I ran across this trailer for a new documentary on Discovery, about Hillsong Church. We used to listen to and perform music from them all the time, back when I was religious. One line (taken completely out of context, I’m sure) from the trailer: “There’s a fine line between cult and culture.” I’m not sure… Continue reading A Fine Line between Cult and Culture
As Christians we always used to talk about unconditional love, divine love, so-called Agape love. God loved us SOoooo MUCH that he had himself incarnated and executed in a most ostentatious manner on our behalf so that he wouldn’t have to kill us, even while we were still his enemies.
From Canadian news, “Republicans face backlash for speaking out against Trump ahead of impeachment trial.” This report made me realize something about cults. Something I’ve been struggling with ever since I was shunned from my old religious community. You see, we didn’t have an explicit shunning policy. But I was shunned anyhow. I was shunned… Continue reading Shunning
Here’s a good example of the religious brainwashing that I had gone through, and the political brainwashing I believe many Republicans have gone through. Seen on Facebook: Atheist: Man wrote the Bible. Me: Man wrote the theory of evolution. Every book you’ve read that attacks the Bible was written by man. Now listen here, knucklehead.… Continue reading Religious and Political Brainwashing
I’ve described to friends how the Trump ecosystem reminds me of the religious fundamentalism that I grew up in, the religious dogma that took me almost 45 years of my life to escape. Farhad Manjoo’s commentary in the New York Times, “The Capitol Was Just the Start,” so vibrantly describes the reality-bending insanity of the… Continue reading The Fundamentalism of the Trump Ecosystem
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even their own life–such a person cannot be my disciple.” ~ Luke 14:26 Someone recently asked me how many people among a person’s friends and family need to be gay before being gay becomes okay. This was… Continue reading How Much until Being Gay Is Okay?
Cult mind control begins with “unfreezing,” which involves confusing and disorienting the victim, breaking down their sense of reality. This leaves them open to reprogramming. One way of accomplishing this is to bombard them with confusing, conflicting ideas that they can’t readily process. Their mind will shut down, leaving them open to new ideas that… Continue reading The Evangelical Dump