Cult Basics
Info from the Netflix dark comedy docuseries How to Become a Cult Leader with Peter Dinklage, 2023
Episode 1: Build Your Foundation (Focus on Charles Manson)
Cult Definition: A system of religious veneration directed at a particular person or object
centered around a powerful charismatic leader
suppression of free thought and use of mind control
Charles Manson - “he was an actor and he loved the role”
His mother was arrested for robbery so at the age of 5 he went to live with extended family. In elementary school he was picked on so he made friends with people who would protect him. He played up the role of being vulnerable and needing help, and convinced his new friends to look out for him. When they got in trouble for beating up kids that picked on him, he was able to claim he wasn’t involved and got out of facing consequences.
He went to prison for car theft and spent his time in prison learning from other prisoners and from books in the library. Budddha’s teachings / Hinduism / Scientology / Gospel of born-again Christians / Lyrics from the Beatles / Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein / Learned to play guitar / How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie
Emotional Manipulation suggested by Carnegie’s book:
Make life a show
Let the other guy do most of the talking
Make other people feel important, say their name a lot when talking to them
Don’t tell someone they’re wrong, just ask questions and lead them to understanding that they are wrong
Make people think your idea is really their idea
After prison, at the age of 32 in 1967, the USA was in political turmoil. Lots of distrust in the government. People started to look for community and connection and meaning, which is where he found his niche.
He was a dance instructor for a bit. That gave him the chance to meet young women but it didn’t work out long term. Then he tried to be a pimp but wasn’t very successful.
He got paroled and went north for a fresh start - San Francisco. He changes his image to fit in with the hippie culture.
Met Mary Brunner - an environmentalist. Manson convinces her that they have the same life goal. Lynette Fromme is next - she’d argued with her family and run away from home. Charlie took advantage of her vulnerability and convinced her they were soul mates. Patricia Krenwinkel - “a sweet, absolutely naive young woman. Charlie seduced the living daylights out of her on their first meeting and Miss Krenwinkel was in heaven.” From here Manson was able to draw in more “family members.” Young women who were doing drugs, lost, lonely, wanting connection and someone to look up to. He convinced each of them that they were his only partner, and when it was revealed that they were part of a “harem” they accepted it as part of Manson’s idea of life.
Manson wanted people who “were bruised, not broken”
Would test his followers to ensure he was their leader and they would do whatever he said. He would give everyone LSD as if it were a “sacrament” and it was expected that they participate. While they were high, he’d describe to them a crucifixion that he experienced while on acid, and the followers would witness this as if he were being crucified in front of them (bc they were high).
He convinced his followers that they didn’t need to eat and that they didn’t feel pain. He held one girl’s hand over open flame and told her the pain was just in her mind. They cut X’s into their foreheads but the cuts weren’t scarring so they burned the area with a screwdriver to make the scars. they said it didn’t hurt.
“Creepy Crawling”
Cult members would wear black clothes and sneak into houses at night to “mess with people’s minds” by rearranging furniture and eating their food.
Was a way for him to gauge if cult members would do what he told them to do. Was a way for him to rearrange the cult members’ perception of right and wrong.
Charlie believed he was going to become a music star. He moved to Los Angeles with his cult members to try to get into recording music. He goal was to use the girls who followed him to connect him with a rockstar. That’s how he got connected to the Beach Boys.
Dennis Wilson from the Beach Boys picked up some of the girls when they were hitchhiking. He partied with the girls at his Hollywood mansion and then Manson and the cult moved in. Dennis allowed this and arranged a recording session for Charlie.
Manson recorded a song called Cease to Exist but then did not want feedback on the music and was angry that the song wasn’t popular with the producers. He decided everyone in the business was corrupt and he wanted revenge.
Helter Skelter - A “black-white race war” that would be coming that they had to prepare for and hide from. He was going to take his followers out into the desert, and they would become the rulers of the world once the war was over.
