Not sure I like all of it (particularly the AA bit)but generally speaking it was worth a read - the term cult can be a problem to some people but for me its a subjective experience. The pentecostals groups are very cultish in my opinion - just by studying the group dynamic and other sociological indicators ie. crimes. I think its up to the consumer to decide.http://surrealist.org/norimuster/handbook.htmlCult Survivors Handbook Table of ContentsPreface, FrontmatterThis book is written for people who joined and left a cult as an adult, but people born or raised in a cult may also benefit from reading it. There is also a note to non-cult family members to help them interpret their loved one's experience.Family TherapyDangerous cults function like dysfunctional families, so good counseling in the field of family therapy may help an ex-cult member process the experience. If the root of the problems go back to family of origin issues, family therapy can help.Abuse RecoveryEmotional, physical, and sexual abuse is common in cults. Read this chapter if you suffered abuse in a cult.Depth PsychologyCarl Jung's philosophy can help ex-cult members find meaning in their experiences.The Twelve StepsIf you practiced abuse in the cult, the Twelve Steps can offer you relief from the pain of guilt.Mind-BodyHere are some tips to get out of depression without drugs and learn the messages of your symptoms of disease.Creative Art Therapy and GestaltFor people who were victimized in a cult, humanist psychology is the best route to recovery.Eastern MindEastern philosophy has benefits; learn to keep the parts you enjoy, while you throw away the garbage the cult may have served with it.Ten Reasons Not to Hit Your Kidsby Jan Hunt, M.Sc., Director ofThe Natural Child ProjectBibliography and Suggested ReadingRead more books about the topics covered in Cult Survivors Handbook.the nitty gritty on cults- source

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In exchange for obedience, Christianity promises salvation in an afterlife; but in order to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity must convince people that they need salvation, that there is something to be saved from. Christianity has nothing to offer a happy person living in a natural, intelligible universe. If Christianity is to gain a motivational foothold, it must declare war on earthly pleasure and happiness, and this, historically, has been its precise course of action. In the eyes of Christianity, woman(man) is sinful and helpless in the face of God, and is potential fuel for the flames of hell. Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before it can introduce salvation.

-- George H Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God