My only experience with cults has been the Jews for Jesus cult. In school, many years ago, I saw the damage it did to a classmate whose parents were taken in. Every spare penny went to the cult, so much that there was little left over for decent clothing, shoes or even a new hairbrush for this poor child. She was left dirty and disheveled despite the fact that her family had a somewhat decent income (at least the lower end of middle class). When the "church" moved to an outlying county her family moved along with it, no matter that there was no job waiting for them. THey had to be near the "church (or temple or whatever)". A friend's parents tried to help this child and her family, but there was nothing they could do when they found out that over 50 percent of this family's income went to their "church".
Now they are in my neighborhood, masquerading as a syngagogue. They advertise shabbos services in english and russian. THey are targeting new Russian immigrants who are not savvy enough to know that they are going not to a real synagogue but to a church known for trying to convert Jews (the church has other sects that use the space for similar purposes under different names). All of these so-called religions end up charging enormous tithe fees and send their members around town to stand for days on end on street corners harassing people with their fliers. Recently when two of them were literally blocking my passage down a sidewalk I finally took their flier and as soon as they let me pass I tore it up and tossed it. The nearly toothless woman chased me down the street exhorting me to find love in my heart for Jesus etc.
Similar nonsense has occurred with Mormom missionaries here in my very not-Christian neighborhood. They don't scream or act like nut jobs, but they roam the streets looking for anyone that has the look of a non-believer (i.e. not white and having a foreign accent). They will quietly follow people until they listen to the schpiel. ANd goodness forbid you read Harry Potter or the Davinci Code at an outdoor cafe. At least they got the message when people started calling the police on them!!! I would say that the Mormons straddle the line between cults and real religion.
Something makes me think that no matter how bad things get at the local established Church or Synagogue that they won't be taking more than the usual dues (a few hundred a year) from their congregants. And while they will certainly be indocrinating the children they won't be stealing food from their mouths or taking hte shoes from their feet with tithing that takes up half or more of their parents income. Targeting weak people and taking advantage of them is no different than the people who fall for Nigerian scams, television televangelists, or pyramid schemes. The same people who are weak enough to send money to scams are exactly the people who get taken in by these so-called religions. Just as we wouldn't tolerate some dude in Nigeria masquerading as a prince who needs you to help him get his millions out of the bank neither should be tolerate a group of savvy people who promise salvation with every penny they can squeeze out of you.
