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cultvault · 4 years

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Introduction to Cults

Cult Vault – Episode One – An Introduction to Cults

Could you be convinced to kill someone? how about yourself? most people would answer no right? How about this... What would you say to someone if you wanted to convince them to do these terrible things? How would you make them believe that what they are doing is right EVEN when they know they are breaking the law or hurting themselves?

This is Cult Vault, welcome to the club. Out of a morbid curiosity I am going to be looking into the stories and people from some of the most famous Cults in history and finding out just how people have been convinced and coerced into committing terrible crimes and even convinced into killing themselves in the name of someone else.

Hello followers and welcome to The Cult Vault. I am your speaker Kacey and thank you for joining me today. Like many of you I am sure, I have a fascination with things I do not fully understand, things that seem irrational or almost impossible to me. For several years, I have been interested in the psyche of serial killers, the unsolved mysteries of the world and, of course, Cults. My own morbid curiosity has led me to these twisted tales but I also feel it is important for these stories to be retold to ensure heinous acts from history are not repeated and the victims and families of those affected have their stories told too. Each episode, it is my aim to explore a single notorious Cult. Stretching from The Manson Family through to UFO Cults and exploring groups that are now classed as religions in between. Delving into Cult history, I hope to provide an in-depth insight into the minds and worlds of Cult leaders and the members that resided and sometimes still reside within them. How did these group forms? When did the group become a Cult? what really happened inside these social circles? Let us look. Before we dive in to our first Cult account, I think it is important to establish some context.

This week I would like to talk to you about the history of Cults, to offer a better understanding of the etymology of the word Cult and how it became known in the way we know it today. I think the word Cult is difficult to define, especially because it was not always seen as a bad word. Once we have established some things, it should be easier to explore Cults throughout history and to even look at groups that share characteristics of Cults but are not necessarily evil. The word Cult was not always known to have the negative connotations the word has today.

Cult is derived from the Latin word "Cultus” which means to till, care for and or Cultivate. Throughout time, the word was often used when sacrifices, offerings and statues would be presented to Gods and Deities. These offerings and the Worship of these Gods usually took place in Temples, Shrines and Churches. Eventually, any religious movement that was known as strange, unusual or working outside of mainstream religions would be classed as a Cult or a Sect.

The definition of Cult today differs slightly depending on what you are reading. The oxford dictionary says that Cult is “A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure of object". Likewise, the Cambridge dictionary describes the word Cult as "A religious group, often living together, whose beliefs are considered extreme or strange by many people. Dictionary.Com says, "A particular system of religious worship with reference to its rites and ceremonies". Seems obvious, right? but... when I first read these descriptions, I felt like any of these explanations could be applied to most mainstream religions. Author Reza Aslan is quoted saying "Every Prophet of every major religion can be considered a charismatic leader" He also says that "The biggest joke in religious studies is Cult + time = religion". It was Professor of Sociology Janja Lalilch who summarised the word Cult in the way I have come to understand it. She says "It's really not a belief system per se, it's about the behaviours of the group and the ways in which it uses various methods of influence and control to manipulate and exploit its members". Likewise, to this, documentary series "Explained" and their episode titled "Cults" say that a Cult is quote "A group led by charismatic leaders with extreme beliefs and followers". Examples of these charismatic leaders includes David Koresh, Charles Manson, Marshall Applewhite, these are three names that easily fit into that category. Figures like these who would be responsible for causing the definition of Cult to become something more derogatory. Not before the word would gain most of its negative associations after the Jonestown Massacre of 1978, where 918 members of The People's Temple were led by Jim Jones to their death by Cyanide Poisoning. This Cult Case is covered in episode two of this podcast.

But I am still left with these questions: what characterises a Cult? how do Cults form? and why are some so successful in the destruction of thousands of lives? Janja Lalich says in the episode of explained that there are 3 characteristics of Cults:

1) "A Cult is a group or a social movement that is led by a charismatic leader who is authoritarian and who demands to be revered as a Godlike figure"

2) "The group has some form of indoctrination programme, sometimes called thought reform"

3) "Exploitation. Either sexual, financial. Some type of exploitation of its members".

In order to understand this better, I did some quick research in order to find some examples of real-life occurrences and experiences from Cult members that fit into these three categories

Number 1 - The Charismatic leader who demands to be revered as a Godlike Figure.

