Hey Lil' pon,

As you said yourself - the cults - especially scientology (I have no trouble naming them), sometimes sue people fighting against them.

(So Puter tech, over 2 years late, better late than never). I am well aware of this, I have been threatened by the cult.

There are some lawyers that specialize in suing for cults too, they are often scientologists themselves. Because in all honesty scientology was damn smart - smarter than many cults - when they decided to focus their recruitments on well educated affluent or famous people.

L Ron Hubbard was not that smart; the man was an anti social by today’s DSM standards. Most of the cult leaders are stark raging lunatics.

I have no clue if the "contracts" that scientology members sign are "legal". I think maybe they serve more of a emotional purpose - the cult member having in mind that they signed this contract, so they cant possibly leave and then they wont even try. A contract like that in the light of some of the emotional horrors members go through, its not surprising if it has a strong effect. This is like having someone sign a suicidal contract - the contract has no "legal" standing, but is still often followed.

Are you kidding - you don't know if it's Legal? The one billion year contract that members of the Sea Org sign upon joining? What contract which has a term of one billion years is legal?

Some of the things I usually consider when I talk to other ex members, or people who work to help those in cults are -

People fighting against cults often have personal experience with cults, and they tend to easily get very, very angry at the cult leaders. If they express their anger or even rage at the cult they can easily do or say something that can look really bad in a court. I have seen a few examples of this happening. So, make sure the people that work on a specific case has enough of their past pain healed to act professionally and calmly around the cult no matter what.

I am not, nor never have been a member of any cult. If you are suggesting that any amount of psychotherapy, counseling or any kind of intervention will assist a long term cult member (and I am talking about someone who has been in for many years or decades) to “heal”, I feel you are sadly mis informed. Just check out www.xenu.net to get an understanding. People who have been abused for that long generally don't heal via the talking cure. They have had years and years and years of talking - brainwashing, and now to suggest that they go through many more years of MORE talking with a professional, in my opinion, it's unethical. Only time and family and friends will help - keep the therapists out of it.

Parents who are trying to help a current cult member also sometimes fly off the handle - its understandable but it is a risk element. The lawyers can have a field day with it in court if they want to.

Watch out for email communications - even anonymous email communications can and has been used in a court of law. Keep it calm, civil, focus on provable facts, and on helping whoever the helpers are there for.

If you want to talk, do it face to face.

When anything is said or written about the cult - make sure its provable to avoid slander suits.

Yes, I agree with you there.

Also - in general, be aware of the laws governing how you interact with the group, and then follow them. Maybe consult with a lawyer about what risk factors are there before starting to tangle directly with a cult that is strong enough to hire an expensive lawyer. Agreed.

Those are just teh things I have noticed as I have moved around in the field.

Agreed there.