And they'd be right to do so. Which means they are very, very wrong in defending these high-demand groups. That is, there is a positive and a negative enforcement, a carrot and a stick. When one or the other fails, the member usually leaves. Thus, the control is still really in the member's own hands, and the techniques are mostly ways of getting the member to control themselves the group's way.
Christian beliefs go against the use of mind manipulation methods.
You are made in the image of God, and the Spirit builds up this image in you, rather than imposing it. If the Spirit's methods respect personal freedom that much, so must the methods of any follower of Christ. Control and power are Satan's bag, not the crucified Lord's. There's more information on this site. Or, off to my personal Web site .