On being a cult member

Or at the very least, cult-adjacent

I grew up fundamentalist Christian, and one day, when I walked in on a discussion among some college buddies, the discussion was about some cult on campus. They were all excited about it, too.

But come to find out, they were talking about my church.

Whoa, I said. My church is not a cult. It might have weird, out-of-step rules, but I could leave any time I wanted (which, at the time, to me meant “cult”).

I have a little more nuanced understanding of “cult,” and if you pay attention to the news, so do you.

A cult, from the International Cultic Studies Association, involves:

• A fervent belief in the righteousness of one’s endeavors

• The pursuit of lofty goals that are reached only rarely, but instead of being realistic, even loftier goals are set

• The need for massive amount of dedication/money/resources to the cause

• A leader hungry for adoration

The diapered felon who rapes eats this crap up

If you think about MAGAs’ traditional approach to their leader (“traditional” as of 2015 and his goddamn ride down the escalator), this all tracks. So it’s interesting that the Epstein files just might be a breaking point (for some). That means no amount of distractions (weirdly and illegally threatening to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship?) are going to work with them. They’re locked in, and their reaction may be as loud and angry as we can imagine.

So, glory!