Cults

I like documentaries. My wife and I recently watched one about Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS. A point of clarification before continuing: I have absolutely nothing against Mormons. Or Catholics. Or Hindus. Or Muslims. In fact I’m not biased against any religion. Believe what you want to, worship as you wish, just don’t try to forcibly compel others to join your sect. If your beliefs dictate that you knock on doors to share the word, then get after it. I’ve got no problem with that provided you take no for an answer should that be the response you get. If you knock on my door, I’ll politely decline your offer to educate and enlighten me. Let that be enough for you and leave. And of all the various representatives of religions who’ve visited me, that’s what has happened. I’ve never had a Jehovah’s Witness come back to my house a second time after I’ve told them I’m not interested. They get it, and they’re respectful of my position. But not everyone is going to be polite to you if you show up on their doorstep unannounced, and many may even be quite hostile. Sadly. I’ve never understood why some people are rude and nasty when a simple No is all that’s needed. We all have strong feelings about the things we believe in or disagree with. 

Getting back to the FLDS. I remember hearing about Warren Jeffs when he was on the run from the FBI, but I didn’t pay close attention to the case. I’m not Mormon, or even particularly religious, and the story was just sort of a curiosity at the time, and not something I devoted much energy to learning about. The documentary was eye-opening. That guy had serious power over his congregation. He used fear, intimidation and propaganda to control the people who followed him. Which got me thinking. A day or two after we finished that documentary (I won’t name it, but it’s easy to find if you want to.) we watched a couple episodes of a series about people who’ve left the Church of Scientology. (Again, another easy show to find that I won’t name.) The parallels between the two churches were rather startling. Granted, each show viewed these churches from a distinct perspective, namely that both were/are coercive and controlling. Based on the evidence and testimony they presented, it’s hard to argue against that position. But there is always another side to a story, isn’t there? If you were to speak to current practicing members of these churches, I’ll bet they’d tell you an entirely different story than the television shows. 

Ever heard of Jim Jones? He was the leader of a religious cult. This guy convinced his followers to drink poisoned Kool-Aid. Over nine hundred of them. How did he do it? Fear and propaganda. He told his people they would be rounded up and put into concentration camps, among other things, if they didn’t do what he said. Warren Jeffs used similar tactics with his followers, according to the documentary. And apparently the leaders of Scientology do the same, if the testimony of former members is to be believed. 

I’m not writing this to pick a side for or against the FLDS or Scientology, and I certainly don’t believe what Jones did was ok. My point is this: we, in this modern age, are constantly bombarded by propaganda. It’s everywhere, and most of it is specifically designed to instill fear, to divide, to control, to proselytize, to convince and convert. 

Take the recent Supreme Court decision that nullified Roe vs. Wade. Pro abortion activists are claiming that the US is going to descend into some kind of theocracy where no one has any rights that are not granted by the Church of the Republican Party. And they are completely wrong. All the decision does is grant the power to regulate abortion to the states, eliminating the Federal acceptance of the procedure. If you live in a state controlled by Democrats, in all likelihood you won’t see any change in how abortions are conducted or their availability. 

And how about the environmentalists? For decades they’ve been telling us that we have to stop driving our cars. Remember acid rain, the hole in the ozone layer, that scary old term ‘global warming’ that somehow reversed itself from ‘we’re still living in an ice age’? Don’t hear much about those things anymore, do you? The names keep changing as predicted events fail to occur. Note that global warming is now ‘climate change’. Why? Because people quit believing what the environmentalists and their acolytes in government and the media were promoting when the ozone layer didn’t completely disappear and when acid rain didn’t destroy the forests, both of which we were told ad nauseum would happen in mere minutes if we didn’t ACT NOW! And guess what? They’re still making predictions that will never come true.

But it isn’t just the political left who does this. The right does it too. Instilling fear is an incredibly effective tactic to control a population or persuade someone to adopt a particular viewpoint. It’s almost like advertising. Think about it - what does an ad really do? What is its entire and sole purpose? To persuade you to purchase something. The only real difference between an advertisement and propaganda is tone. One is positive – use this new window cleaner and you’ll never have streaks again! The other is negative – don’t vote for that guy or he’ll take your guns away, confiscate your assets and turn your children into Soylent Green! 
​
It all comes down to belief, just like religion. What do you believe? What do you want to believe? Who will you believe?