Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986 Page 9
and all that exists, what is there to connect to?) and reason useless, for the everyday world
(God‘s creation in Judaeo-Christian terms), and the mind itself, are illusion, a cipher. No
need to sing ―The Heavens are telling the glory of God‖, for ―the heavens‖ are nothing. In
this world-view, personality is an illusory mush, so struggling to create harmony within
oneself and with one‘s world is unnecessary. Man is already ―whole‖ (the ―wholeness‖ of
extinction, however, not of connectedness), only he hasn‘t discovered the esoteric pathway
that will make him aware of his absolute ―wholeness.‖ And as for reason: instead of, ―if it
feels right it probably is right,‖ we have ―if it feels good, it is good,‖ and, by extension, true
as well.
This bastardization of traditional American pragmatism is an attractive epistemological
framework for modern-day sophists. Such people first demolish (if personal disillusionment
and/or stress haven‘t already demolished) the logically fragile props of values based on
―natural reasoning.‖ (Only philosophers and other intellectuals, being aware of
inconsistencies in their value heritages, try to create rational systems for justifying their
behavior the average person, not being aware of his reasoning processes, mistakenly
overestimates his rationality.) Then they manipulate their confused, disillusioned recruits
into ―feeling good,‖ and convince them that whatever they are told while ―feeling good‖ is
true. The resulting cessation of authentic thinking can be a relief to those whose
information-processing capacities have been overloaded by manipulators.
The ultimate implication of this process is obvious: If I make you believe that feeling good is
truth, and if, through guile, I make you feel good, then I can induce you to believe that I
am God incarnate (or, should I pretend to be humble, ―God‘s messenger). If I am God
incarnate (or his messenger), you must do my bidding.
Cultism thus becomes a medium for objectifying, so to speak, the personal ―revelations‖ of
cult leaders. At best, their ―revelations‖ are highly subjective at worst, they are blatantly
magical. Rationality is denigrated. The ―highs,‖ the ―good feelings,‖ induced by manipulative
techniques are valued more than rational discourse or empirical testing. Critical thinking or
the ―devil‘s advocate‖ position are not permitted. Only what the individual ―feels‖ is of any
worth, but the individual is unaware of the extent to which he has been manipulated to
―feel.‖ The result is a widespread and uncritical acceptance of dubious notions, such as
astral projection, mind-reading, psychokinesis, levitation, enlightenment, faith healing, and
promises of special status in the coming Utopia or rewards on a ―higher plane.‖ The sense of
power emanating from this ―magic,‖ combined with the contagious enthusiasm of a group
dedicated to .changing the world‖ or ―achieving enlightenment,‖ can be intoxicating,
especially to the young and those whose confidence has been shaken by inadequately
managed personal stress.
Because a magical orientation is so vulnerable to rational criticism a group adhering to such
a worldview must become exclusive and must utilize deceptive and manipulative practices
to maintain the unquestioned loyalty of its members. In such groups, then, there is a strong
totalistic impulse, a tendency to determine --sometimes in great detail --how members
should think, feel, and act. Furthermore, the vulnerability of the magical world-view and its
resulting totalistic impulse make it very difficult --if not impossible --for the members of
such groups to maintain outside relationships or to tolerate dissent Thus, the traditional
values of tolerance, common sense, freedom, fair play, and connectedness must be
discarded in order for the cult to survive.
Although the processes cited above are most easily recognized in Eastern monist and New
Age groups, they are also operative in extremist ―Christian‖ groups. Although maintaining a
dualist philosophical perspective, the ―Christian‖ cults also employ a wide array of
manipulative techniques to enforce a mind-numbing conformity on members. Doubt and
questioning, without which critical thinking cannot occur, are excoriated as ―of the devil,‖
and all that exists, what is there to connect to?) and reason useless, for the everyday world
(God‘s creation in Judaeo-Christian terms), and the mind itself, are illusion, a cipher. No
need to sing ―The Heavens are telling the glory of God‖, for ―the heavens‖ are nothing. In
this world-view, personality is an illusory mush, so struggling to create harmony within
oneself and with one‘s world is unnecessary. Man is already ―whole‖ (the ―wholeness‖ of
extinction, however, not of connectedness), only he hasn‘t discovered the esoteric pathway
that will make him aware of his absolute ―wholeness.‖ And as for reason: instead of, ―if it
feels right it probably is right,‖ we have ―if it feels good, it is good,‖ and, by extension, true
as well.
This bastardization of traditional American pragmatism is an attractive epistemological
framework for modern-day sophists. Such people first demolish (if personal disillusionment
and/or stress haven‘t already demolished) the logically fragile props of values based on
―natural reasoning.‖ (Only philosophers and other intellectuals, being aware of
inconsistencies in their value heritages, try to create rational systems for justifying their
behavior the average person, not being aware of his reasoning processes, mistakenly
overestimates his rationality.) Then they manipulate their confused, disillusioned recruits
into ―feeling good,‖ and convince them that whatever they are told while ―feeling good‖ is
true. The resulting cessation of authentic thinking can be a relief to those whose
information-processing capacities have been overloaded by manipulators.
The ultimate implication of this process is obvious: If I make you believe that feeling good is
truth, and if, through guile, I make you feel good, then I can induce you to believe that I
am God incarnate (or, should I pretend to be humble, ―God‘s messenger). If I am God
incarnate (or his messenger), you must do my bidding.
Cultism thus becomes a medium for objectifying, so to speak, the personal ―revelations‖ of
cult leaders. At best, their ―revelations‖ are highly subjective at worst, they are blatantly
magical. Rationality is denigrated. The ―highs,‖ the ―good feelings,‖ induced by manipulative
techniques are valued more than rational discourse or empirical testing. Critical thinking or
the ―devil‘s advocate‖ position are not permitted. Only what the individual ―feels‖ is of any
worth, but the individual is unaware of the extent to which he has been manipulated to
―feel.‖ The result is a widespread and uncritical acceptance of dubious notions, such as
astral projection, mind-reading, psychokinesis, levitation, enlightenment, faith healing, and
promises of special status in the coming Utopia or rewards on a ―higher plane.‖ The sense of
power emanating from this ―magic,‖ combined with the contagious enthusiasm of a group
dedicated to .changing the world‖ or ―achieving enlightenment,‖ can be intoxicating,
especially to the young and those whose confidence has been shaken by inadequately
managed personal stress.
Because a magical orientation is so vulnerable to rational criticism a group adhering to such
a worldview must become exclusive and must utilize deceptive and manipulative practices
to maintain the unquestioned loyalty of its members. In such groups, then, there is a strong
totalistic impulse, a tendency to determine --sometimes in great detail --how members
should think, feel, and act. Furthermore, the vulnerability of the magical world-view and its
resulting totalistic impulse make it very difficult --if not impossible --for the members of
such groups to maintain outside relationships or to tolerate dissent Thus, the traditional
values of tolerance, common sense, freedom, fair play, and connectedness must be
discarded in order for the cult to survive.
Although the processes cited above are most easily recognized in Eastern monist and New
Age groups, they are also operative in extremist ―Christian‖ groups. Although maintaining a
dualist philosophical perspective, the ―Christian‖ cults also employ a wide array of
manipulative techniques to enforce a mind-numbing conformity on members. Doubt and
questioning, without which critical thinking cannot occur, are excoriated as ―of the devil,‖
