Disaster Spirituality

A framework for cult research

On Conspirituality 11, Julian opens up and discusses, for the first time, his experiences studying under and working for a well-known yoga instructor that projected her trauma onto all of her students. This led to Julian falsely accusing his father of sexual abuse in the nineties, while he was in his mid-twenties. Thankfully, he was able to leave the toxic cult behind, though it took years and a lot of work.

Humans can heal, though not all ends well. Julian is now closer than he’s ever been with his parents, yet two decades later his relationship with his brother remains broken.

Matthew does an exceptional job discussing cult dynamics at the end of the podcast. He was indoctrinated into two—Michael Roach and the Endeavor Academy—and has worked diligently at helping people recover from cults ever since.

I never expected that nearly a quarter-century after graduating with a degree in Religion, I’d be co-hosting a weekly podcast on cult dynamics, wellness influencers, and conspirituality. The process has been cathartic and intellectually challenging—a wonderful combination. Yet it also tinged with a sense of sadness.

For my contribution, I discuss a recent video by David Wolfe in the larger context of the QAnon infiltration into the yoga and wellness space. It’s hard watching so many well-intentioned people spiral down this toxic rabbit hole—one that, remember, began with Pizzagate and has only grown more vile and destructive—and I offer a few possible explanations for how such a descent occurs.

This week I published a few stories of interest, including one about the Rutgers English Department announcing a sweeping set of reforms in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. This is especially meaningful to me; I left that department in 1995 for what I viewed as a racist policy. Progress is always possible.

I also cover recent news about churches receiving upwards of $10 billion in federal stimulus. The Catholic Church, with over one million employees and a net worth of at least $30 billion, was able to file for hundreds of “small business” loans, receiving up to $3.5 billion in forgivable loans.

Here’s a sample:

Churches and ministries receiving at least $2 million include ministry group, Jews for Jesus (total assets: $39,596,245); evangelical book and music publisher, David C Cook (total assets: $87,871,425); Mariners Church, an Irvine-based megachurch (total assets: $107,026,283); The Summit Church, a North Carolina-based Southern Baptist church (total assets: $60,694,442); and Orlando-based Ligonier Ministries (total assets: $46,203,410).

Another 400 ministries received at least $1 million in forgivable loans under the CARES Act.

To reiterate, up to 40 million Americans may lose their home this year.

Next Monday, I’ll cover strategies for coping with coronavirus anxiety on the paid version of this newsletter. This week, I discussed the problems with medicalizing anxiety and depression, as well as the reasons psychiatry adopting the language of clinical neuroscience has harmed patients seeking relief for those same conditions.

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