-The #1 Bestselling Guide to Protection,
Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults-

The classic work by Steven Hassan as discussed by Pierre S. Freeman

 I can assure you that people in AMORC may be, in certain ways, gullible- but this is not a matter of intelligence or inherent emotional stability. It is, indeed, a result, in many cases, of emotional vulnerability or insatiable curiosity or desire to know the truth or be part of something really special- at the outset- and then, later, strictly the result of extraordinarily subtle techniques of brainwashing setting in.
            AMORC members are generally middle-class professional people. Sometimes blue collar- but rather smart people, in general. The main point is they can support their monthly dues and slip something in the AMRA box from time to time, sometimes quite generously.

            If you read my memoir, The Prisoner of San Jose, you will shortly realize that I was not the best financially-stable recruit for AMORC but I was adequately dedicated to paying my membership fees although I failed a few times and had to depend on other member’s largesse in their support-the-temporarily-disconnected AMORC member program. Yes, for twenty-six years, despite my remarkably poor, low level jobs and bouts with homelessness, they got thousands of dollars from me. I have explained in my book how I believed in the magic bounty that would be showered on those who served the Cosmic. Even after years of membership, my belief in AMORC was running rough shod over my experience. 
            When I was first recruited- and this was mainly through advertising not social pressure- I did have a passionate curiosity about the meaning of life and a hope I could find some satisfactory answers, but I was also very eager to find a quick solution to the challenges I would face in my near future- career and financial challenges- and AMORC seemed an answer to both needs, spiritual and financial.

            At the time, I was at the top of my game, a student in the most advanced technical school in Haiti, the Faculte des Sciences, an Engineering School, comparable to MIT in the United States.  Upon graduation, students would either get high-paying jobs or wind up in graduate schools in France. The world was my oyster.
            My vulnerability was my background, which was growing up in extreme poverty and realizing the social challenges that I would have to face to take on the highly competitive professional class obstacles I would need to overcome to truly succeed. Looking back, I was well on my way- and my vulnerabilities were more a mind set than a reality- because I had already gotten into the most advanced school for my potential profession, had been working in a government job on the side and had managed to support my mother and siblings, almost entirely on my own. 
            But the context of insecurity cannot necessarily be measured by reality. Hassan, when he was recruited, was also in school but had slipped into a depression because of the loss of his girlfriend. Hassan was also hungry for answers. He was Jewish but more ethnically involved than religiously committed. I was a Catholic but was no longer seeking answers through the Church.  Intelligent, competitive and educated, both of us were still vulnerable to the siren songs of the cults.
            So, if you are a member of a cult or are thinking of joining something that looks like one, don’t necessarily look at the members’ social standing, intelligence or education to validate the reality of the group. Look instead at the information and philosophy that lies at the foundations of the organization. Ask compelling questions and demand realistic and rational answers. Look beyond the cult and its members for answers about the group. Let’s not become a potential asset for deceptive cult predators.
            Don’t put out any money or sign anything until you have thoroughly investigated the reality of your next adventure. And don’t forget what you have read in my books, posts and blogs- Mind Control works on smart people. Be warned!