But it left a great impression on me that society doesn't pay enough attention to such fringe groups. But a real threat from cults exists today in the United States. Right now, about 5,000 cults take advantage of this climate to practice in the United States, says Margaret Singer, an emeritus adjunct professor of psychology at Berkeley. The vast majority of these groups do not commit murder and suicide. But that's no reason to ignore the ones that do.
Most cults too are anything but secretive.
Their posters and preachers abound around the colleges where I taught. Cult leaflets and posters are pushed everywhere, announcing meetings for new recruits. By then, it's too late. Largely, they seek money and power. Once shorn of their other resources, participants depend all the more on the group and its leaders.