Rocky

Peer pressure most likely. Belonging is not unique to cultic or religious organizations. Although the importance of social relationships, cultural identity, and — especially for indigenous people — place have long been apparent in research across multiple disciplines (e.g., Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Cacioppo, & Hawkley, 2003; Carter et al., 2017; Maslow, 1954; Rouchy, 2002; Vaillant, 2012), the year 2020 — with massive bushfires in Australia and elsewhere destroying ancient lands, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., amongst other events — brought the importance of belonging to the forefront of public attention. Belonging can be defined as a subjective feeling that one is an integral part of their surrounding systems, including family, friends, school, work environments, communities, cultural groups, and physical places (Hagerty et al., 1992). Most people have a deep need to feel a sense of belonging, characterized as a positive but often fluid and ephemeral connection with other people, places, or experiences (Allen, 2020a).

Not lately.

God bless you OldSkool. I wish you prosperity in your heart and soul and family relationships. I also hope you never fret about whether anyone thinks you're crazy. We all have stories. I can see a long life and many adventurous stories for you in the years to come.

That's it in a nutshell.

Ugh!

YIKES!

I'm wondering if what you and he might be thinking of is AWE. Dacher Keltner, an academic, recently published (in 2023) a book on AWE.

Seriously, Raf? Can you not, detached from emotional noise, just give him an I statement. As in... I don't grasp what you're getting at. Why would you need to assess his "overall intelligence?" Sheesh.

I appreciate the difference of using an I statement. It still doesn't tell me what the author subjectively experienced. And, I'm still curious. If you don't know the answer, I'm okay with that. Still curious, but I know I can only ask for clarification, not demand it.

Thank you for posting that beautiful visual and auditory feast of awe. Today's new (to me) book, is AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life. There were times in my young adulthood (50 or so years ago) and during my early life in twi, when I experienced everyday wonder. Of course, at that time, I attributed it all to God, as defined by Victor Wierwille. Anyway, in this book, I am encouraged to look for, seek out, awe in my everyday life. Beauty in cultural expression is one place to find it. I was touched with a sense of awe listening to that choir. No doubt, you and your fellow choir members singing that beautiful piece with a deep sense of love and awe will touch all of those who get to hear you.

NYTimes has this (apparently a gift article, because I could read it even though I don't subscribe to NYT) This report doesn't spell out Community of Jesus as a cult, but it seems to examine well, the young Mr Bushnell's mental approach. He rejected a good bit of his cult upbringing. He went to mental health therapy and encouraged a female friend with whom he apparently grew up to do the same. He had deep empathetic tendencies (which is a good thing). He WILL not immediately be forgotten, as this kind of sacrifice does get cited in news stories after the fact. My heart aches for him as I envision the ongoing good he could do by choosing to survive. Various aspects of growing up in a cult are apparent for those with experience to recognize it. Notably for me, that he was apparently neither taught nor had modeled for him by elders ways to cope with difficult ethical and moral dilemmas.

Or as personal attacks.

A quite vague claim. Before I'd accept this (unverifiable) claim, I'd want more of an explanation/description of what he meant by "the cabin was filled with the presence of God."

THIS was a review of Undertow, Charlene's memoir. From her perspective, she apparently believed he believed it.

Very detailed review. I recommend it wholeheartedly. The following clip saliently describes Mr Stewart's conclusion that "his is a book that anyone interested in evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, or aberrant fundamentalist Christianity should read. Maybe everybody should." That paragraph well sums up and crystalizes much of the reason for the abuses of power inherent in many first person records posted on GSC.

I will read that review shortly. However, at the public library in my new home town, I attended my first meeting of a local writers' group. I was given a couple of minutes to introduce myself. I mentioned my intent to write a memoir, noting my interest in politics and my 12 years in a particular Christian fundamentalist cult. I was quickly asked if I was at liberty to say which cult. Of course I am and gladly cited The Way International. Of the dozen or so other attendees, at least three or four indicated awareness of TWI as a cult. Btw, the young airman who self-immolated on Sunday, WaPo noted, had been involved as a child in a "high-demand" religious sect. I cited WaPo in this comment on the cults s3 thread. In case the link I posted in that comment wasn't a gift article link, this one IS.

Reflecting back on these responses, Raf, it seems you could have used emojis to say pretty much the same thing without sounding defensive or resorting to name calling yourself. For example N'est pas?

Notable indeed... especially to us, because we were familiar with this particular cult. I wonder if any academics have compiled credible data about the scope, time, and lack of meaningful accountability. I'd sure be interested in delving into such data. Btw, according to a WaPo story, the Air Force E-4 (who self-immolated on Sunday) had been a part of a: "But how a young man who liked The Lord of the Rings and karaoke became the man ablaze in a camouflage military uniform remains a mystery, even among some of his closest friends. "Bushnell was raised in a religious compound in Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod, according to Susan Wilkins, 59, who said she was a member of the group from 1970 to 2005. She said that she knew Bushnell and his family on the compound and that he was still a member when she left. Wilkins said she heard through members of Bushnell’s family that he eventually left the group. "Wilkins’s account is consistent with those of multiple others who said Bushnell had told them about his childhood in the religious group or who had heard about his affiliation from his family members. "The group, called the Community of Jesus, has faced allegations of inappropriate behavior, which it has publicly disputed. In a lawsuit against an Ontario school, where many officials were alleged to be members of the U.S.-based religious group, former students called the Community of Jesus a “charismatic sect” and alleged that it “created an environment of control, intimidation and humiliation that fostered and inflicted enduring harms on its students.” Multiple people who said they were former members of the Community of Jesus described their years after leaving the compound as particularly challenging. They said former members, soon after they depart the group, often long for a sense of belonging. “A lot of us that got out are very much into social justice, trying to defend those who don’t or can’t defend themselves, because that is what we went through,” said Bonnie Zampino, 54, who said she was a member of the group for three years in the 1980s. "Wilkins also said it is common for members of the Community of Jesus to join the military, describing the transition as moving from “one high-control group to another high-control group.”" Emphasis mine. Also, the link to their website was mine, and very easy to find. I figure we'll learn more about SrAirman Bushnell in the days to come. However, high-control group is a significant indicator of cults, according to Steven Hassan. There's no indication thus far that Bushnell's decision was based on anything other than his own personal conviction about the war. But it seems obvious he was locked into a cultish mindset. Very sad and tragic, especially for his family. Btw, he apparently was only 25. Meaning Ms. Wilkins would have only known him as a small child.

Easy to do so for anyone familiar with human nature and how challenging accepted orthodoxies can cause massive consternation. I suspect that's not substantially different now than it was two millennia ago.

Oh...

Is that how rational reasoning works?

And we're supposed to take your word for it? I think it would be gracious of you to at least give us a link for where you came up with your claim about "scholarly consensus."

YIKES!

Many GSC readers will be familiar with Steven Hassan's name and anti-cult message. This TED talk by Hassan is poignant (and has been for more than 40 years) and is salient today. It's less than 14 minutes long. The concept is far from limited to religion (including fundamentalist groups like twi) or politics. Hassan cites other ways people might be subject to this kind of mental/emotional manipulation. BTW, all humans are subject to being conned. I have been and not only by Victor Wierwille or Loy Martindale.

Hallelujah!