Former Cult member Briell Decker spoke to The Guardian about her time within one of the largest divisions of Mormonism, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or FLDS for short. She was the 65th wife of leader Warren Jeffs. She talks about quote "being terrified" on her wedding day to Jeffs. She says they never consummated the marriage, but that Jeffs gave her “some bad trainings”, an FLDS euphemism for teaching scripture, but often including sexual acts that Jeffs claimed were ordained by God. When chilling audio tapes of him teaching his wives how to please him sexually were entered into evidence during his trial, he referred to them as “heavenly trainings”. - sounds like someone with a God complex, doesn't it?

Looking at step 2, an indoctrination programme often called thought reform. I did some research into thought reform and the term also refers to brainwashing. mind control or coercive persuasion. A section of the Guardian article about Warren Jeffs reads quote, "a tall, slim man with dark eyes, has been president and prophet of FLDS since 2002, Soon after he assumed the leadership, he began splitting families apart, taking young girls as his own brides, and excommunicating members, mainly young men, from the church. He banned socialising, as well as contact with the outside world. Jeffs, now 62, has wed around 80 women and children over the years, though the state doesn’t recognise these marriages" - I look more at the some of the indoctrination methods often used a little later

And lastly the third characteristic, Exploitation. Looking again at Warren Jeffs, KUTV reports a woman, identified only as "R.H.," is accusing Jeffs and other leaders of FLDS of carrying out a "calculated plan" to sexually abuse underage girls as part of quote "religious rituals. according to a lawsuit R.H brought against Jeffs; the abuse began when she was 8 years old". end quote

In 2011, he began a life sentence for sexually assaulting two girls aged 12 and 14, whom he described as his “spiritual wives”. Now, I don't know about you, but with these three characteristics showing us what makes a Cult, wouldn’t it be easy to spot a group like this? surely people can see Cults a mile away? then how do so many still find themselves within the clutches of a Cult.

I mentioned earlier that we would look further into the how this could happen and so...the Explained documentary says quote "We present to you, seven elements that social scientists say can lead to indoctrination into a Cult"

1) Transition. When someone is going through a turbulent time with lots of changes, they are often more vulnerable than usual. This can sometimes be a time when people may be open to trying new things.

2) The soft sell. You are welcomed to a new group with open arms and initially without judgement

3) A new reality. You spend so much time within this self-sealing environment that anyone outside of this group is wrong and only you know what is right and you know this because of step 4

4) The dear leader. This is the person pulling the strings, running the show. The person all members want to be close to, will do anything for, believe without a doubt in everything they say.

5) The enemy. The common enemy of the group.

6) Peer Pressure - all eyes on you to conform, peer pressure starts to do the leaders job for them, and it is likely that the leader is step 7:

7) A likely sociopathic narcissist is the one true leader you follow.

1) Transition or Crossroads - when someone is going through significant change in their lives

I recently moved to a new neighbourhood and soon after had a baby. I found myself looking for local baby and toddler groups or even knitting groups. It is often people moving to these new places and looking for groups to join that lead to them being indoctrinated into a Cult. Cult Witness, a 2009 documentary I watched on Amazon Prime, follows Samuel Stefan. At the age of 19, he was drawn into a Cult. He talks about going through a difficult time in his life, asking age old existentialist questions, wondering where he was going in life and what was his purpose. It was during this vulnerable mindset that he was manipulated into a small religious group. Stefan would spend 10 years of his life being subjected to manipulation, exploitation and violence before escaping through the woods in the dead of night.

An article on insider.com titled "I grew up in a Cult and i can tell you why "normal" people join" also offered some insight into the first stage of indoctrination. Fleur Brown shares what it was like to grow up as part of the Worldwide Church of God, a Cult-like religious organisation. Brown says quote "When my mum lost her dad in her early twenties, she was looking for answers and a soft place to land". This was also during the 1970's, the big love movement, but also an era of uncertainty with racial tensions at an all-time high and the Vietnam war, history shows us that many of these Cult-like groups appeared during this age. From all the research I have gathered, it appears that tragic times in history were a breeding ground for groups to take advantage of the vulnerable. Widowed wives of war, traumatised soldiers, bereaved sons and daughters, those of colour living within the margins of society. Still, what comes after finding solace in what seems a likeminded group of people? Step 2.

