What is the difference between cults and the church? Both are based on brainwashing techniques, long repetitive lectures , faith rather than logic, isolation from those opposed to the beliefs of the group, blind trust in the authority of charismatic leaders, long hours of mind numbing prayer,a seige mkentality, ready made decisions and friends,rigid moral judgments of non-members,more rules than a gulag,ostracism of people who are independant thinkers.

Margaret Singer is considered the top mind on cults . She was twice nominated for a nobel prize and has written books on cults.
Not many graduates of top universities (public or private) are reigious fanatics because they come to realize that noone's imaginary friend in the sky is better than another's and because science proves major religions to be fairy tales. So-sick is an unthinking cog in the machine of the church