Cases involving our children in the sect are frequent. Domestic science calls them destructive cults. They have a destructive impact on the psyche of children. Psychologists helpless shrug: return of the child, who spent several weeks in the sect, to restore his psyche is not always possible. Here are the general conclusions reached by the domestic psychologists and sociologists of religion:

• The main reason for falling into the sect's children - dysfunctional family situation, the lack of sufficient emotional connection with at least one of them. This circumstance impedes adequate rehabilitation: children have no one to "hang" after his contacts with the sect ceased.

• Involve children and young people in the sect has been intensified in recent years. Once a critical mass of converts has been reached, the leaders of sects begin to compete for a new generation.

• Life in the sects is not associated with the socialization of children and their desocialization, rupture of normal for the society relations between people. The main, historical religions serve, strengthen, conserve the cultural norms of the countries in which they evolved. Non-traditional religions can disrupt, to challenge and contradict the existing cultural norms.

• The most difficult and obvious consequence of the involvement of children in the sect - the separation of families. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, every family is entitled to unity. At this point, the sects can be made a legal claim. From the perspective of unity and continuity in the psychological life of the family is better for the family members professed the same religion.

• Aggressive personality cults destroy human control, making it totally dependent on the community, lead to high neuroticism and stimulate fear to stumble, sin, fault, especially before the child's older, who take on a mission to try and control the conduct of any member of society, bringing as the ideal simple, indisputable value.

Psychologically speaking the language, the child is brought up to distrust himself, he is taught to perceive themselves as being weak, unstable, and the innermost hopes to communicate with the limited life of the community. For many years I have watched the religious life of Russians in different parts of the world, visited houses of worship and the Orthodox churches of different denominations. Only four of them in Paris! And in Seattle, 47 houses of worship of our sects, emigrating to the United States. We know about our Jewish emigration, the so-called religious refugees (the so-called "- because the Soviet Jews were and remain educated atheists, even after moving to permanent residence in the U.S. and received substantial support, including material from the Jewish community) .

But here on the other, much larger flow of these religious refugees, the sectarians of the Ukraine, we do not know hardly anyone. One reason: unlike the Jews who are attracted to their problems the world community, the Ukrainian cultists profess modesty, secrecy, distrust of "outsiders" and try to stay away from big cities - "the devil nurseries of civilization." Of course, we must learn tolerance of other communities who do not live like we do.

But when it comes to protecting the rights of our children, protect their mental health, can get very serious issue of state intervention in family and community. Just yesterday it was clear that external control should be alcoholics and mentally ill people. Today, the categories of families and societies, for whom need state control, has become so much more. We are still unfamiliar to critically evaluate the behavior of adults who do not drink or smoke, besides a lot of work and unselfishly. But these are the brainwashed cultists. Sects - dangerous network for us and our children.

My study of religious identity of our children in various countries around the world, including the children of immigrants, shows that the Slavic children tend to identify themselves as Orthodox, even if their families do not go to church or pray at night. Belonging to a religion of their ancestors, or at least loyal, respectful attitude towards it enables us to maintain psychological closeness with his family, as well as a positive identity. From a psychological point of view, it is certainly valuable. But the formation of identity, including religion, - a long ongoing process. It's not for kids. Not for preschoolers, which is difficult to operate on abstract values. They are afraid of them.

Memo to parents

• We can not ignore the philosophical questions. Void creates monsters. Our children go hunting, not always honest and visible, but always under the specious, disarming pretexts.

• Religious child must be determined in the family and not to harm his psychological health.

• Support for deep psychological connection with the child - the only guarantee that you will not lose him psychologically, even if he would be active influence of religious fans and agitators.

• An active religious life around - an occasion to talk with your child about the sacred: that is God's place in people's lives is a religion, why go to church and why - different?

• Preschoolers subject-shaped, mythological, fairy consciousness. They believe in miracles, transformation, and the world seems to them a product of anthropomorphic creatures, wizards, gods and strong personalities. Therefore, children of this age are especially sensitive to matters of religion. But by telling them the religious legends, do not forget to introduce them and the myths of ancient Greece or just to read folk tales. So it's easier to make generalizations. Religion - it's written and oral tales and myths that teach people how to live, love, good to one another treat. But when people grow, they begin to read other books, travel around the world, interested in life around them. Why? Because it's interesting. People want to live a good and interesting. No harm, and helping others. Life - it's a great journey through the unknown. Care must be cautious and ask many questions, so do not go astray.

• Why do people go to church? They go because they remember the important rules of life. They want to thank all the good people who lived, for what gave them the rules and taught them how to live.

• Who is God? God - is the most important and beloved tale of different people. Everyone chooses his own. God - this is the most senior, the protagonist, who listened to everyone else. He embodies the life of such rules under which everyone will be satisfied and happy. Here's a version that is quite clear to any "well-read" the child, the more child computer age.