The modern educational system is facing a phenomenon where some schools and courses seek to radically change students’ worldviews using methods that resemble cult-like strategies.

Cultic Tactics in Modern Education: A Critical Examination

The modern educational system is facing a phenomenon where some schools and courses seek to radically change students’ worldviews using methods that resemble cult-like strategies. Although the primary goal of any educational institution is the development and nurturing of its students, certain projects and methodologies have raised concerns among parents and teachers, as they draw parallels with practices of closed groups.

This debate began when courses developed on principles characteristic of certain occult or cult movements were introduced into traditional curricula in some schools. One example is an initiative to create a course aimed at transforming a child’s personality through methods oriented more toward establishing a narrow ideology than fostering the unconditional development of critical thinking. Such experiments have sparked heated discussions, as the educational process in some cases becomes a tool for isolating students from external sources of information and critical analysis.

Another source of outrage has been instances in which, under the guise of religious pluralism, elements of proprietary doctrines are introduced to shape a system of beliefs, making children—due to their sensitivity—particularly vulnerable. Parents and proponents of traditional education point out that such approaches can resemble recruitment tactics common in cults, where students are offered a limited range of information that reinforces dogmatic views and isolates them from broader perspectives.

It is important to understand that these examples represent only isolated cases within the overall educational system. The fundamental mission of schools remains unchanged—to provide comprehensive personal development and prepare children for active participation in society. Nevertheless, the vigorous discussion surrounding methods of influence in the educational process underscores the need for vigilance and oversight to ensure that innovations do not morph into closed ideological frameworks that deprive students of a critical understanding of the world.

Thus, modern educational institutions must balance the pursuit of innovation with the preservation of core principles of openness and objective thinking. Public oversight and the active engagement of parents and experts remain key factors in preventing the transformation of the educational process into a platform for ideological experiments that could negatively impact the development of the younger generation.

Can modern schools be considered a kind of cult, and how can such an analogy be justified?

An analogy can be drawn between certain modern educational institutions and cults if one focuses not on the entire education system but on specific instances or approaches where methods similar to those used by cults are introduced in schools. It is important to note, however, that the main mission of most schools is education and upbringing; the comparison only concerns those cases where efforts to change worldviews and isolate students from external information mirror cult tactics.

For example, one source describes a situation in which a course developed using the methodologies of an occult center was introduced as part of the school curriculum, leading to the incorporation of elements characteristic of religious cults directly into the program. The document states:

"In our secularized state, where schools are constitutionally separated from the traditional church, the recruitment for cults begins right at the school or college doorstep. Here are several examples of non-traditional cults infiltrating Moscow schools. Many recall the scandal involving School No. 48, where, by the initiative of then-director of the Department of Education of the South-West District of Moscow, E.A. Yamburg, a course called 'The Art of Becoming a Human' was integrated into the curriculum…"
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This situation indicates that elements typical of cults—the use of specially designed programs aimed at changing personalities and worldviews—can indeed be introduced into educational processes.

Another example involves specially designed academic courses where, under the guise of religious pluralism, proprietary doctrines are embedded, confirming the intentions of those seeking to influence children who are less resilient to external impact:

"Cults are actively striving to infiltrate the education system. This is particularly evident in the case of the Moonies, who created a school curriculum 'My World and I,' in which, under the mask of religious pluralism, they actively introduce their own religious doctrines. The reasons for such zeal are clear: a child is more defenseless against external influence than an adult. The younger the child involved in a cult, the stronger the potential effect on their personality…"
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Additionally, some parents or teachers have described certain schools as “cults” when they observe signs of isolationist or dogmatic approaches. For example, one critical assessment of an educational institution with such an organizational culture is reflected in this statement:

"At a typical kindergarten, a mother of a six-year-old girl said, 'My daughter will never attend that Waldorf school. What do you mean – that’s a cult! I don’t want my daughter to be separated from society!'"
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Thus, the analogy of modern schools to cults can be justified in instances where an educational institution or its implemented program displays the following characteristics:
1. The use of methods aimed not at fostering critical thinking but at forming a narrow, ideologically driven worldview.
2. Efforts to isolate students from external information and critical analysis, a hallmark of cultic influence.
3. The deployment of specialized courses designed to introduce specific doctrines, with children, as the most impressionable audience, becoming the target of such influence.

It is crucial to emphasize that these instances do not represent the education system as a whole but are isolated examples. Nonetheless, they provide grounds for comparing the methods of influence in some schools to the practices employed by cult groups.