Loading…
Educational tool only. All groups exist on a spectrum of control. Individual experiences vary. Based on publicly available reports, ex-member accounts, court records, and expert analyses — not medical or legal advice.
The Cult-Like Control Index (CLCI) is a transparent 0–40 scoring framework based on Steven Hassan's BITE model. We rate religions, high-demand movements, and wellness groups across four categories — Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control — plus modifiers. No blanket labels. Just evidence.
All findings derived from publicly available BITE assessments, court records, journalism, and ex-member testimony. Not medical or legal advice.
Originally an integrationist Disciples of Christ congregation in Indianapolis, the Peoples Temple under Jim Jones evolved into a totalitarian movement that culminated in the 1978 mass murder-suicide at Jonestown, Guyana, killing 918 people.
Salafist-jihadist ideology and recruitment network of the so-called 'Islamic State'. Documented patterns of extreme indoctrination, sexual slavery, mass execution, and total information control. Listed as a terrorist organisation by virtually all governments.
Japanese new religious movement founded by Chizuo Matsumoto (Shoko Asahara) in 1984. Combined Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian apocalyptic elements with paramilitary training. Perpetrated the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack; Asahara and 12 others executed in 2018.
Contemporary Wicca (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, eclectic) and broader Pagan / Druidic / reconstructionist movements are very low-CLCI traditions. No central authority, voluntary coven membership, individual exit at any time.
The Religious Society of Friends is one of the lowest-CLCI Christian traditions, with non-creedal worship, consensus decision-making, and a deep peace-and-justice tradition.
Mainstream Shinto — Japan's indigenous religion of kami veneration through shrines and seasonal festivals — is a low-CLCI reference point. State Shinto's wartime instrumentalisation (1868–1945) is a separate historical phenomenon.
Every score breaks down into Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional sub-scores plus signed modifiers — no hidden weights.
We cite court records, BITE assessments, peer-reviewed work, and ex-member testimony — never gossip.
We distinguish high-control sub-branches from broader traditions. Most members are not perpetrators — many are also harmed.
Take the 30-question self-assessment — it scores any group against the BITE framework in about 8 minutes. Or browse the comparison tool to see two groups side-by-side.