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Q&A: Cult expert Lorne Dawson on the lure of terrorism (with video)
Q&A: Cult expert Lorne Dawson on the lure of terrorism (with video)by Dylan Robertson at the Ottawa Citizen
"SNIP.................
When people join new religious movements, there was almost always a contingent factor when they joined. That just when they were feeling and thinking a certain way, they met certain people. And it’s quite accidental.
They’re feeling there’s more to life; they’ve just succeeded at something, but it’s disappointing. Along comes a guy strumming a guitar taking about a new Jesus movement; how everyone’s getting ready for the Second Coming. They get wrapped up and carried away in it.
And these people when interviewed, after they’ve left the group, admit that if somebody had come along and said they’re heading off to Guatemala to build schools for impoverished communities, they would’ve joined that.
In psychology we call this “cognitive openings,” when you peel away your old ideas and you’re in a fragile frame of mind; you’re looking for some guidance and leadership. And you find a clear set of beliefs about how little-old you can change the world.
..................SNIP"