This one hits close to home for me. In college, I studied religion, and I know from first hand experience that much of this goes on. This movie gets me outraged because I know this happens all the time.
With this in mind, there are people who desire the social infrastructure a cult provides. I met a woman who joined the Jehovahs Witnesses not because she felt any of it was true, but because she loved the sense of order the organization provided. She was willing to believe anything they told her — quite consciously — because she lacked structure and community in her own life.
My own opinion is that belief systems should always be approached with an active mind. One should analyze whether religion adds to the richness of a person's personality or dilutes it. If one believes in God, it should be a personal belief. There is no "technique" in this. Let each person decide — independently — where their path lies.
