I was watching the documentary "Holy Hell" about the Buddhafield group in California, for twenty years they believed this guy was a messenger from God, they devoted their lives to him, turned out he was an out of work gay porn actor from Brazil named Jaime Gomez.
But it all only really goes to shit midway through the movie when all the squirrely shit he was doing to his followers emerged. Before that, they were really happy.
Cults tend to be defined by their leader, but of course once that leader has such absolute power over his followers, assholery inevitably ensues.
So I've decided to reboot the cult idea with some improvements:
1.) The leader doesn't get unquestioning authority over followers and their lives. He/she can ask them to leave the cult's place if he/she thinks they're fucking things up and it's damaging the group, but the leader can't tell you who to marry, what to think, what to believe, or anything else. The most they can do is make you leave the cult if you're causing problems.
2.) The leader doesn't ask for or get money from the followers. People chip in for gas if they want to ride into town in the cult leader's truck from the cult's off-grid camp on private property. Instead of paying the cult, cult members spend their money to survive better, saving for a vehicle, trailer, some solar power, whatever. Members come and go as they please. If/when they leave the cult, they take their stuff with them.
3.) Instead of working in some cult-owned business to make money for the cult leader, the members raise goats and chickens for milk, meat, and eggs. If everyone wants to pitch in for rice, pastas, other bulk foods and prepare group meals, we work out who knows how to make what, we give it a try, and people vote with their stomachs. At this stage, the High Chef of the Cult (whoever makes the best food) is a powerful member of the cult in their own right. Individual members can certainly buy and prepare their own food, but are welcome to a share of the goats and chickens as long as they're helping with the animals.
3.5) The Heaven's Gate people made decent money doing web design, but they killed themselves and Cult 2.0 doesn't do that (see rule 4). So the True God has revealed to me the radical alternative plan of having internet on the compound so members can study technology (operating systems, programming, remote network management, whatever clicks in your head that you want to spend the time to get good at), and then once the member is making money, they live and enjoy their money instead of eating a lethal dose of drugs mixed in applesauce.
4.) No suicides, no spaceships are coming. We will store food and water because humans need those things. We don't anticipate an Apocalypse, but if it comes, we will be able to help ourselves and those in need.
4.5) No homicides, no violence, no aggression against other members. Everybody gets their own shitty rv/trailer, whatever, and if there's friction, the cult leader defuses it (any refusing to be defused will be ejected from the Cult's place).
5.) We aren't looking to fight the government, the illuminati, or the reptilians from Alpha Draconis. We're looking to live very inexpensively and simply, and express the Highest Love: Don't fuck with yourself or anybody else.
6.) We do not withhold the higher teachings of the cult from new members, nor require payment or lengthy membership to see our "True" teachings. We have knowledge of the True Name of God, and we will tell you on the first day. It's "Ronald".
7.) Gatherings will be held on Holy Days (when the weather is good and people feel like getting together) and sermons will take the form of Sacred Imagery (we'll vote on the movie).
Would this work?
But it all only really goes to shit midway through the movie when all the squirrely shit he was doing to his followers emerged. Before that, they were really happy.
Cults tend to be defined by their leader, but of course once that leader has such absolute power over his followers, assholery inevitably ensues.
So I've decided to reboot the cult idea with some improvements:
1.) The leader doesn't get unquestioning authority over followers and their lives. He/she can ask them to leave the cult's place if he/she thinks they're fucking things up and it's damaging the group, but the leader can't tell you who to marry, what to think, what to believe, or anything else. The most they can do is make you leave the cult if you're causing problems.
2.) The leader doesn't ask for or get money from the followers. People chip in for gas if they want to ride into town in the cult leader's truck from the cult's off-grid camp on private property. Instead of paying the cult, cult members spend their money to survive better, saving for a vehicle, trailer, some solar power, whatever. Members come and go as they please. If/when they leave the cult, they take their stuff with them.
3.) Instead of working in some cult-owned business to make money for the cult leader, the members raise goats and chickens for milk, meat, and eggs. If everyone wants to pitch in for rice, pastas, other bulk foods and prepare group meals, we work out who knows how to make what, we give it a try, and people vote with their stomachs. At this stage, the High Chef of the Cult (whoever makes the best food) is a powerful member of the cult in their own right. Individual members can certainly buy and prepare their own food, but are welcome to a share of the goats and chickens as long as they're helping with the animals.
3.5) The Heaven's Gate people made decent money doing web design, but they killed themselves and Cult 2.0 doesn't do that (see rule 4). So the True God has revealed to me the radical alternative plan of having internet on the compound so members can study technology (operating systems, programming, remote network management, whatever clicks in your head that you want to spend the time to get good at), and then once the member is making money, they live and enjoy their money instead of eating a lethal dose of drugs mixed in applesauce.
4.) No suicides, no spaceships are coming. We will store food and water because humans need those things. We don't anticipate an Apocalypse, but if it comes, we will be able to help ourselves and those in need.
4.5) No homicides, no violence, no aggression against other members. Everybody gets their own shitty rv/trailer, whatever, and if there's friction, the cult leader defuses it (any refusing to be defused will be ejected from the Cult's place).
5.) We aren't looking to fight the government, the illuminati, or the reptilians from Alpha Draconis. We're looking to live very inexpensively and simply, and express the Highest Love: Don't fuck with yourself or anybody else.
6.) We do not withhold the higher teachings of the cult from new members, nor require payment or lengthy membership to see our "True" teachings. We have knowledge of the True Name of God, and we will tell you on the first day. It's "Ronald".
7.) Gatherings will be held on Holy Days (when the weather is good and people feel like getting together) and sermons will take the form of Sacred Imagery (we'll vote on the movie).
Would this work?
