CLCI Self-Assessment

1. 1.In your group, are members expected to follow specific rules about how they dress, cut their hair, or present their appearance?
   No rules exist; members dress however they choose.There are loose preferences but no real pressure to conform.Clear expectations exist and social pressure enforces them.Strict rules are enforced; violations result in correction or discipline.
2. 2.How much of your daily schedule is determined or strongly influenced by group activities, obligations, or expectations?
   My schedule is entirely my own.Group activities take some time but I maintain personal freedom.A significant portion of my day is structured around group demands.Nearly all of my time is controlled or accounted for by the group.
3. 3.Does your group have rules or strong expectations about how members handle their personal finances or donations?
   Giving is entirely voluntary with no pressure or scrutiny.Tithing or donations are encouraged but not monitored.Specific financial commitments are expected; transparency to leadership is required.Significant income or assets are controlled or surrendered to the group.
4. 4.Are your friendships or romantic relationships outside the group discouraged, restricted, or scrutinized?
   Outside relationships are fully supported and celebrated.Outside relationships are fine but members tend to socialise mostly within the group.Outside relationships are actively discouraged or viewed with suspicion.Members are forbidden or strongly pressured to cut off outsiders.
5. 5.Does your group regulate or provide specific teachings on dating, sexuality, marriage, or family planning that members are expected to follow?
   No teachings; personal decisions are entirely respected.Teachings exist but are framed as guidance, not obligation.Expectations are clear and deviation leads to disapproval or counselling.Strict rules exist; violations result in discipline, public shaming, or exclusion.
6. 6.How much time per week are members expected to spend on group meetings, events, study, outreach, or service?
   A few hours; fully optional and flexible.Several hours; expected but manageable alongside outside life.Many hours; missing events is noticed and leads to social pressure.Participation consumes most free time; declining is treated as spiritual failure.
7. 7.Are members expected to seek permission or approval from leadership before making significant personal decisions (job change, moving, marriage, medical care)?
   Never; personal decisions belong entirely to the individual.Guidance is available and sometimes sought voluntarily.Approval is strongly expected; acting independently is frowned upon.Decisions must be approved; acting without permission has consequences.
8. 8.Is there strong pressure to conform to group norms in behaviour, speech, and social interactions — even outside formal group settings?
   Members express themselves freely; diversity of behaviour is welcomed.Some shared cultural norms exist but nonconformity is tolerated.A consistent group identity is expected; deviation draws negative attention.Conformity is demanded at all times; any deviation is quickly corrected.
9. 9.Does your group discourage or prohibit members from accessing certain books, websites, podcasts, news sources, or other media?
   No restrictions; members are free to read or watch anything.Some materials are informally discouraged but nothing is forbidden.Specific sources are labelled dangerous or spiritually harmful and actively avoided.Broad categories of outside media are forbidden; members are monitored.
10. 10.How does your group treat critical information, negative news stories, or academic research about itself?
    It is engaged with openly and transparently.It is acknowledged but framed as misunderstanding or bias.It is labelled as persecution, lies, or spiritually dangerous.Members are forbidden to read or discuss it; exposure is treated as an attack.
11. 11.Are members encouraged to share information about group practices, finances, or internal events with outsiders?
    Full transparency is the norm; nothing is hidden.Discretion is suggested for some internal matters.Members are instructed not to discuss internal affairs with outsiders.Strict secrecy is enforced; revealing internal information is a serious violation.
12. 12.Does the group use a different or specialised vocabulary that has specific meanings only understood by members?
    No; standard language is used; terminology is always explained.Some jargon exists but it is openly explained to newcomers.Loaded language is pervasive and shapes how members think about issues.The group's vocabulary replaces ordinary thinking; outsiders' language feels wrong.
13. 13.Are members given different information depending on how long they have been in the group or their rank?
    All information is equally available to everyone.Some advanced teachings exist but their existence is known to all.Significant doctrines or practices are withheld from newer members.Core beliefs or practices are hidden until members are deeply committed.
14. 14.Are members trained or encouraged to present the group in a favourable way to outsiders — even if this omits important information?
    Members present the group honestly, including its challenges.A positive framing is natural but deception is not taught.Members are coached on what to say and what to omit.Systematic deception of outsiders is taught as acceptable or spiritually justified.
15. 15.How freely can members discuss doubts, questions, or disagreements about group teachings with other members?
    Open discussion and questioning are actively encouraged.Questions are acceptable but answers are always framed within group doctrine.Questioning is discouraged; persistent doubt is treated as a spiritual problem.Questioning is forbidden; expressing doubt leads to discipline or reporting to leadership.
16. 16.Does your group teach that it alone possesses the truth, and that all other groups, religions, or worldviews are fundamentally wrong or spiritually dangerous?
    The group acknowledges truth in many traditions and perspectives.The group believes it has a superior path but respects others.The group teaches that outsiders are spiritually lost or deceived.The group teaches it is the only path to salvation/enlightenment; all others lead to harm or damnation.
