Cults

My roommate told me that one of her intrusive thoughts is that she thinks she could join and escape a cult. After ingesting four cult-mini-series in one week I agree (despite survivors consistently saying that getting trapped in some nice religious sect/sex cult/doomsday prepper collective could happen to anyone). Still, I’ve seen enough of these that without ever having to face a cult in real life, I can confidently say I would be safe. Documentaries that cover contemporary cults are now including the reception of their films within the communities they are investigating. For the Sarah Lawrence Dad cult, Remnant Fellowship, and the cult of University of Alabama sororities, the documentarians (after the original show airs) will revisit these people after they have been exposed to the “truth,” creating some kind of meta documentary—as if that would change their minds. Someone making a documentary about a club I was in already seems like the most glaring red flag, so this added reflection seems pointless. Of course, this silly movie won’t change their minds, they already stuck to their beliefs through the first round of interrogation. As the viewer and outsider, however, this ‘Where are They Now’ segment only fuels my addiction and fascination with cults. Each time, I am taken back by the depth of dedication and contemplate if I would be happier in a cult—to have that much conviction in my beliefs and have more structure in my life. Surely, I would be less anxious if I didn’t have to make any decisions for myself. Before joining a cult gets any more appealing, I’ll say one last thing and then I swear to god I’ll shut up about this forever: I am in no way referring to scientology, which everyone knows is definitely not a cult.