2)The Soft Sell - Imagine you are grieving and hurting or living in lonely circumstances seeking friendship. You decide to go to a group and within this group that tell you that they hold the answers to all your questions. and then, you realise that every single person is so warm and friendly, inviting and in sync with you. They share the same values and the same interests, and they make you feel instantly like you destined to be a part of this group and to find these people and have them as your friends. Brown goes on to say in her article "anyone who had a brush with someone from our Church group, it felt like heaven on earth for new recruits who were often battered and bruised by life's tribulations". She also mentions how "The indoctrination process was the best part of being in the group. New people were intensely quizzed about their past, offered home cooked meals and support around the home, had their dance card filled with social events, love bombed." end quote.

So, there you have it, you are hurting or lost, a small group offers a friendly hand. They may call you a few times a week, asking when they will see you again. Or even stop by your house and ask if you are coming to the group tonight. You are now part of something much bigger than you realise. So, what is next? Step 3.

3) New Reality - It seems at this stage, everything you know and understand about the world is slowly stripped with each moment spent inside this group. Brown mentions how "birthday celebrations were the pinnacle of self-focus and were banned along with the pagan celebrations of Christmas and Easter, that caused me no end of embarrassment at school and kept me from forging deep connections with my nonchurch peers". So once your questions of doubt around the group start to fade and your reality slowly shifts into something new, and slowly the niceness and the answers to all your life questions seem a million miles away, what keeps you in this group? Number 4.

4) The Dear Leader - anything they say goes, anything they say is true, its gospel and you believe it. They are the only one who can take you on the path to eutopia and all the answers you seek. John Turton, an Ex Full Gospel Mission member of Camp David explains in the documentary "How to Spot a Cult" about the need for group members to get close to its leader. "We used to wash each other’s feet, which was a humbling kind of thing to do to each other. You can imagine the effort and strive that people would want to be the one to wash his feet, and this particular woman, she was so desperate to wash his feet, that he'd already been done by somebody and he had his socks and shoes on. So, he put his shoes and socks and all, straight into the bowl to protest at the same time, make a bit of fun" So now, you've gone from being lost to being found, surrounded by love. You have had your ideologies and reality shifted and you follow one leader and their every word. And always, their word will revolve about number 5.

5) The Enemy - every Cult has one - With Jim Jones it was nuclear war, with Charles Manson it was an apocalyptic race war. Using a common enemy within the group provided rhetoric these charismatic leaders can use to further instil fear and manipulation into their groups. Samie Brosseau, former member of The Twelve Tribes, told Explained quote "you're going to be raped, you're going to be beaten, you're going to be left in a ditch. He said all these horrible things about what would happen to me if I left because the world was such an evil place". end quote.

So, if leaving means pain, torture, death, it may be inevitable that you remain in the arms and comfort of the Cult leader. And if you do decide to leave? or some of the ideals of the group do not sit well with you? Then its step 6.

6) Peer Pressure - Surely, you have experienced it at some point? The pressure to have an alcoholic drink before the legal age or... smoke a cigarette or skip school for the day?

After his 10 years of Cult life, Samuel Stefan was chased through the woods on the night of his escape from the Cult. He talks of how his pursuers were ordered to punish him, threaten him and to break his will again. Briell Decker explains that her escape from Warren Jeffs has cost her the relationships of family members including her children who have disowned her for leaving. Peer pressure is quite a thing, I am sure at some point most of you think back to a time you were peer pressured into something. A famous experiment by Solomon Asch, coined the Asch experiment, was one of conformity. He sat several participants in a room, all were in on the experiment apart from 1. He showed everyone a piece of paper with 5 lines. He then asked everyone to tell him which line on right, out of the 4 lines, was the same length as the line on the left. All the participants pointed to a line that clearly was not the right answer, but under peer pressure, the 1 true participant chose the same line. Again, this level of manipulation, of brainwashing and pressure. It starts to paint a true picture of how hard it must be to leave a Cult or see through the twisted ideology. Which leads us to our last of 7 steps of indoctrination into a Cult: step 7

7) A sociopathic narcissist - Laura Johnston Kohl, a former member of The People's Temple has quoted Jim Jones as saying "you couldn't live without me, so since I’m dying, you're gonna die too" and on that very fateful day, he led 918 to their deaths in Jonestown before taking his own life with a gun. So, with this cognitive dissonance, these tragedies that happen as a result of mass followers and warped leaders, do you think you could be in a Cult? or know someone who is?

