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Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America with Jane Borden

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Manage episode 483680649 series 3301204
Content provided by Dr. Steven Hassan and MeidasTouch Network. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Dr. Steven Hassan and MeidasTouch Network or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

One of Jane’s most striking points in her book and our conversation is that cults aren’t just something “other people” get involved in. Cults can deceptively recruit anyone and work in many different spheres of influence. “I just started pulling the thread,” Jane recalled, “and traced it back to the Puritans.” She explains how the theological worldview of early American settlers, particularly the Puritans, established a pattern of black-and-white/good-versus-evil thinking. The Puritans believed in things like divine judgment, righteous punishment, and the idea that only a few could be saved while the rest would suffer in the apocalypse. This religious idea was an organizing principle for our society and prevails today.

For instance, the idea of an existential threat or ultimate salvation has bled into common culture. Whether it’s climate doomism, political collapse, or even the rapture, American society is addicted to “the end is near” thinking. It is everywhere, embedded into our popular culture. Cultic control today has many faces: multilevel marketing schemes (MLMs), political cults, religious cults, therapy cults, “wellness” gurus, and even one-on-one abusive dynamics. These groups reflect and exploit the very same psychological patterns found in traditional cults—fear, isolation, obedience, and identity manipulation. And there are many cults in the Cult of Trump. Check out this fascinating interview.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  continue reading

186 episodes

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iconShare
 
Manage episode 483680649 series 3301204
Content provided by Dr. Steven Hassan and MeidasTouch Network. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Dr. Steven Hassan and MeidasTouch Network or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

One of Jane’s most striking points in her book and our conversation is that cults aren’t just something “other people” get involved in. Cults can deceptively recruit anyone and work in many different spheres of influence. “I just started pulling the thread,” Jane recalled, “and traced it back to the Puritans.” She explains how the theological worldview of early American settlers, particularly the Puritans, established a pattern of black-and-white/good-versus-evil thinking. The Puritans believed in things like divine judgment, righteous punishment, and the idea that only a few could be saved while the rest would suffer in the apocalypse. This religious idea was an organizing principle for our society and prevails today.

For instance, the idea of an existential threat or ultimate salvation has bled into common culture. Whether it’s climate doomism, political collapse, or even the rapture, American society is addicted to “the end is near” thinking. It is everywhere, embedded into our popular culture. Cultic control today has many faces: multilevel marketing schemes (MLMs), political cults, religious cults, therapy cults, “wellness” gurus, and even one-on-one abusive dynamics. These groups reflect and exploit the very same psychological patterns found in traditional cults—fear, isolation, obedience, and identity manipulation. And there are many cults in the Cult of Trump. Check out this fascinating interview.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  continue reading

186 episodes

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