Are MLMs Considered Cults?

Question

I have heard descriptions of MLMs being akin to that of a cult and this amazes me. Is there any truth in this, and if there is truth, what is the cause of this?

Answer 1

MLMs like some organizations can be regarded as operating in a cult-like manner when the BITE model, which refers to behavior, information, thought, and emotional control, is drawn upon. There are some MLMs for instance that set certain parameters and boundaries, regulate the information shared by, or expose their members to, or even relegate rational reasoning and emotions to reign the member's fidelity. In as much as it may not be possible to define every MLM as a cult maybe because not every MLM meets this threshold, the amount of power and authority such undertakings have on their members is on all fours with that of a cult.

Comments

Part 2 and 3 were exactly correct, part 3 really resonated with me because, yes, you were not allowed to talk about your uplink or the company, and if you did your a negative person etc. same thing in word of faith prosperity gospel circles were they say “don’t touch gods anointed” which is just a silence tactic to not talk about the bishop/pastor or the church or your higher uplink that your tithing up to, same things!!! Great content Melissa

---

Kind of off topic, but I feel like when atheists think of Christians, they're thinking of people in MLMs. It's this caricature of not thinking critically and just accepting any feel good positive messages. I love this in depth digging on mlms and it's something I've been craving for a while!

---

When you went through the BITE acronym, all I could think of was my brother’s Mormon experience. He drifted off from a lot of his family for a while because of the isolation and information control

---

I love hearing all this from a Christian. I've been getting into anti mlm content and some I've heard use the anti mlm platform to attack Christians, conservatives, and people with traditional values. I appreciate all your research and efforts that went into making this content.

---

Also, it’s shame based.  Quitting the MLM because you are losing money or spending too much time away from family is heavily shamed. So awful of those up line “boss babes” to treat people like that.