Cult warning signs, part two: deception and the milk-to-meat question

The article's second sign — a cult recruits and operates using deception, hiding the truth until recruits are ready — leads to an extended tangent. A host worries that modern churches struggle with the milk-to-meat transition, asking whether holding back hard truths to avoid offending newcomers is its own kind of deception, illustrated by the woman at the well and Jesus calling Peter 'Satan' without pulling punches. The room lands on intentional genuineness: don't throw punches, but don't withhold either.