eichel told Bored Panda that individuals vary tremendously with regard to how they respond to cultic influence. He says there are two broad categories of cult members, and they differ tremendously from each other. 

Adults who are recruited into cults are known as "First Generation Adult" members or FGA for short. "Their lives and experiences are radically different from those who are born into cultic groups: Second Generation or Multiple Generation Adults (SGAs/MGAs)," he explains.

The expert says that coming out of a cult you were born into, that your family is in, is a very different process (and generally much more difficult) than it is for an adult who is recruited into a cult in college and then wants to leave 10 years later.

"The SGA will have a much more difficult time," the cult specialist tells us. "For example, one MGA left his cult at 18 and went to community college. In college, he was shamed for not knowing who Madonna was, or what rap and hip-hop are. He had no idea what Star Wars or Star Trek were about. He had never celebrated Christmas let alone 'demonic' holidays like Halloween. And, of course, he had no idea how to relate to college women."

We asked Eichel to elaborate a bit more on how someone can recognize a cult. "The typical signs of a cultic group are: a highly charismatic leader, often with 'special' (e.g., divine) characteristics or abilities. In some cults, the leader is literally thought to be a god, or God," he revealed. "Cultic groups typically demand excessive commitments of time and money. They engage in intensive 'education' classes (sometimes disguised as 'Bible study') that are basically indoctrination classes."

The expert adds that cultic groups will tell you to avoid any information or informational venue that is critical of the group... and especially warn you not to talk to "apostates" that have left!

"Many cults cause estrangement or even total alienation from families of origin," he says. "They are deceptive in not being transparent about agendas, finances, the amount of coercion or control involved (e.g., you now have to give up your romantic and/or s*x life and only marry someone approved by the cult)."

Eichel cautions that any group that says it has the absolute and universal truth—whether that "truth" be evangelical Christianity, Wahabi Islam, or Revolutionary Marxism—should be suspect.

According to a review article published in the Journal of Forensic Psychology, people join cults for many different reasons. "Some join a group because of the benefits that it seems to offer them, while others do so in order to fill in an existing gap, whether it pertains to family, friends or lack of resources," reads the paper. "Whereas anyone could find themselves attracted to cults, their beliefs and teachings, individuals in transitional states of their lives were found to be the most vulnerable."

Fathima Badurdeen is a sociologist and expert on the history of religious extremism in Kenya’s coastal region. She says that many of Mackenzie's followers would have been unfazed by his bizarre demands.

They come from an area where poverty, unemployment and substance use are rampant, she explained. Many were desperate to escape their circumstances. "This charismatic preacher had filled a void for them,” Badurdeen told a reporter.

The research paper notes that cults use different psychological techniques to gain control over the identity of the new member, create confusion, and create a new cult pseudo-personality. "Although not all cults are destructive in nature, research shows that the majority of individuals who leave such groups experience psychological challenges associated with integration into society."

We asked Eichel what steps someone can take to safely leave a cult... "Support, support, support!" stressed the expert. "Connect with people who will support your right to think independently, to have doubts, to question. Find an ex-member group online (there are literally hundreds). Attend an ICSA meeting or conference. If possible, hire an 'exit counselor or engage a therapist who is cult-aware (sadly, a small number)."

Eichel adds that anyone leaving a cult is likely to need a lot of help after exiting. But the the amount can vary depending on whether they are First Generation Adults or SGAs/MGAs.

"The latter generally need far more intensive assistance," the expert said. "Money is almost always an issue... cults typically demand all or most financial resources be turned over to the group. Very few SGAs/MGAs leave with anything close to enough money to live on."

On top of this, many do not have marketable skills, says Eichel. "One of my former patients, who had been a Scientologist from his teen years into his forties, asked me 'What do I put down on a resume? That I'm good at fundraising and bilking people of their money? That's the only employment I ever had.' So in general, the support they need is: financial, social, and therapeutic."

Eichel told Bored Panda the most important message he tries to convey is, "Do not only look at how the group presents itself (Oh! What pretty colors that Hindu cult uses in their ceremonies! And those Scientologists were so helpful during 9/11!), or even the beliefs. Rather, look at the PROCESSES it uses to recruit, influence, and control."

The expert says that learning about cults is really about learning about influence and relationships. "In courtrooms, I discuss the 'cultic relationship' rather than sticking only to discussing the cult, because members are taught to actively brainwash themselves, even when not in the presence of their leader or group," Eichel reveals.

"Members are not 'passive zombies' as they were often described in the 1970s and 1980s," Eichel said, adding that there's significant research suggesting that the same psychological processes—deception, manipulation, and coercive control—are present in relationships marked by domestic or intimate partner abuse. "And most importantly, in many gangs and in human trafficking."

Despite all of this, it is possible to get out, as many of the brave people on this list have proven.