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Trigger Warning Anything about cults and such

Jonestown Massacre (Peoples Temple) 1978

Jonestown, (November 18, 1978), location of the mass murder-suicide of members of the California-based Peoples Temple cult at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones, in Jonestown agricultural commune, Guyana. The death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 who were age 17 and under.





Peoples Temple (Jonestown, Guyana)
 
I remember this one because of the Kool Aid.
Throughout the documentary I was wondering what the motivation for this whole "cult" was. Then at the end it all made sense.
 
lecroute said:
I'm interested to learn about cults.
Not necessarily the famous ones that everyone has heard about at some point in their lifes, but lesser known ones.
If anyone here has personal experience to share, that would be great. But links to hard to find articles or pointers are welcome, too.

I also have some some questions like:
- How do YOU define a cult?
- In your opinion, are cults always "bad"?
- Religion/soirituality - a necessary part of a cult?

soon we realize we'll have a suicidal cult
--- Shady's Fox in The Abyss, Chapter XIX, post #893 ---
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I recently listened to this it was great and filled with a TON of info
 
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lecroute said:
cult leaders. They mostly use spiritual hooks to get their followers.
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from what i've read, the big technique is to prey on the emotionally vulnerable, people who desperately need to feel that someone cares about them. then the cult magically "cares" about them.
 
Best example of a modern cult, certainly the one with the largest membership ever seen on Earth, would be the coronavirus cult.

Billions of people taking the word of authority figures on pure trust, founded on a mass hysteria state of mind, and then sticking an experimental substance into their body because they were convinced to do so, and many also sticking that substance into their children as well who didn't even require it but again were convinced to do so by the authority figures. Also convinced that those not following the belief system were heretics, dangerous even, and also that mortgaging their children's economic futures (and the economic future of others) was justified.

Honestly, it has all the essential ingredients of a cult. Right down to the dancing nurses, rainbow artwork, banging pots and pans. All the while the leaders of the cult took complete liberty and flaunted their own belief system for personal gain.

The only way this will ever be topped is if the 'climate emergency' is foisted upon the world, or perhaps another pandemic, involving an even greater obedience that involves brutal totalitarianism (camps, forced injections or evictions, etc).
 
lecroute said:
I knew a girl who was totally into Hubbard. She wasn't a member of Scientology, though. But said she found a lot of wisdom in Hubbard's books and they helped get through a hard episode in her life.
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I actually used to work in a store that was owned by scientologists in downtown Clearwater. Pretty much 99% of the customers were students there to take classes. They didn't speak english. They just walked around in their uniforms. I did get to meet Juliet Lewis when she came in though. I missed out on John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
 
rentedbythehour said:
I actually used to work in a store that was owned by scientologists in downtown Clearwater. Pretty much 99% of the customers were students there to take classes. They didn't speak english. They just walked around in their uniforms. I did get to meet Juliet Lewis when she came in though. I missed out on John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
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what were those students like?
i mean, were they walking around the shop (seems strange), or was the shop in the same building as the teaching institution?
 
chippermonk said:
There was another cult called The Children of God aka The Family International. I think they may still be around. I don't know much about them except they were real creeps , the one time I met them.
Then there were the Hare Krishnas. I did electrical work on their temple once long ago, hooked up a grow light for their holy bush. They were culty, sent members out to beg and recruit. I didn't hate them but it always felt like they had been vulnerable hippy types trying to get over drug problems and stuff. But they had some really good cheap vegetarian Indian restaurants. Yum! I don't know if they are still around. Y'all probably have seen them, they were a big deal at one time
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I first heard of the children of God when I read The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. In her bio, it said she was actually raised in the cult. She tells of being separated from her family, denied education, traveling around the world by the time she was 14, having to beg on the streets everyday. She didn't leave the cult until the original founder died in 94. She was married to another member, in her mid twenties, with a child. They are still around. I think mainly online. I'm pretty sure the founders wife is running things now.
And the Hare Krishna's. I always used to see them at airports. When I lived in New Orleans they always put a dinner on for anyone to come, free of charge. The only catch was you had to help clean up. The food was good. You'd literally go there, eat, help clean up and leave. I don't know what they were all about but I did appreciate the food at the time.
 
lecroute said:
what were those students like?
i mean, were they walking around the shop (seems strange), or was the shop in the same building as the teaching institution?
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Ok so back then, this was the late 90s, one of the biggest places in the world for scientology was downtown Clearwater, FL. They owned a ton of land and buildings. I'll put up some pictures to show you. I had to look up stats but they have more than doubled their footprint since then. There are 10,000 scientologists who live there permanently.
The pics are being a pain so I'll post them separately. Just know that scientology is huge in Clearwater. Those students were adults from all over the world. They would go to classes and come into the store on breaks.
 
i had an acquaintance/friend who swore on hubbard's teachings, even if she said she would ever join the church.
according to her, reading his books helped overcome some traumatic experiences and depression.
but she's a very critical person, and said she took only "advice" that resonated with her and wouldn't recommend hubbard's teachings for most people she knows.
 
lecroute said:
i had an acquaintance/friend who swore on hubbard's teachings, even if she said she would ever join the church.
according to her, reading his books helped overcome some traumatic experiences and depression.
but she's a very critical person, and said she took only "advice" that resonated with her and wouldn't recommend hubbard's teachings for most people she knows.
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Yeah they have this thing they do. They use something called an e meter. It looks almost like a lie detector test with 2 cans coming out of it. You hold the cans while talking about something that was traumatic or stressful. They do this over and over and over again until you're desensitized to whatever happened. It's kinda crazy
 
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I hate commenting before I read all posts. And I will, But Heavens Gate fascinated me.
 
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