2022 can be defined as the ‘year’ in Spain.year of denominations‘. Since January 1, there have been several incidents of “closed communities in which teachers exercise absolute power over their followers, promoting or appearing to promote spiritual causes,” and this is how the RAE describes them.
There are several media cases: last April La Chaparra sect. A destructive fraternity based in Castellón. Their leader, known as Uncle Toni, He exploited and exploited his followers, claiming that he was sent by God.. Uncle Toni (Antonio GL) was arrested by the National Police in a special op and was found dead in his cell in mid-May.
In the same May, a news shook the public: 3-year-old boy dies after drinking hydrogen peroxide In an industrial warehouse in Corella (Navarra). settled there 12 Tribal sectsA religious group that has been based in France since the 1990s and has increased the number of followers in our country in the last two years.
Recently, during the month of March, the National Police dispersed a newly formed sect without religious motivations. about IM Mastery Academy. a sect disguised as an investment academy allegedly taught its affiliates to trade cryptocurrencies, but bankrupted the vast majority of victims who joined them.
Cryptocurrencies? Yes, because sects have mutated. They changed their physiognomy, their message, and even the way they attract new victims. “The stereotype of a devout guru in white with a long beard and messages about God has changed drastically. It’s already far away. We’re talking about now horizontal organizations with politicians, academics or companiesMiguel Perlado, a clinical psychologist who specializes in denominations and is the author of numerous studies on the subject, tells El Periódico de España.
mind hunters
The cases mentioned are just a few of the events that took place in the context of sectarian groups in our country this year. they all have many different profiles. And after the pandemic, there has been a rebound in this type of group, known by experts as ‘mind hunters’. Groups with a pyramidal structure that catch the careless in moments of powerlessness and take full advantage of them.
Now sects have moved away from stereotypes. They are not numerous, and their members do not even need to physically overlap in a space. “It is getting harder and harder to identify them. Because there has been no record of sects in our country since the 1980s, but now thanks to social networks, Any group of 6 or 7 people with a Telegram accountTo give you an example, they already have a platform to spread the messages and rituals of proselytism,” they explain from RedUne, a Spanish association dedicated to the prevention of sectarian networks for almost 25 years.
This is one of the characteristics of the mutation of groups or small groups: they use networks to reach the maximum possible number of potential members. And as it becomes increasingly difficult to trap someone with promises of deliverance from eternal life or divine punishment, recruiters are relying on these new trends: self-help, pseudotherapies, return to natural life even earn money (cryptocurrencies) as a charm.
This has even led to changes in recruitment patterns: ” new methods pertaining to the functioning of sectarian groups. We live in the digital age, so work, personal and social activities are increasingly developed virtually, physical proximity is not necessary to establish very close contact with other people”, experts in the destructive denominations of the National Police confirm.
multinational liberation
“They are the multinational corporations of salvation,” says Professor Miguel Perlado, calculating this. “0.911% of the Spanish population has been or has been affected by contact with sects. at some point in your life.” Regarding the number of these associations in Spain, Among 250 or 300 recognized groups. However, all sources state that “this number is nearly impossible to determine as there is no official census. We would now disappear as they explained from RedUne.
“The result obtained is likely to be wrong. Depending on the expert interviewed, the figures will vary as different criteria will be applied. This has been added chameleon character Trying to hide their true purpose in any activity such as yoga, martial arts, well-being, self-help or esotericism, many of these movements allow them to function in private, very small groups and in privacy. This makes it very difficult to find out about its existence and talk about real numbers,” explained National Police experts.
“Citizens in general, usually does not contradict the sources or the information it accesses. He is currently experiencing a moment of great uncertainty, pessimism and even fear. This causes us to be more permeable and vulnerable to the messages of salvation, self-help, self-help that the sects originally offered. We have placed the cults in our homes over the internet,” police sources continue.
post-pandemic wave
Experts agree that the pandemic has a before and after for sectarian groups. The closure and restrictions have led many people to seek new living environments. The abandonment of the city to seek retirement in the countryside and far from society facilitated the rise of gurus and wealthy proposing. spiritual retirementphilosophies of life based on past times and closer to nature.
Miguel Perlado said, “Since then, there has been a change. These new denominations are dedicated to the parasanitary space, healers and healers. pseudotherapies. In a way, they are drifting towards a greener discourse. They are more geared towards natural environments and this has been reinforced by the pandemic lockdown.”
This atypical situation and the resulting problems have caused many to look for lightning solutions to solve their “personal or business problems. This may cause us to be uncritical or rational with the proposals presented to us. fall into the arms of unscrupulous groups those seeking to satisfy their own economic, power or other interests. Let’s say miracles happen on rare occasions, and of course they don’t happen for money and can’t be obtained by anyone,” they say of the National Police.
Danger
Despite their facelifts, are these cults dangerous? Professor Miguel Perladoat least 70% of denominations have behaviors defined in Spain high physical and psychological risk“. A high percentage of leaders “exploit vulnerability, squander wealth.” Sexual abuse does occur and a significant proportion of victims are children; it is already dangerous to apply coercive pressure in a way that is unprotected as childhood, but limits domination and freedoms,” adds RedUne.
The danger of these subversive sects (such associations that try to parasitize their followers, as experts know) comes from a variety of tools designed to override the subject’s will:They do isolation, information control, eating, sleeping exercises. They are also often subjected to constant activities that do not have free time. This physical weakening will lead to a psychological weakening, which will result in a loss of critical sense, making them vulnerable to the use of emotional persuasion techniques.”
Police experts also believe that the big problem with the new physiognomy of denominations is that they are increasingly undetectable, even to professionals. “Many of them are very private and of limited scope, difficult to detect. In fact, proselytization and control activities do not require a physical presence in most cases, but are carried out virtually. Improved outlook, if possible, with the state of isolation imposed by the pandemic”.