Doctrine merely becomes part of the family baggage. Cults as Extended Families Cults are simply extended families with a new hierarchy. There is a father image in most all of them, or in a few cases a very strong mother image instead. There is no question among the initiates as to what is sacred and what is profane. Such is learned through both written and verbal instruction, as well as observing and experiencing the rod of the judicial system of the group.
Favoritism is unavoidable, but when coupled with the abuse of power it is oppressive.
The difference between the family experience and the cult experience is generally found in the degree of abuse experienced, as well as in the use of deception. It is also a model that is much easier to understand, assuming one has been raised in a family of their own, especially an abusive one. In actuality, however, doctrine is only one of the many forms of control within the extended family. In the case of abusive father figures who use the Bible, all sorts of distorted concepts are taught using the Bible, where passages are usually taken out of context or totally misinterpreted. For the sake of control, and for pretending that one has all the answers.