17. 17.Does the group use thought-stopping techniques — such as chanting, repetitive prayer, confession rituals, or meditation — to prevent critical thinking?
    Contemplative practices exist but analytical thinking is also valued.Practices are encouraged but members remain free to think critically.Specific techniques are used regularly to suppress doubt or analysis.Members are taught that critical thought itself is spiritually dangerous or sinful.
18. 18.How does the group frame issues — as nuanced and complex, or in clear-cut black-and-white terms (us vs them, good vs evil)?
    Complexity and nuance are embraced; diverse perspectives are valued.Some issues are framed in clear terms but most allow for complexity.Most issues are framed in binary terms; nuance is treated as compromise.All issues are black-and-white; questioning the binary is itself treated as wrong.
19. 19.What happens when a member raises a sincere criticism of leadership, doctrine, or group practices?
    Criticism is welcomed and taken seriously by leadership.Criticism is tolerated but responses always defend the group's position.Criticism is discouraged and the critic is counselled or pressured.Criticism results in public correction, shunning, or expulsion.
20. 20.Is the group's doctrine or leader treated as infallible, or is it acknowledged that the group has made mistakes?
    Leadership and doctrine are openly questioned; past mistakes are acknowledged.Leadership is respected but acknowledged to be fallible.Leadership is treated as spiritually superior; mistakes are explained away.The leader or doctrine is treated as beyond question; doubting them is a sin.
21. 21.Are members taught to distrust their own thoughts, feelings, or perceptions if they conflict with group teachings?
    Personal experience and intuition are valued and trusted.Personal experience is valued within the framework of group teaching.Doubts or conflicting feelings are interpreted as spiritual weakness or outside influence.Members are explicitly taught that their own mind cannot be trusted; only group teaching is reliable.
22. 22.Does the group have an end-times, apocalyptic, or us-versus-the-world narrative that justifies special rules or sacrifices?
    No such narrative exists.Some eschatological teaching exists but it doesn't drive daily behaviour.An urgent end-times framework shapes major decisions and sacrifices.Members are in a state of constant crisis readiness; the narrative justifies extreme behaviour.
23. 23.Does the group use fear — of spiritual harm, divine punishment, persecution, or catastrophe — to motivate compliance?
    Fear is not used; motivation comes from positive values and community.Some teachings include warnings but fear is not the primary motivator.Fear of spiritual consequences is regularly used to discourage questioning or leaving.Intense fear is systematically cultivated; members feel constant existential threat.
24. 24.Does the group use guilt, shame, or public confession to manage members' behaviour?
    Healthy accountability exists but shame is not weaponised.Guilt is sometimes invoked but members are also affirmed and encouraged.Guilt and shame are used regularly to enforce compliance.Public confession, shaming, or ritual humiliation is part of group practice.
25. 25.When you or others first joined the group, was there an unusually intense period of affection, flattery, and attention from members?
    Welcome was warm but proportionate and sustained over time.Initial enthusiasm was high but settled into normal relationships.Newcomers receive exceptional attention that noticeably decreases after commitment.Intense love-bombing is the deliberate recruitment strategy; affection is conditional on compliance.
26. 26.Are members taught to fear what will happen to them — spiritually, socially, or practically — if they leave the group?
    Leaving is treated as a personal choice with no spiritual consequences threatened.Leaving is sad but members are told they retain their standing with God/the universe.Leaving is framed as spiritually dangerous and members are warned of consequences.Members are taught that leaving leads to spiritual death, damnation, or catastrophe.
27. 27.Are members who leave, or who are expelled, shunned — meaning current members are instructed to cut off contact with them?
    Relationships with former members are maintained normally.Some social distance naturally develops but no instruction to shun.Former members are treated with suspicion; close contact is discouraged.Members are explicitly instructed to cut off all contact with those who leave.
28. 28.Are members' emotions regularly manipulated through engineered spiritual highs, group confessions, public testimonies, or intense music to reinforce loyalty?
    Emotional experiences arise naturally and are not engineered for control.Emotional elements exist in worship or ritual but are not coercive.Emotional experiences are deliberately created and tied to group loyalty and identity.Emotional manipulation is systematic; members feel they cannot experience spirituality outside the group.
29. 29.Are leadership figures financially accountable and transparent about how funds donated by members are used?
    Full financial transparency; audited accounts are publicly available.Some transparency exists; leadership is generally trusted.Financial information is withheld; leaders live clearly better than members.Leadership has lavish lifestyles funded by members; no accountability whatsoever.
30. 30.Can members hold leadership accountable through any independent process (ombudsman, external review, transparent appeals) if they are mistreated?
    Robust, independent accountability mechanisms exist.Internal complaints processes exist, though they are run by leadership.Complaining is discouraged; no genuine redress is available.There is no accountability; challenging leadership leads to punishment.

Answer all 30 questions to see your result.