Cults are one of the most fascinating phenomena in our society. We love to watch documentaries about them, listen to crazy stories from former cult members, and thank the forces above that we have never been tricked into joining one. Currently, there are about 10,000 cults in the U.S., at least according to cult expert Steve Eichel.
The International Cultic Studies Association estimates that about one percent of the American population (about three million people) have been in a cult at some point in their lives. Around 50,000 to 100,000 people possibly enter and leave every year.
It's not easy to recognize when someone is trying to get you into a cult. But Bored Panda recently came across a thread where former cultic group members were sharing the major warning signs. "At what moment did you go, 'Oh [wow], I'm in a cult'?" one Redditor asked. And people's answers proved what cult experts often say: the fact that only gullible people get recruited into cults is a myth, and sometimes cultic groups are lurking where we least expect them.
