Hello Reddit, I wanted to share a very weird experience I got around a month ago.
So I was passing a bad time besides a break up and having my work contract over and being replaced with shitty workers. I found myself without work and lonely, so I decided to get a cellphone app for language exchange with the idea I would be able to talk and improve my English.
The next day I got contacted by a person but this person wants my cellphone number right away, because I thought for practicing English would more practical I accept.
The first week chatting was normal and a bit bored sure I’m not that much of a very interesting person, then the person started talking about religion and what people believe because I thought it was a random argument I talked sharing my view, being a believer that doesn’t follow.
This of course was a redflag but well I wanted to be open minded, then he talks about his mentor and all that, I honestly thought it would be weird because I just made friendship with him, and he wanted to do a reunion between the 3 of us.
I still wanted to keep an open mind and say sure, I’m gonna be honestly talking with then was fun on general but I could very well see that they only wanted to talk about religion and drag me on something, honestly they looked like nice people and I was happy to improve my English.
Then they ask me if I would like to join their religion group, I was skeptical because I say I’m a believer but I’m not really a hard devoted person to it, still they insisted but they wanted me to meet another their organizer(cult leader?) And I was like sure but I already feeled a huge red flag here.
So after a week I meet the organizer ,guy dressing in a nice suit with a huge smile on his face still i always got this weird feeling that nothing was like it looks like, so I talked and they propose to what I say I would assist with an open mind but they shouldn’t expect me to be there always.
They agreed, so I started following this religion group lessons stuff I know, but there was something weird between the people on the group, thinking about it , I got myself on all this situation because I was emotionally vulnerable myself, we would talk between group members, but I could see the same emotional vulnerability I got on those people at least that’s what I notice talking with a few.
So I keep assisting for a month taking notes, one day i talked with a group member his origins follow another believe, but he was smiling and saying that the bible give him all the answer he needs, but there was something about the way he was talking and I don’t know I feeled like this guy got his brain restarted.
Another thing I notice is that between the organizer and the two that got me on this and a woman, they would be always keep an eye on me writing, but most question would be about my spiritual and mentall state or if I was thinking about the last lesson.
Then I started to feel chained to those reunions that I started to skip then and ignore messages and calls, but the next day they would write and tell me to recover the lesson right away.
Then I started wondering why in the hell some random person would care so much about me following religion, nobody does something free from others.
Then I started to count the weird things I notice:
the lessons were said to be of an hour but with the pass of time they arrive to take even 3( reasons I started to skip or don’t assist)
the contact was always between group members.
-once a member asked a question because he keep his camera off during all lesson thing that they asked to don’t do and was kicked right away.
-They would ask way too much about my plans, I would never really say much or be vague about it.
-I notice passive aggressive behavior.
So after thinking a lot about what I believe I realize something:
I adore and fear god but this won’t be a reason for me to lose my mind like others.
Also realized as well that I like my individuability and that I prefer to keep my mind and opinions that follow a group like a zombie.
I archived the conversations and refused to answer the messages and calls.
People believe the quantity of calls they did on the first week was insane, I never answered anymore, I got an email as well and I won’t never answer it.
I just feel bad for the others that couldn’t keep their thought and mind on all this.
But being sincere when thing would have been going with normal conversation between the first dude and his mentor , I think I would have keep talking.
But there was just something off about the organizer(cult leader?).