When the war didn’t happen, Manson convinced his followers to murder Sharon Tate and at least 8 other people in August of 1969. Wrote “death to pigs” and “helter skelter” on the walls, and carved “war” into one of the victim’s chests. This was to incite the war that he anticipated.
5 members of the Mason family, including Charles Manson, are arrested and charged with murder. They were found guilty of murder in the first degree.
His cult had less than 100 members and only lasted about 3 years. He was imprisoned for life in 1971.
**One of the things they said about the Heaven’s Gate cult was incorrect - they said that the leader was castrated first and then followers did the same, all performed in the cult without medical supervision. This was not true, Applewhite and others were castrated by a doctor after the group attempted and failed to castrate a willing cult member. An important observation because if they got that wrong they could have also gotten other details wrong.
Episode 2: Grow Your Flock (Focus on Jim Jones)
Jim Jones - described as extremely intelligent, caring person
Background Info
Fact 1 - He was obsessed with religion from a young age. Grew up in rural Indiana and was part of every church in his community. Would run from church to church on Sundays to attend all services.
Fact 2 - He had an unusual childhood hero. He was fascinated by Hitler and the control he had over followers. Also fascinated by Hitler killing himself rather than surrendering at the end of the war
Fact 3 - He made his name fighting for social justice. He marched for equality and social justice. His message and mission were what brought people into his cult.
Used revival meetings and faith healings. Claimed he could sense pain and started performing faith healings. Some of them did work. He convinced his followers that he was a prophet from God. Sometimes these faith healings didn’t work, so he would “fake” them by giving the congregants a diagnosis they were unaware of and heal them of it (lol). Would also have cult members pretend to be sick and cough up chicken parts into a handkerchief as evidence of them being “healed” by Jim Jones.
Was able to code switch according to the church community he was visiting. “The content didn’t matter, the ethics didn’t matter, but his ability to speak to the masses and cultivate power did”
Created the idea of Apostolic Socialism - based on the idea that Jesus’ apostles lived together. All people following him should live together and give their wealth and possessions to Jim Jones. Would make people feel guilty if they were hesitant.
Was able to offer community service with the money and participation garnered from cult members. This grew the church’s influence and positive image.
Bought a fleet of buses and would take his services on the road. He would invite people back to California after the services.
He sold merch and photos of himself that he claimed would bring luck and health
The Planning Commission - 30 of his closest followers. All white. Knew about all of the lies, drugs, and affairs but believed the ends justified the means.
Was arrested in 1973 for exposing himself to an undercover cop. He made a deal: he pled guilty under the condition that the record be sealed. This made him feel invincible.
A reporter started trying to look into the cult and was going to expose the affairs, the abuse of children, the coercion of members, etc. They had names and photographs. Jones brought the cult to Guyana in response.
Chose Guyana because it was English speaking / Socialist / Far away from the reporters and curiosity of the USA / a struggling government who wouldn’t say no to his money.
Leased 3800 acres of jungle for the People’s Temple. They cleared the land and built cabins.
Told his followers they wouldn’t have to go to work, they would have food and peace, there would be no need for police.
1000 people moved to Guyana - Jonestown. Jonestown is definitely not what was advertised. There are no beds, there’s a lack of food, there are armed guards 24/7 that wouldn’t allow people to leave. Members were forced to work hard labor for 12-14 hours a day. There was a “Special Care unit” - when people misbehaved, they were drugged with Thorazine and isolated
Relatives of people in Jonestown are worried about their family members. They send Congressman Leo Ryan to check in on Jonestown and make sure everything is okay.
The people of Jonestown, under Jones’ coercion, put on a show to make it seem like they’re having the time of their lives.
A resident slips a note to an NBC reporter that says “help us get out of Jonestown.” Jones initially allows people to leave Jonestown with the Congressman but then changes his mind. He sent people with guns after them to kill them. 5 people died, including the Congressman. Hours later, the people at Jonestown had committed suicide.
