ABSTRACT
The anticult movement (ACM) likely began with the best of intentions. But the concern for loved ones went awry. Unfortunately many persons were unsure how to come to grips with New Religious Movements (NRM). The secular and religious wings of the ACM have existed in somewhat supportive, but not totally compatible, world views ambivalent at times about the best strategies for family reconciliation. The anti-cultists seemed to know little of the German and American intelligence communities' earlier intense interest in the possibility of a brainwashing process and less about the Soviets' later psychiatric exercises. Most North American government officials continued to remain reticent in reacting to the ACM's urgent cries to restrict, prevent or even eliminate the NRMs. Deprogrammings seemed a bonafide "quick-fix" for family disputes. The early anticultists naively trusted in the strength of public opinion and shared outrage against the NRMs to swell their ranks and coffers and tap into official governmental redressment.
