Jim Jones or the Branch Davidians of David Koresh, reactance against society in general precipitated isolation from society, allowing the leader to be free to physically reinforce the ingroup mentality in the privacy and understanding of ‘his people.” While the average New Ager doesn’t “leave everything and go sit on a hill” permanently, nature weekends, hikes in the mountains, and other such “spiritual retreats” are a normal part of a devoted New Ager’s lifestyle, for fellowship with like-minded others, for meditation, and such common New Age activities.For almost a year, Will Baron was sent to the so-called “Mecca of the New Age,” in Scotland, a privately-run retreat for upwardly-mobile supporters of the New Age (Baron, 1990). Away from mainstream society, all the factors of persuasion have a greater inculcation factor. Again, isolation is used, to some extent, by any number of organizations of good and neutral purpose, from government and corporate training sessions, to leadership workshops, to church picnics, to academic club weekend retreats and the Biblical “come out of her, my people,” who are “called out of darkness into His marvelous light,” isolation itself is not necessarily evil, but it can be used for purposes of both good and evil.We may wonder, “how do these guru nuts get people to kill themselves?” or we may assert “that could never happen to me,” but it could. Grace Stone is quoted by many (Conway & Seigelman, 1979, cited by Myers 1996, p. 300), saying Nothing was ever done drastically. That’s how Jim Jones got away with so much. You slowly gave up things and slowly had to put up with more, but it was always done very gradually.” He was able to get away with “so much” (and what a macabre understatement) because of the foot-in-the-door phenomena, and his understanding of the low-ball te...