He told the people they were going to commit revolutionary suicide and there was no alternative. Some bodies show evidence of bruised injection sites which indicates that this wasn’t a mass suicide, it was a mass murder.
Episode 3: Reform Their Minds (Focus on Jaime Gomez and Buddhafield)
Had about 120 members
Jaime Gomez aka Andreas aka Michel Rostand (had a bunch of aliases)
Fact 1 - He always wanted to be a star. Born in Venezuela and came to Hollywood to make his fame. He didn’t make it. He wasn’t a great dancer or actor. Was in porn for a bit but didn’t do well in that either. Became an acting teacher in Florida.
Fact 2 - Buddhafield was a refuge from the “me decade”.
Fact 3 - Created a moving origin story for himself. He was spontaneously enlightened by a guru and found his calling to bring enlightenment to others. This was false. He studied other cult leaders to figure out how to do it for himself.
Told people that he communicated to God through meditation and he could teach people to do the same.
Chris Johnston - joined at 19 and didn’t feel like he fit in. The meditation wasn’t making sense to him. Jaime offered a direct lesson to him, a process he called “shakti” - he pressed his forehead into Chris’s forehead and Chris says he saw light and that was what made him a believer. Turns out he had a flashlight that he was blinking into peoples’ closed eyes lol.
The Knowing
“the direct experience of God”
Four meditation techniques - the light and music, inner sound, the holy word, and a transference of energy.
Was exclusive to certain members. Everyone always worked towards being ready for the Knowing.
Service
In a general way and then service for the master. You aspired to perform service for the master.
Carrying his books and taking his shoes off, then carrying his chair and making him new chairs.
People were constantly busy with taking care of him
The community was financially responsible for the guru’s wants and needs
Jaime’s Routine: Private time in the morning for meditation / Then massage / Walk through the gardens his followers tend / Eat lunch made by followers / Give private therapy sessions for a few hours / Exercise / Another massage / Eat dinner made by followers / Get tucked in by followers and read stories (no joke lmao).
He moved the group to Austin Texas. He wanted his followers to build him a ballet theater. They built it in West Austin. Jaime is very critical of their efforts and demands more service, more work, more money.
He made all of the cult members learn ballet and learn to put on a production in its entirety. They would do the performance once and only for the people who were in the group.
Forced conformity
Controlled the diet - no dairy / wheat / pork / beef / no caffeine / no alcohol / no gluten / no sugar / no honey / no chocolate
Jaime set standards for beauty
Men had to shave their chests
Plastic surgery / botox / implants
He would have followers try plastic surgery procedures so he could see what the process was like and how they healed before he did it himself
Referred to themselves as “Holy Company” and the people outside the cult were the “world of the dead”
Told cult members they couldn’t talk to family or friends outside of the cult because they “wouldn’t understand”
Used public shaming to coerce and force obedience
Wouldn’t allow members to have children
Would perform “karmic cleansing” sessions.
1:1 meetings with Jaime. Began with relaxation exercises, then he would ask them questions and record the answers. He discerned their vulnerabilities from trauma and insecurity. He also charged for the sessions.
“everyone was afraid to be honest with each other because you knew that person would go back to him”
All information came through him, no one knew the entirety of what was happening with him or the cult.
In 2006, every member gets an email from an old member who left without explanation. It had a list of accusations against jaime
He lied about his past and training
Accused him of tax evasion
Extreme emotional manipulation
Serial sexual predator
He portrayed himself as celibate
Group members start to share what they knew with each other - he was having sexual relationships with several members
Jaime summoned the followers and denied everything but people started to leave
Significant quote: “it leaves scars on you. How do I trust myself after believing him 100%?” / “To all of those listening who think they could never be in a cult. You’re the kind of person they’re waiting for.”
