When it comes to how cults make their money, every cult is different, but they do have some similar methods, such as donations from followers, membership fees, or running businesses. In this article, we will deep dive into how cults make money and how you can avoid giving money to cults. If you are ready to learn, grab a cup of tea or coffee, get cozy, and let’s begin!
The Methods Cults Use to Make Money
Cults employ many different methods to make the leaders rich, and while this is not an exhaustive list, it will cover most of the current common ways. If you know of any other ways cults earn money, leave a comment below. We will add them to the list whenever we get the chance!
Tithing
Taken from the Hebrew word for “tenth,” tithing refers to giving 10% of your pre-tax earnings to a religious establishment, most commonly a Christian church. While not every church requires tithes, most cultish Christian churches require anywhere from one tithe to three tithes. This leaves their followers broke, leading to the leaders becoming filthy rich. Three tithes are extremely rare, but the churches that demand them cause deaths. This is because followers cannot pay for food and other basic needs.
Running a Business
Another major way that cults make money is by using businesses as a front for their personal dealings. These businesses can take on many different forms, and usually people do not know they are owned by a cult. Heaven’s Gate for example created websites to earn money for the cult, and The Fundamentalist Church of Later Day Saints (FLDS) owns dozens of companies in Utah. These are just two examples of how cults have used companies to earn money and make the leaders rich.
Charging A Fee To Join or Rank Up
Some cults prefer to just take their money straight from their members in the form of a membership fee or indoctrination fee. Essentially what this is, is a cult will charge its members to join the cult or charge them to learn “secret knowledge.” The Order of the Solar Temple is well known for using this method. If you would like to learn more about how Solar Temple charges its members to “level-up,” check out our article here!
The Success of the Cult Comes First
What better way to make yourself rich as cult leader than telling your cult members it is all for the success of the cult? If you do not want to take the time to run a business, or force tithings, maybe you would prefer to convince your members to “donate” to the cult. Using this method can be extremely lucrative as you are working your angle as the spiritual leader of the cult and members are likely to believe anything you tell them, including that donations will get them into heaven.
How to Watch Out For Cults Taking Your Money
When it comes to watching out for cults that want to take your money, there are several warning signs. These signs are: wanting to take over your assessts, have you work for little to no money and divorce your partner. If you meet a group who is demanding any of these things from you, even if they are not a cult, you should still run. Nothing good will come from them, and it will only cost you money and pain for the entirety of your time within the group.
Conclusion
Nearly every cult in existence is after your money one way or another, but by knowing how cults steal your money you can better protect yourself against them. If you or anyone else you know is in a cult, please, reach out for help and stop giving cult leaders money. Here is a great resource with a ton of institutes you can reach out to for help.
Sources
https://www.quora.com/How-do-cults-make-money
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/a33648485/signs-of-a-cult/
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/how-cults-make-money-business-models