I Can Smell a Cult Leader a Mile Away

Be They Religious or Political

Cult leaders are a special breed. I know; I grew up in a religious cult. I can pick out a cult leader with the greatest of ease.

Now, before I start making a list of common characteristics that all cult leaders share, let me reiterate that I was indeed raised in a religious cult. My dad was the cult leader, the anointed one. It was a bizarre and traumatic childhood that left me with no choice but to leave home at eighteen. My parents disowned me, of course. Not because I had betrayed God, although my dad loved to say that, no, they disowned me because I had betrayed the great fearless leader of the cult.

I’m not going to share my life’s story in this short article.

Suffice it to say that it took me a while to get on my feet, but life turned out pretty good for me in the end. No thanks to the chosen one, our cult leader. Yes, I did say “chosen one.” You see, his followers believed that he was chosen by God for a special mission in life — to save souls before the second coming of Christ.

In their eyes, he could do no wrong.

Let me also add that although my firsthand experience with a cult leader was in a religious group, religion is not the only arena where cult leaders thrive. Cult leaders often show up in the political world, too. There have been many leaders of this ilk across the world. It’s my opinion that politics and religion have many similarities.

So what traits do religious and political cult leaders share?

Cult leaders are charismatic. They have an extra special something that dazzles and ultimately manipulates followers. People are drawn to their confidence and audacity in the beginning but eventually get sucked into their psychological sphere. Once inside, the chances of seeing the showman for what he truly is — a mere performer — become less likely.

Cult leaders are daring. They dare to say and do things that ordinary people often wouldn’t think of doing. They have a brashness about them that makes them appear untouchable. Each time they make a bold declaration, they are testing the waters to see just how much they can get away with, and if successful, the next time they’ll push the envelope even further. The shock value of their audacity eventually becomes normalized as their followers become addicted to the emotional release these declarations provide.

Cult leaders are braggarts. My dad was always reminding my brothers, sisters, and me that we’d never meet a smarter man than him. He unabashedly made huge claims about his special abilities, almost as though he were a superhero. “No one knows more about finances than I do. No one knows more about literature, being a soldier, running a business, opera, medicine — you name it.” He was a know-it-all who proudly proclaimed he knew it all. If you repeat something over and over, people tend to believe you. His followers worshipped him.

Cult leaders are punitive. They love to raise the bar really high for their followers but then turn around and break the rules themselves. They will rule everyone else with an iron fist; however, you can’t question a cult leader or disagree with him. He expects loyalty and adoration. If you fail him, he can become vindictive.

Cult leaders are highly flawed. They generally have very little self-control. Self-denial is practically unknown to them. It is easy for cult leaders to rule with an iron fist, even while committing some horrendous sins of their own — sins that should make their staunchest followers flinch. But a true follower doesn’t flinch. Instead, they live in denial of the truth about their leader, the one and only person who can save their lives. Cult leaders can literally get away with anything — rape, incest, murder, torture, cheating, lying — you name it. The rest of us would get in trouble, maybe even go to jail, but not the cult leader.

If the cult leader is male — and they often are — they are often womanizers or pedophiles. It’s probably not so much about sex as it is about power. Ultimately, cult leaders are never satisfied to play second fiddle to anyone else. They must be in the role that wields the most power. To exert that power over individuals is something they feel entitled to do. After all, they’re special. Children and women are easy prey. We’ve seen this over and over in the Catholic Church, for example.

Cult leaders expect to be supported, emotionally and financially. They pretend that due to their special calling, they have too much responsibility to be expected to do all those ordinary tasks that the rest of us do. So, people step up to assist and often feel privileged to do so.

Cult leaders lack empathy. They may be sociopaths or psychopaths. They are incapable of feeling the pain and suffering of others. Everything is about them. A cult leader is the star in their own theatrical production. Everyone else is merely props in the backdrop of their story.

Cult leaders have few, if any, true convictions of their own. There is no moral compass. They use morality as leverage to convince people to follow them, but they lack any authentic commitment to truth. They latch on to issues that appear to concern others and then use those concerns to draw others into their world. They are the greatest pretenders on the planet.

One way to make a cult leader feel good is to praise him. They love that. If there is a way to sway a cult leader to your way of thinking, it would be through open admiration.

Cult leaders are deeply affected by betrayal. It cuts deeply and makes them furious. They nurse their wounds indefinitely and can become vindictive and dismissive. Beware of a cult leader who has been betrayed; he will never forget.

So there you have it: eleven characteristics that define a cult leader.

Perhaps you have already identified a current political or religious cult leader. I can certainly think of a few. I’m not going to name names today, however.

Of course, I’m sure there is a list of defining characteristics for those who are followers as well.

After all, not everyone can be a cult leader. It takes a special kind of person. Followers may be easier to find, however. For every cult leader, there must be a band of followers willing to give up their own goals and desires in order to dedicate themselves to their leader.

Without followers, the cult leader is powerless.

Those who choose to give the cult leader power are first-class enablers. Without the participation of devoted followers, those who seek power over the lives of others would die lonely and miserable. My dad managed to snare around one hundred people and held them captive for several decades. I wonder what they all had in common. Was my dad able to sense a potential follower when he bumped into one?

Perhaps that’s a good topic for the next article.

Teresa is an author and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.