06.14.23
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Hey! Let’s All Be X-ians!

Saw this @ Pharyngula.

As much as I’d like to see religion die a horrible death, this is not cool. Not cool at all. Heads had better roll.

https://apnews.com/article/kenya-cult-deaths-paul-mackenzie-4029d3c201d7f4438969aebc22eff2a7

Mak, I’m putting you in charge.

That anyone would have the influence, the hold on the minds of people, and use that power to commit such an atrocity is beyond criminal. Reminds me of Jonestown.

If incidents like this aren’t enough to convince people that religion is nothing more than a way to control/influence/and fleece people, I don’t know what could.

I do wonder when the mastermind had planned to go see jeebus? After all his flock were dead? After everything those people owned had been taken? When exactly?

8 thoughts on “Hey! Let’s All Be X-ians!”

  1. Such a strange story. You can’t fleece the dead, so I’m assuming the guy was just a straight out psychopath.

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  2. What amazes me is the gullibility of people. Starve yourself???

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  3. From Psychology Today and Joe Navarro, M.A., former FBI and their National Security Division’s Behavioral Analysis Program:

    Having studied at length the life, teachings, and behaviors of Jim Jones (Jonestown Guyana), David Koresh (Branch Davidians), Stewart Traill (The Church of Bible Understanding), Charles Manson, Shoko Asahara (Aum Shinrikyo), Joseph Di Mambro (The Order of the Solar Temple a.k.a. Ordre du Temple Solaire), Marshall Heff Applewhit (Heaven’s Gate), Bhagwan Rajneesh (Rajneesh Movement), and Warren Jeffs (polygamist leader), I can say that what stands out about these individuals is that they were or are all pathologically narcissistic. They all have or had an over-abundant belief that they were special, that they and they alone had the answers to problems, and that they had to be revered. They demanded perfect loyalty from followers, they overvalued themselves and devalued those around them, they were intolerant of criticism, and above all they did not like being questioned or challenged. And yet, in spite of these less than charming traits, they had no trouble attracting those who were willing to overlook these features.

    Now, what does that imply and explicitly say about the type of “followers” they attract? In my years employed at a Psych/A&D Rehab inpatient hospital as a clinical intake Assessor, there is usually one particular trait about THESE type of gullible victims:

    Low self-confidence/esteem, or by default, raised and taught to believe (blindly, which is called “faith”) in paranormal or a higher power(s) that always exerts Its/His/Her will over the victim whether the victim likes it or not, or is not healthy… even leading to their death. Consequently, when the victim (at a young vulnerable age?) swallows this oppressive indoctrinations, they are rendered enslaved because they must depend on another fallible human (cult) leader—described above—to think for them and dictate to them how to behave, what to say, do, and all in unwavering submission.

    To take this out of the realm of hyper-religiosity, can you think of any former U.S. President that fits that Cult Leader profile?

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    • Lol! As I was reading that, all I could think was “this sounds a lot like the orange idiot!”

      Faith is damn near definable as willingly stupid… Or, in this case, possibly, under educated/poor, little hope of self improvement, and already indoctrinated into believeing in spirits and whatnot.

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