It only happens to others:it's a bit like what we tend to think of sects, as long as we haven't been recruited ourselves, or known someone who has been. . Because if, seen from the outside, it seems to be necessary to be deeply credulous, not to say stupid, to fall into the trap, this recruitment does not actually happen overnight, and it is only once entirely under the grip of a guru — or rather, once you have escaped this grip — that you become aware of the extent of it.
The landscape of what are called sectarian aberrations is, moreover, fluctuating:if the indefatigable Jehovah's Witnesses still hold the post at the subway exits, this type of deeply religious mass movement, which also includes among the most notorious the Scientology or the Order of the Solar Temple, would have during the last decade given way to smaller groups, especially in the context of a pandemic. Their common point? Charismatic leaders who see themselves at the head of a herd that they constitute by targeting individuals who are already relatively marginalized. However, the elderly are partly an ideal sample. This is no coincidence, scammers of all stripes notoriously attack seniors:door-to-door canvassing, abuse of weakness, classified ads, investments and other scams. Why should it be any different with sects, which are often just scams hidden under a thin veil of spirituality? State of play.
In 2013, a report by the Interministerial Mission for Vigilance and the Fight against Sectarian Aberrations (Miviludes) sounded the alarm. It noted the upsurge in reports in previous years and mentioned chillingly cynical methods, such as combing through obituaries to identify lonely spouses of recently deceased people. What therefore emerged was the rise of very small groups centered around a charismatic leader, the typical example being that of the "recluses of Monflanquin". As a reminder, this court case in 2012 brought a family of notables to grips with their former "guru" who, for nearly 10 years, had kept them under his control by making them believe that they were the target of a plot. . In doing so, the criminal monopolized their heritage while the family lived in seclusion in fear of this invented conspiracy.
In short, we are far from the big sectarian movements such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, which seem almost sympathetic in comparison. Where their canvassers at least have the merit of being convinced of the prophecies they make to convince potential members — because unfortunately most often themselves completely under the influence of the sect — these small groups are the work of cynical manipulators very often driven by the lure of profit above all. And religious movements have therefore been followed by drifts based more on natural health and alternative therapies, sometimes proving dangerous for the health of their followers, as well as conspiratorial and survivalist movements, which are also naturally booming during a pandemic.
Moreover, if Miviludes had been neglected by the government in favor of the fight against terrorism during the 2010s, the pandemic and the isolation it entails raise fears of a resurgence of sectarian aberrations. In 2021, the interministerial mission is reactivated, and its budget increased. The figures tend to confirm it:in 2020, Miviludes received 3,000 reports! A sharp increase compared to the 2,300 referrals in 2011, which were already alarming in the 2013 report cited above.
Finally, no matter who targets them, the main problem for seniors is that they represent ideal prey. And that, scammers of all stripes understood it a long time ago. A bit like casinos licking their chops by chartering buses to retirement homes, seniors are seen by gurus as walking purses just waiting to be untied.
Cult salesmen and other crooks claiming to hold the keys to happiness and health rely on the weaknesses of seniors. Generally speaking, they instead target people who are already in a position of weakness, whether due to a biographical breakdown or resulting from a more spread out situation, and who are therefore more likely to seize any outstretched hand. towards them, however treacherous. For the elderly, it is therefore most often two factors that serve as a starting point, one not excluding the other, quite the contrary:on the one hand the management of their health problems, and on the other hand, their social isolation. For those who are alone and have to face the boredom that often accompanies retirement, for those who find themselves widowed or have lost their closest friends, for whom finally health problems accumulate and make isolation all the more crueler, sectarian groups can at first glance seem like real blessings.
Added to this is the fact that the elderly sometimes have diminished cognitive abilities, which can alter their ability to judge — if it is not the medical treatments they are taking that take care of it — when they are not downright demented. Like hunters, gurus are above all opportunists. It can also be assumed that age lends itself to a spiritual discovery (or rediscovery) in some, on which some of these gurus would rely. For some elderly people, the approach of their last hour can be a strong source of anguish, which they seek to assuage through increased religious devotion.
And with an aging population – France should have around 8 million octogenarians in 2040 – there is the challenge of integrating this fringe. It's about not leaving the elderly as food for scammers of all kinds.
In France, we speak legally of sectarian excesses, because the principle of secularism (so often misused to persecute certain minorities) is precisely intended to defend freedom of worship, and therefore respectful of all beliefs. On the other hand, if the term cult therefore has no legal value in itself, this does not mean that abuses committed in the name of a supposed religion are not combated and punished. To put it more concretely, it is possible in France to claim any belief, however eccentric and marginal it may be; on the other hand, it is the "drifts" potentially committed under its cover that will be combated. These abuses are described by Miviludes as "the implementation, by an organized group or by an isolated individual […] of pressures or techniques aimed at creating, maintaining or exploiting in a person a state of subjection psychological or physical, depriving him of a part of his free will, with harmful consequences for this person, his entourage or for society".
The Miviludes retains certain signs as characteristic of a sectarian drift. Because of course, an appetite for shady medicines or an affinity for conspiracy, if you can disapprove of them, does not immediately mean that your loved one is under the influence of a guru. Among these signs are a break with the close environment and an antisocial discourse, an attack on physical and/or mental integrity, exorbitant financial demands... So many clues whose detection in your loved ones should put you on the alert. ear.
The problem of sectarian aberrations is also the aftermath. We come out ruined, desocialized, which is also one of the reasons why it is difficult to leave a sect:it makes itself essential to the person whose life it nevertheless parasitizes. Be aware that in addition to Miviludes, there are associations that help victims of sectarian aberrations, such as Unadfi or Caffes, which have made it their mission to support and defend the victims of sectarian aberrations and their relatives.