Episode 4: Promise Eternity (Focus on Do and Ti / Heaven’s Gate)
**See other blog post for information about this cult.
Episode 5: Control Your Image (Focus on Aum Shinrikyo)
Shoko Asahara
Basics
Fact 1: He did not seem destined for greatness: Born in 1955 to a poor family. Had poor eyesight so was sent to a boarding school for students with disabilities. Felt abandoned by his family
Fact 2 - He developed his own path to enlightenment. He studied Buddhism and acupuncture. He wanted to find a new path to save the world and create utopia
Fact 3 - His followers thought he was a superhero. Felt he was not a man; he was more like a God. They said he could levitate and read minds.
Was a spiritual Guru and TV personality for a decade
Founded Aum Shinrikyo in 1984 as a yoga and meditation group - 10,000 members in Japan and 40,000 members world wide. Cult’s ultimate aim was to purify the world
Targeted highly educated young people who had computing skills and wanted to change society. They wanted a simpler, more meaningful life.
They build an electronic helmet that would allow Asahara to “transmit his brain waves directly to followers”
He promised that anyone who followed him would gain supernatural powers.
Gained 1300 followers in just one year.
Ascetic training
The members had to perform physical tasks like sitting for hours, holding their breath underwater, being confined in dark spaces, being hung upside down. These trainings would help them “become closer to Asahara”.
Declared himself to be Christ reborn and sought out (and received) the blessing of the Dalai Llama
Basecamp at the bottom of Mt Fuji - members participated in Fasting / Extended Meditation / Sleep Deprivation / Electroshock Therapy
One member breaks under the stress. Asahara has cult members douse him in cold water to try to shock him out of his distress, he goes into cardiac arrest and dies.
The group burns the body to hide evidence of what happened.
This now calls into question why Asahara is forcing members to do what they do - is it truly going to lead to enlightenment?
Asahara’s explanation was that the person who died wasn’t ready for enlightenment and had to die to be reincarnated to try again in a new life. He said they should be grateful he died under the guru’s guidance.
One member panics and decides he needs to tell the police what they’ve done.
Asahara orders the member be murdered and the cult follows it out
People who stand against the cult become “enemies of the truth” which gave the cult permission to kill to protect the cult. They believed they were saving the souls of those they kill because they were protecting them from bad karma.
Parents of cult members start to gather media attention demanding their kids back.
Asahara’s response:
1. Elect a spokesperson to address claims
2. Get the spokesperson in the spotlight
Asahara started going on talk shows - he was funny and entertaining. He started to have yoga trainings published in magazines. He was present in anime and Manga. He had a song “Guru’s March” that became popular.
An anti-cult lawyer starts to respond publicly by saying he would reveal the humanity of the guru. Asahara has the lawyer, his wife, and their baby son murdered. They hide the remains in metal drums and bury them. The police assume the cult’s involvement but were not able to do much because there are strict laws protecting religious freedoms in Japan - the police didn’t have much authority to question the cult and demand answers.
Asahara started to get into politics. He felt he had a message that the world needed to hear. He founded his own political party on a campaign focused on entertainment with masks and dances. The platform was mostly espousing yoga and meditation, and warning that the world would end and people needed to join them to find enlightenment.
He lost by a LANDSLIDE and became a public joke. He decided the world didn’t deserve saving and he would get revenge
The narrative was now that the election was stolen by an international conspiracy trying to suppress his group. The only way for the cult and humanity overall to survive is to strike back.
The cult tries to develop nuclear, laser, and microwave tech / bioweapons like Ebola and anthrax / purchase tanks, fighter planes, and nuclear warheads. They fail in all endeavors. The cult is then able to create homemade Sarin Nerve Gas. They test this on land they purchased in the Australian outback and it is successful.
On March 20, 1995 the cult placed gas containers in the subway. 14 people lost their lives, thousands were injured and brought to hospitals.
Police raid the compound but Asahara is not there. The cult denies involvement. The police do find enough weapons and gas to kill 4 million people.
