Voltaire's Child
Fool on the Hill
I have been thinking for quite a while about cult leaders. I saw a wonderful documentary about Heaven's Gate wherein I saw a NUMBER of similarities, theology-wise with Scn. More on that in another thread.
I was thinking about Marshall Applewhite, Jim Jones, LRH, Rajneesh. One thing they all had in common was that they went nuts. I don't mean to offend any Freezoners or other Scn'ists posting here, but LRH did get nutty toward the end and even a lot earlier, there's documentation about him acting irresponsibly and making irrational decisions.
Be that as it may-- I do think that most of these guys, maybe all of them, believed the theology they taught. I know that some clergy, cult leaders, etc, don't. Like the ex Nazi who founded a cult with the slogan from Auschwitz at his camp, after WWII. But I think that Applewhite, Jones, Hubbard, Rajneesh did believe in their own precepts, tenets and methods.
I also don't think a single one of them was ever self sacrificing or averse to power. This probably helped them go nuts later.
Every single one of these people went nuts. Applewhite already had problems, though I tend to think he did get a few insights- along with an overdose of the flesh is evil Gnostic mindset. Hubbard got really weird, that's documentated. Rajneesh went nuts. Jones certainly did. I saw an interview with him shortly before the deaths/mass suicide/homicide. He was paranoid as hell. Totally bonkers.
I think that if a person isn't nuts when they start their own religious movement, that they well may become nuts.
Here are my speculations as to what the contributing factors may be:
I think there's an Icarus factor there. I think some people fly too close to the sun. All these guys dabbled and dabbled and worked and worked on spiritual methods and theories. I think that this can awaken things in a person that aren't always good and that it can be hard to handle.
People always think they can handle these things or they wouldn't be trying them in the first place. But they do- WE do- overestimate themselves.
Another thing is irresponsibility. Hubbard, Applewhite, Jones and Rajneesh all meddled in people's personal lives and family structures. They did NOT take responsibility for what they did. They didn't take responsibility for financial shenanigans that they or sr members did.
Continued irresponsibility and the justifications people use regarding that are very bad for people. You end up with someone that all they ever do is make excuses, then get paranoid because they truly HAVE pissed some people off plus they have all that stuff they did that they hope people won't find out about.
Sheer pressure of running and managing a group like that. Being the go to guy. Being "Source", being the CEO. That can crack some people, particularly when this other stuff is going on.
Feedback?
I was thinking about Marshall Applewhite, Jim Jones, LRH, Rajneesh. One thing they all had in common was that they went nuts. I don't mean to offend any Freezoners or other Scn'ists posting here, but LRH did get nutty toward the end and even a lot earlier, there's documentation about him acting irresponsibly and making irrational decisions.
Be that as it may-- I do think that most of these guys, maybe all of them, believed the theology they taught. I know that some clergy, cult leaders, etc, don't. Like the ex Nazi who founded a cult with the slogan from Auschwitz at his camp, after WWII. But I think that Applewhite, Jones, Hubbard, Rajneesh did believe in their own precepts, tenets and methods.
I also don't think a single one of them was ever self sacrificing or averse to power. This probably helped them go nuts later.
Every single one of these people went nuts. Applewhite already had problems, though I tend to think he did get a few insights- along with an overdose of the flesh is evil Gnostic mindset. Hubbard got really weird, that's documentated. Rajneesh went nuts. Jones certainly did. I saw an interview with him shortly before the deaths/mass suicide/homicide. He was paranoid as hell. Totally bonkers.
I think that if a person isn't nuts when they start their own religious movement, that they well may become nuts.
Here are my speculations as to what the contributing factors may be:
I think there's an Icarus factor there. I think some people fly too close to the sun. All these guys dabbled and dabbled and worked and worked on spiritual methods and theories. I think that this can awaken things in a person that aren't always good and that it can be hard to handle.
People always think they can handle these things or they wouldn't be trying them in the first place. But they do- WE do- overestimate themselves.
Another thing is irresponsibility. Hubbard, Applewhite, Jones and Rajneesh all meddled in people's personal lives and family structures. They did NOT take responsibility for what they did. They didn't take responsibility for financial shenanigans that they or sr members did.
Continued irresponsibility and the justifications people use regarding that are very bad for people. You end up with someone that all they ever do is make excuses, then get paranoid because they truly HAVE pissed some people off plus they have all that stuff they did that they hope people won't find out about.
Sheer pressure of running and managing a group like that. Being the go to guy. Being "Source", being the CEO. That can crack some people, particularly when this other stuff is going on.
Feedback?
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