The Psychology of Rabid Followers of Cults

I wanted to speak a bit on the subject of the recent hoopla about
Harold Egbert (I kid you not) Camping, the President of "Family Radio"
and his claims about the end of the world.

A multi millionaire cuckoo with a bullhorn.

First off, let's start the discussion with a wee taste of Theology of the Christian religion:

From the Bible itself:
‎"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." ~Mark 13 21-22

It's simply amazing to me that this fellow has followers that will sell all their belongings, quit their jobs and kill their children. 

Are you sitting down?

Yes, there was a mother that tried to kill her two children (11, 14) to save them from the apocolypse, by having them lay down on the bed and trying to slit their throats with a box cutter.  Thankfully, she did not succeed. The children LIVED. (But what a mom, you think those kids won't have issues now???)

I told you this would happen back in my blog "Judgement Day Approacheth" 
It's unfortunate, but I KNEW that there would be some who would act out like this. It's terrible that it has to come to this...but WHY?


Whenever I get a question....I dig.


So, I did a bit of research.


There was also another claim back in the 50's of a woman who said the world was going to be flooded and aliens were going to save them at a certain time. 
(Hey, you can make this shit up, but why bother when it's a true story??)
Of course, the time came and went (just like on Saturday last) and guess what?
No flood.

No aliens saved them. 
A psychologist had infiltrated this group pretending to be a follower. 

He found out many things:

One was the anticipation of the impending doom and release from persecution by Divine or Otherworldly means. They were justified and smug about how they were the "Chosen Ones".


Another was that when the time came and went, the disillusionment that followed. Silence. Depression. 
The feeling of being let down and abandoment set in.


Then the revamping of the philosophy. The "Do Over" as it were. "We got it wrong." "We miscalculated." The blame taking and the revamp. Sometimes the date was reset, but most times, it was not and followers dropped away. Others stayed true to the new and improved cause.


So what do we make of this?


It seems that people think the the world's problems are like the Cat in the Hat's mess. 

"And this mess is so big
And so deep and so tall,
We can not pick it up.
There is no way at all!"

So only a Divine intervention can fix it. 


They find themselves helpless and rely on faith in God and the Universe to fix it and to remove them from the situation at hand. They have no power, only the power of God and his big daddy arm to come down and spank all the rebellious and naughty other children that don't play nice.


It's nice in one way to think about. Having "Daddy fix" it. 



But it reduces us to not being in any sort of control at all.

He may or may not think we are being "good".
Have we been bad? Will he find out? What will he do?


We MUST be good!


And so they try to do right and good....but just before he comes (at the pre-appointed time) they have a big party, spend all their money, quit the jobs they hated and kill their children (to save them). 


Maybe they really wanted to quit their jobs before. Maybe they should've never had children to start with. (ya think??) They want change, and so they change their lives.





But then the rapture didn't come. 


But their lives DID change, didn't they?


They got their wish!


I love what my daughter Jesse said about it, "I think that Jesus is kinda like a Health Inspector. You don't know WHEN he's coming or else you would clean up your shit. He's like a surprise party waiting to happen." 



Whether or not you think Jesus is coming back....


A new day will dawn and you have choices!

Choose to live your life with meaning. 
Be determined to make the world a better place. 
Make it a heaven on Earth. 
Make the changes in our government and feed the children here now. 


God is within as YOU.

God is within you to protect and to be strong and loyal and provide.
Goddess is within you to nurture and love and heal.





We should remember what happened to Ulysses when he gave the Gods the finger and said, "I don't need you." 

Well, then the Gods truly fucked with him and guess what?

He found out that he DID need them....at least to change his bull headed, single minded, callous heart. 


We also need each other and we need some faith in the future and in our lives.


How'ere, we need to pick and choose what it is so that we do not get misled.


My mother used to say, "That people who stand for nothing, fall for anything."


So, Stand for something!

Make a difference out there!



And for God's sake..


DON'T drink the Kool-Aid.



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