On May 5th Aum attempts another attack with Zyklon B, this fails
On May 16 the police raid the headquarters again and find Asahara hiding in a meditation member. 13 members, including Asahara, are found guilty of conspiracy to murder and murder. In July of 2018 all 13 were executed.
Episode 6: Become Immortal (Focus on Sun Myung Moon)
Made the bridge between politics, money, and religion
Unification Church - The Moonies - built over 6 decades. He died 10 years ago and the church is still a success.
About Moon
Fact 1 - His destiny was “sanctioned by heaven”. He said Jesus appeared to him when he was 16, asking Moon to take over Jesus’s mission because he failed.
Fact 2 - Moon made his fortune in Asia. He exploited the values of loyalty and honor in Japan
Fact 3 - Moon was obsessed with the idea of the American Dream. He came to the USA in 1970’s. He started in a town outside of NYC.
Some people argue that this is not a cult, but others say it is
People of the church used “heavenly deception” to excuse away their lies (it’s okay if it’s for the church lol). They would say they weren’t part of the church when trying to recruit members, because they wanted the opportunity to share their message without being turned away immediately.
Cult members used love bombing to recruit members.
They would host events under false names to gather people together and talk to them about their lives and share teachings from The Divine Principle, Moon’s book
Says God’s plan was for Jesus to get married and father children who would be free of sin. Jesus failed in this quest, the new messiah with this task is Moon.
People crying and kissing his shoes, total adoration
Cult members told they needed to raise money to create the kingdom of heaven here on Earth
The group invested in everything they could. The biggest was True World Foods - claims to be the #1 supplier of sushi to American restaurants.
Hired accountants to manage the finances
Assigned tasks to the members without financial compensation (free labor)
Moon was FILTHY rich but his members were not.
The Unification Church hosted massive group ceremonies. He spoke at major stadiums to huge crowds.
Mass Weddings - a demonstration of his influence and power.
Said his goal was to create a society of people free of original sin and these mass weddings were a way to achieve that.
Moon would gather a congregation together to pick out couples and set a date for their weddings. The couple would only see each other a couple times before the wedding, and engagement could be years long.
Wedding ceremony is hours long. The ceremony described in the episode had 2074 couples present to be married.
Hierarchy of children
Moon’s children were The True Children and most pure
Children of couples created in the cult are born without original sin and called The Blessed Children
Camp Sunrise - Bible camp for these kids. Swimming / Archery / Hiking / “Bonding exercises before breakfast”
Unity Jumping Jacks where the kids have to count together and if they mess up they have to start over. They can’t eat until they successfully accomplish this task.
8 hours of lectures on church theology
Kids watched movies about how church members were kidnapped and deprogrammed, warning them about this
Learning about the “perils of premarital sex” and preparing for their upcoming engagements
Intended to mix fun childhood experiences with indoctrination
Children of couples who weren’t blessed by Moon - Sinful
“The rest of the world is inhabited by Satan”
Convinced members that having sex with anyone from outside the church would make them unclean and would undo thousands of years of spiritual work to cleanse them of original sin.
Faced 18 months of prison after tax evasion scandal. He spent 13 months in prison and then created a World Peace Organization and got into the UN. He also launched The Washington Times. These investments gave him influence and protection.
Moon created a plan to sustain the cult after his death
He hosted The Ambassadors for Peace Awards at the U.S. Capital Building.
Honored religious leaders’ community contributions
Guests of Honor were Moon and his wife
Members of congress present the couple with royal attire, calling Moon the “King of Peace” (wtf?!? Separation of Church and State?!)
Created a succession plan
Keep power in the family. Groomed his wife and youngest son to continue his legacy.
Plan didn’t go smoothly at first, everyone fought for ownership
His wife became the main spiritual leader, his oldest son started a church nonprofit, his youngest son created The Rod of Iron Ministries