Steven Hassan is a former Cult member. Being an Ex-Unification Church Leader who became a member in the 1970's at age 19 but left after almost 3 years and began describing to the world that recruitment into the church has quote "unethical use of powerful psychological influence techniques by members of the church". Hassan is now an American Mental Health Counsellor; he runs a centre for victims of Cult mind control and is one of the world’s leading experts on Cults. He released his most famous text in 1988 called "combatting mind control" and still releases new texts to this day.

Hassan has created what is known as the BITE model. Behaviour, information, thought and emotional control. In each quadrant, he lists techniques used by Cults to indoctrinate and brainwash its followers. By using this information, we can ascertain where a Cult lands on the BITE scale and predict its impact and severity on members and the Cults level of control.

Behaviour control includes -

· Promoting dependence and obedience

· Modifying behaviour with rewards and punishment

· Dictate where and with whom you live

· Restrict or control sexuality

· Control clothing and hairstyle

· Regulate what you eat and drink and how much

· Deprive you of 7-9 hours’ sleep

· Exploit you financially

· Restrict leisure time and activity

· Require you to seek permissions for major decisions

Information control includes -

· Deliberately withhold and distort information

· Forbid you from speaking with ex-members and critics

· Discourage access to non-Cult sources of information

· Divide information into insider vs outsider doctrine

· Generate and use propaganda extensively

· Use information gained in confession sessions against you

· Gaslight to make you doubt your own memory

· Require yout o report thoughts, feelings and activities

· Encourage you to spy and report others "misconduct"

Thought control includes -

· Instil black vs white, Us vs Them and Good vs Evil

· Change your identity, possibly even your name

· Use loaded language and clichés to stop complex thought

· Induce Hypnotic or trance states

· Teach thought stopping techniques to prevent critical thoughts

· Allow only positive thoughts

· Use excessive meditation, singing, prayer and chanting to block thoughts

· Reject rationalising analysis, critical thinking and doubt

Emotional control includes -

· Instil irrational fears (phobias) of questioning or leaving the group

· Label some emotional as evil, worldly, sinful or wrong

· Teach emotion stopping techniques to prevent anger and homesickness

· Promote feelings of guilt, shame and unworthiness

· Shower you with praise and attention (also known as lovebombing)

· Threaten your friends and family

· Shun you if you disobey orders or disbelieve

· Teach that there is no happiness or peace outside the group

From this, the BITE model will provide a score which can determine the level of control the group is using.

· 1-10 is Mildly dangerous and could lead later to lack of emotional development for members

· 11-24 is Moderately dangerous and could lead to severe trauma or PTSD for members

· 25 to 35 is Severe and could lead to lethal or dangerous outcomes.

So, how many people today are wrapped up within Cult groups or sects?

Explained says quote "it is impossible to know how many Cults are currently active because “most Cults insist they aren’t Cults and almost nobody in a Cult realises they are in one".

Wow, lots of information and history and quotes. I think we should leave it here for today. But not before quickly peeking into what the world looks like today.

The internet, technology and the new age pose significant threats for Cults to form. The recent mass amounts of scandals within the entertainment industry and rumours of sex Cults. The conspiracy of the Trump presidency being a religious Cult. And this is after all historical accounts of Cults we have yet to dive into. With political, financial, sexual and online Cults forming within the last decade, and UFO's having an entirely separate subcategory labelled UFO Cults. I think it is safe to say that we will have plenty of content going to keep us busy for an exceptionally long time. Thank you so much for joining me. and I hope you look forward to the next episode, diving deep into the psyche of Jim Jones and the events that led to the infamous massacre in Jonestown.

One last thing before I go, I would like to say a massive thank you to my good friend Meg for drawing up the cover art for this podcast. Although some may say it is controversial, it references with a small nod those in this community who recognise the infamous Manson. Meg is an artist and available for commission, please get in touch for personalised and quality pieces of art.

Sources:

· -https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/13/woman-escaped-Cult-hq-flds-refuge

· -https://www.cbsnews.com/news/warren-jeffs-imprisoned-polygamist-leader-had-mental-breakdown-lawyer-says/

· -https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html

· -Cult Witness Documentary by Samuel Stefan

· -Explained Documentary Episode titled "Cults" by Ezra Klein and Joe Posner

· -How to spot a Cult Documentary by The Gibson Group

· -New Age Cults Documentary by Director Robert Gremson

· -Oxford Dictionary

· -Cambridge Dictionary

· -Dictionary.com

· -https://www.businessinsider.com/i-grew-up-in-a-Cult-and-i-can-tell-you-why-normal-people-join-them-2018-3?r=US&IR=T

· -https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html

· Steven Hassan “Combatting Mind Control” 1988

· https://freedomofmind.com/ - Cult Support

· https://cultinformation.org.uk/ - Cult Support UK

#cults #jimjones #thepeoplestemple #culture #history #steven hassan #podcast

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lindyhunt · 6 years

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Why Are We so Obsessed With Cults Right Now?

