Most followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh were not wild-eyed fanatics, but members of the middle class -- lawyers, doctors, accountants, teachers and other well-educated people who seemed normal enough...

...seemingly normal, well-educated people can be persuaded to commit unthinkable crimes, including flying airliners into skyscrapers...)

Harassment from the organization can be averted by stating clearly that no further contact with the organization will be welcome, and that any such contact will be viewed as harassment and charges will be pressed. Going to that extreme is difficult for some students, but it remains an effective way of deflecting these persistent organizations. Students who face harassment can also contact Campus Police who will take action warranted by the situation.

One key element to helping students get out of aggressive religious organizations is reuniting them with family and old friends, and getting them to join other non-aggressive organizations where they can make new friends...)

…"We have good data to suggest that several million Americans have had involvement with cultic groups," says Michael Langone, executive director of the American Family Foundation.

Langone describes his Florida-based foundation as an organization that studies such groups and helps victims…

…Sociologists, therapists, deprogrammers and professors of religion debate the meaning of the word cult. The topic remains so contentious that some authorities won't publicly discuss specific groups for fear of getting sued…)

Every time I see the tactics of some of the high pressure groups at work during "Orientation Week" or, for that matter, throughout the university year something recoils within me.

In discussing this issue with a goodly number of students I've found many of them equally upset by manipulative methods.

Every one of us wants to feel wanted...)