The more extreme these behaviors, the more potential for abuse exists in the group activity. Cult activity refers to any devotional or ritualistic attention to a person, doctrine or object. Most religions have cult activity, or a cult, that is central to devotional activity. In ancient Judaism they had the cult of the Ark of the Covenant. Some Asian religions have the cult of ancestor worship.
Vampires practice the cult of drinking blood.
Northwest Native Americans have the cult of totem animals. Labelling something a cult tells us very little about the morality or ethics of the person or group that supports such cult activity. If cult participants follow the four patterns suggested above, they become vulnerable to thought reform and mind control. If these agendas are hidden agendas the deception can undermine a group member's ability to question or criticize. The TRC does this, not by attacking the group in question, but by explaining how abusive thought reform systems operate, and by giving examples of groups that use these abusive techniques.