As a child of the ’90s, I was first exposed to our collective train-wreck-like fascination with cults in the spring of 1997, when 39 members of Heaven’s Gate took their own lives in San Diego, believing it would get them onto an alien spacecraft. And growing up in Quebec, I’d often hear about the high-profile publicity stunts of Raelians, whose followers believe that life on earth was scientifically engineered by an extraterrestrial species named the Elohim. The free-love-minded Raelians would distribute condoms at the entrance to high schools, claim to have cloned the first full human being and organize internships that taught the fundamentals of a cosmic and orgasm-inducing meditation technique.

Having what’s arguably the world’s largest UFO-based religion in my own backyard—the Raelian movement set up its world embassy UFOland compound just outside Valcourt, Que.—made me wonder about the kinds of people who relinquish some of their critical-thinking faculties in the hopes of achieving a greater sense of purpose and belonging. Lawrence Wright, author of Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief, argues that all humans are vulnerable but cult adherents are particularly reliant on absolutes. “I’ve always been interested in religions and why people believe one idea rather than another,” he explains in the documentary based on his book. “I’ve studied Jonestown and radical Islam; there are often good-hearted people, idealistic but full of a kind of crushing certainty that eliminates doubt.”

“I’ve studied Jonestown and radical Islam; there are often good-hearted people, idealistic but full of a kind of crushing certainty that eliminates doubt.”

From the terrifying desert commune of the Manson Family to the spiritual rehabilitation of A-list celebs drawn to Scientology, pop culture has long been obsessed with the plight of those willing to blindly subscribe to a fringe ideology. And lately the topic of cults seems to be beckoning our attention at every turn, with Netflix’s much-talked-about true crime series Wild Wild Country, about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh; Hulu’s fictional cult drama The Path; “I Admit,” R. Kelly’s 19-minute R&B response to allegations that he ran a sex cult; and the impending high-profile trials of the members of NXIVM, another sex cult in upstate New York, now linked to Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman and Smallville actress Allison Mack. That’s without mentioning American Horror Story’s cult-themed seventh season and HBO’s Rapture-esque The Leftovers, which features Liv Tyler as part of a chain-smoking, blasé-looking all-white-clad cult known as the Guilty Remnant.

So why this sudden spike in cultish entertainment? Commenting on Wild Wild Country’s recent Emmy nods and broader cultural resonance, executive producer Mark Duplass told Deadline that he loves how viewers are able to identify with the series’s niche religious movement, given that “nobody in this country is identifying with anyone right now who doesn’t believe exactly as they do.” And he has a point. The rapid polarization of political discourse in the United States and also abroad is making people less inclined to feel any empathy for those with differing world views and more likely to retreat even further into their extremist enclaves.

The rapid polarization of political discourse in the United States and also abroad is making people less inclined to feel any empathy for those with differing world views and more likely to retreat even further into their extremist enclaves.

Take, for instance, the viral video of a New York City lawyer threatening to call immigration on employees and customers for speaking Spanish at a Fresh Kitchen. Or that of a Black Lives Matter Toronto organizer calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “white supremacist terrorist” at an anti-Islamophobia rally shortly after the Quebec City mosque attack. On the surface, these two news items couldn’t be more different: One shows an unwarranted tirade initiated by a racist client; the other, like-minded members of a community coming together to express their anger. Nevertheless, both seem symptomatic of what happens when people stop engaging in dialogue and resort to shouting matches. And, ultimately, could chanting mantras such as “Lock her up” at Republican rallies and gratuitously calling people out using immutable identity markers stand as modern iterations of cultlike behaviour? Wearing oversized capes and attending clandestine retreats in secluded forests might not be so popular in 2018, but punishing those whose perspectives are deemed heretical to a movement appears to be all the rage at both ends of the political spectrum.

