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The most important addition of anti-cult scholars is brainwashing theory. According to this theory, followers of "cults" are held there by some psychologic phenomena, not fully explained by modern psychology. In order to free the brainwashed, anti-cult theoreticians argue, one needs to treat them against their wills, similar to those suffering from mental illness. The controversial pseudo-scientific procedure is called "de-programming". This activity was criticized by human rights organization s such as the ACLU and Human Rights Watch. Many deprogrammers served prison terms for this activity.
Various groups frequently labeled "cults" often claim that they are being persecuted by a number of individuals, groups, and organizations that are specifically dedicated to eradicating them. These groups have subsequently been labeled "anti-cult groups."
The opponents of cults (most of them ex-members) have greatly benefited from the Internet. Many new religious movements are now the targets of web sites on which ex-members warn the public of their purported dangers. Before the popularity of the Internet, ex-members had far more difficulty coming into contact with other ex-members and gathering and spreading information.
Some anti-cult activists are very critical of scholars who are less critical than they about cults. Anti-cult activists use the word cult apologist for them. These anti-cult activists accuse the cult apologists of being naive, bad scholars and above all reproach them of not warning people who should be warned, as well as of being funded by the "cults" themselves. Scholarly cooperation between these anti cult-activists and "cult apologists" seems to be virtualy non-existent. Both claim to be objective. Many sociologists, for example Eileen Barker suggested to substitute "new religious movement" ( NRM) for the loaded term "cult".
The vast majority of the anti-cult activists accept that theories of brainwashing and mind control has been discredited. The practice of deprogramming has been abandoned. Some anti-cult activists have resorted to theories of mind controlMind control (or thought control theory states that an outside source can control an individual's thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). This is a more modern term for " brainwashing". In the anti-cult movement and Christian and the voluntary, legal practice of exit counselingAccording to self-declared experts in this field, exit counseling is a persuasive technique aimed at getting a follower of an unorthodox or "spurious" religious group give up his commitment to it. These experts see it as providing a follower of a cultic g.