this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2025
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[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 10 points 12 hours ago

Cults work by coercive control to brainwash people. They subtly do it using tactics including lovebombing, isolation, limiting information, sleep deprivation and getting blackmail material to gain total control over the person's mind and body. It's the same process a domestic abuse perp uses, but they have more resources at their disposal, making it even harder to break free

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 13 points 13 hours ago

Can we get to the part where the Musk cult and the Trump cult both commit ritual suicide? It's long overdue.

Would be great, thank you.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 15 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

When will the Trump cult suicides start?

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 3 points 9 hours ago

That's just going to be Trump dropping nukes on California

[–] jouhija@sopuli.xyz 6 points 15 hours ago

They need to be kickstarted from the outside

[–] eletes@sh.itjust.works 3 points 13 hours ago

If some legitimate damning Epstein or Russia pee tape evidence came out I think that could put things in motion

[–] Aggravationstation@feddit.uk 58 points 1 day ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (4 children)

The guy pictured, Marshall Applewhite, wanted to fuck dudes and was ashamed of it so he got castrated. Then, after his best friend and cult's co-founder died, he convinced a bunch of people that the world was going to end and the only way they could survive was by committing suicide so that their souls could leave on an alien spaceship hidden behind Hale-Bopp comet as it passed by. Nobody can know what he was thinking but I'd wager he was just depressed and didn't want to die alone.

EDIT: Originally said it was Hailey's comet.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 16 hours ago

I think an array of mental illness and drug abuse is more likely.

[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 14 points 22 hours ago (2 children)
[–] FATALRPG@sh.itjust.works 3 points 13 hours ago

They were intentionally left behind to continue the mission/maintain the website. Lots of people have talked to them, they’re pretty easy to find interviews with.

[–] Aggravationstation@feddit.uk 4 points 19 hours ago

Ah yes. Just seen it was the Hale-Bopp comet, not Hailey's.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm more interested in wtf everyone else was thinking.

[–] And009@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 23 hours ago

Respect elders, follow till death.

[–] wombledomble@sh.itjust.works 0 points 16 hours ago

Iirc, a lot of them were forced to drink it.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

so internalized homophobia is what got them all killed

[–] hypeerror@sh.itjust.works 70 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Scientology somehow managed to reach cult "escape velocity" and survive the death of its leader.

[–] mapleseedfall@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Interesting. I feel like this theory can be expanded to not just cult but also organizations in general like a start up or a hobby club. What are the defining characteristics of a group getting to escape velocity I wonder

[–] Juice@midwest.social 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Own a fuck load of property, don't pay taxes, keep attracting new people to pay into the group, convince existing members to pay more, maybe scare the feds a little so theyre forced to try cooptation rather than direct suppression

[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 20 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 16 hours ago (10 children)
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[–] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Of you haven't watched Wild wild Country and/or Raël yet you definitely should. It's incredible.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Dude, Wild Wild Country is insane.

I watched it when it came out, knowing nothing about it besides from "cult documentary". Holy shit lol

[–] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 1 points 12 hours ago

Same here! I still thinking about it after years.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 22 hours ago

The Realeans are a fascinating bunch.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 129 points 2 days ago (10 children)

There is one cult I would welcome the ritual suicide of.

They’re just about at 10 years now.

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[–] halvar@lemy.lol 34 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Oh no this can't be true this would exclude major religions which are cults as well

[–] Taniwha420@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ehh ... The definition of a cult includes things like isolating you from your friends and family, and having secret teachings that only the initiated have access to. I.e. the Freemasons: secret teachings, but does not try to isolate you from friends and family. Secret society, but not a cult. Religion is a cult in terms of the original sense of the word: organised worship, but not a cult as we think of them. Though some subsets definitely do get pretty culty. Don't know about these days, but when I was at university the Campus Crusaders for Christ definitely had the love-bombing and isolating you from your friends and family going on.

[–] halvar@lemy.lol 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

As a Catholic by baptism and family tradition I do sometimes find Christianity a bit outdated, but I still think it's capable of renewing.

I don't really have time to go to church nowadays but for example when I last got to go at Easter the priest was a Russophile of all things (this happened in Hungary) and he very much made that part of his speech. Something about the Russians doing The Good Lord's job in Ukraine, just as they did back in WWII. I'm not even kidding.

Then again when I got to regularly go to the youth service a few years back it was basically just singing to the guitar band and looking at the Bible which was really fun, the priest was very educated and seemingly didn't have any hateful opinions, which is sadly more than you can expect from most of the clergy nowadays.

So yes TL;DR Christianity can be very fun and inclusive without acting like a cult, but the people who make up the Christian community come in all shapes and forms and sadly most of them aren't people you would want to spend much time with, and that includes some of the priests as well whose job it should be to make people more friendly in my opinion.

Well at least these are my experiences but I haven't ever been an integral part of any Christian Club or something like that.

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Checks out with mine. There are a bunch of nice people who genuinely try to spread the whole love thy neighbour thing, and there are a bunch of weirdos who like being part of the "better" group.

[–] rovingnothing29@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

Excuse you, in a religion the person at the top is dead.

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[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 58 points 1 day ago (12 children)

Humans are super susceptible to charisma, tribalism, and dogma

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 33 points 1 day ago

I saw an analysis of cults that have turned into religions - that is, outlived their founder. There's some very specific criteria that need to be met in order for it to endure, must critically it needs a charismatic reformer/organizer to take over when the founder dies.

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