Of course, the Trump cult is way scary. First and foremost because even fellow Republicans and the president’s own son seem to acknowledge he’s running a cult. Take Trump Jr.’s answer to Republican senator Bob Corker’s remark that the GOP is fast devolving into a cult: “If it’s a cult, it’s because they like what my father is doing.” When someone from Trump’s own party dares to contradict his version of reality—like when Senator Marco Rubio was chastised on Fox News for not following the president’s lead in recognizing the “talent” of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un—you have to wonder how many other party members are holding back for fear of being excommunicated. As a head of state, when your supporters and the media outright reject any interpretation of reality that contradicts what you’ve said, you have to congratulate yourself for taking a page out of the cult playbook.

As a head of state, when your supporters and the media outright reject any interpretation of reality that contradicts what you’ve said, you have to congratulate yourself for taking a page out of the cult playbook.

While in no way comparable to the fear mongering and sheer verbal (if not outright physical) violence of the alt-right, the damage being done at the other end of the spectrum can also be pernicious. While it’s entirely justified to ban hate speech targeting marginalized groups, it’s quite another to discourage people from expressing ideas considered uncomfortable or unresolved. The dangers of groupthink apply to the left as well, and it has contributed to making Trump’s ascent so spectacular.

When controversial speakers such as British polemicist Milo Yiannopoulos are prevented from speaking at public events (thereby shutting down the possibility of challenging their short-sighted world views), when trigger warnings are issued at Cambridge University to flag “potentially distressing topics” in Shakespeare’s plays and when British broadcaster Cathy Newman spends a half-hour trying to shame Toronto psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson for his impassioned contempt of postmodernism instead of unpacking what he actually says, you realize just how contained the algorithmic bubbles we live in can be.

“In order to be able to think, you have to risk being offensive,” Peterson tells Newman when questioned about his right to offend. On that matter, I’m with him, as the opposite—censoring your ideas out of a fear that they may appear “divisive,” to borrow a word Newman repeatedly uses during the interview—might resemble something akin to The Handmaid’s Tale’s totalitarian Republic of Gilead.

Among the many markers of cultlike behaviour identified by the American Family Foundation, you’ll find leaders using guilt to control their members and an overarching “us versus them” mentality. Left- and right-wingers alike could be accused of such manipulative tactics. Peterson’s dismissal of anthropology and sociology classes as “indoctrination cults,” for instance, merely reinforces caricatures about left-wing activists instead of framing his critique in shades of grey. But it’s hard to rise above the current phenom of 24/7 preaching and online information cocoons, where followers chase enlightenment by binge-watching hours of content on YouTube or social media platforms that will conveniently validate their world views. That’s behind Peterson’s rapidly ascending popularity but also that of figureheads of much graver concern: conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s InfoWars platform or even the sophisticated propaganda of ISIS—one of the most successful cults when it comes to online recruitment and self-radicalization.

It’s hard to rise above the current phenom of 24/7 preaching and online information cocoons, where followers chase enlightenment by binge-watching hours of content on YouTube or social media platforms that will conveniently validate their world views.

So what to make of our renewed interest in cults, and should we be concerned about the seemingly insurmountable divisions we face? I’m a firm believer in the power of the fifth estate to take gurus, spiritual leaders and assorted extremists to task on their most dubious claims. I’ll never forget when Rael—birth name Claude Vorilhon, self-described “gardener of our consciousness”—appeared on Quebec’s top-rated talk show Tout le monde en parle in 2004 with his topknot of hair to promote a Playboy spread featuring three topless females from his so-called Order of Angels.

The pull-no-punches TV panel picked apart the guru’s outlandish call to create a geniocracy as well as his boldfaced claim that he had used women’s wombs for cloning experiments. Once that TV appearance was over (it’s still regularly cited in media circles nearly 15 years later) and the man’s wonky assertions had been debunked, few people could claim with a straight face that they subscribed to Raelianism, and the movement eventually had to put its UFO compound up for sale. Think of it: A single entertainment talk show played a pivotal role in challenging the mind-manipulation techniques of a prominent international cult. I’m guessing that that media appearance didn’t help with its recruitment efforts.

As the first NXIVM trial gets underway and Trump continues to confound what many expect of world leaders in the 21st century, we have to remember to think critically about claims being made at either end of the political spectrum. In a world that seems like such a messy minefield, where the potential to be shamed or silenced for having an independent thought seems so great, we must remember to be courageous, speak up and, in the wise words of one great Canadian heartland rocker, keep on rockin’ in the free world.

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