How do you trap someone to a Cult ? by telling you they are “ exception” , different from rest of the world. They they claim themselves “ exception “ as they know the truth which rest of the world unaware of.
Followers are promised of “ exceptional abilities , they are warn of “ exceptional events like Doomsday conspiracy in next few years.
If one follow norm then he seek help from Doctors , Psychiatrist when in need. Get himself educated at School , College and Universities.
Cults cannot abuse ( physically, mentally, emotionally) unless the followers accepted their teachings as exceptional.
This is what leads to Stockholm syndrome, which is evident now.

Then don’t spread them. That way we can address those areas where they are indeed the norm. Denying reality by diluting statistics doesn’t seem intellectually honest. And size does not necessarily equal significance. It only took 19 people to bring America to its knees, afterall.

But what do I know. Why not walk the streets of East London wearing an amusing t-shirt of big mo, and see how “exceptional” your day becomes.

Political correctness will not solve these problems.

Well Samuel, perhaps you should ask Lili. She chose this venue to tell her story, and I gladly obliged. I find her writing style and wit to be refreshing and entertaining. And it gives me a break on Sundays. Doing a blog post daily can become a burden.

Sorry you don’t enjoy it.

Why don’t you take a break on Sundays and read something else.

There are only a few more installments to come.

Who knows, someone else might want to contribute Sunday material….

Please read my above mentioned reply again.

Spread over 200+ countries and 1.4 Billion population, the incidents you mentioned are exceptions not norm.

Is it because you are finding it difficult to find new topics? Since the cult has been steadily shrinking since the 1980s, I can certainly understand why you would be having difficulty coming up with new topics.

But don’t you think this could interfere with Lili writing her own book? Surely she might like to publish her own book and it certainly doesn’t seem that she would be earning any revenue by posting her book on your blog for free.

Or could it have something to do with your plans to release your own book? I would think many of the ideas or stories you are planning to write about in your own book could be duplicated in Lili’s articles.

I anticipate your response will likely be, “If you don’t like it, why do you continue to read it? In fact, why do you even bother coming this site? That is certainly an easy way to dismiss my question. But you do write some interesting articles sometimes and it’s just kind of a slog to read thru parts of Lili’s story so often. The truth is that I did read some of Lili’s early excerpts. But for a long time now, when I see any issue of this blog is part of Lili’s memoirs, I just can’t read it. I find it just does not pique my interest at all.

I Know that I do not speak for anyone else here and I’m sure many will clutch to their devotion of Lena’s TV show and one way or another, they will say that, “Mike Rinder can do no wrong”. But history has shown there are almost no living saints and it’s a dangerous notion to say that anyone is a perfect human being and can do no wrong.

So I can’t help but wonder why so much of this blog lately has been devoted to Lili’s story. I would encourage her to try and get a book published instead. That would certainly afford her the opportunity to be rewarded for her work.

Many people here may well ask why this is any of my business. But any time someone publishes something in the public domain, it becomes everyone’s interest who chooses to take an interest.

If only that were so. You may live in a city/country free from religious violence but to claim such a stat for areas in the Middle East or certain pockets of Europe is insulting in its naivete. Consider, for example, the plight of women, homosexuals and free thinkers across the islamic world. Consider the millions of women and girls forced into illiteracy, genital mutilation, compulsory marriage, and lives of slavery and abuse.

There is only one religion that systematically stifles free expression with credible threats of violence. And it isn’t scientology.

To @mwesten: That is an interesting interpretation of the C of S, that it operates as a capitalist oligarchy. Very interesting perspective. I am interpreting that C of S as an entity operates off “Money is the Way to Happiness.” When I look back, the amount of happiness that an org team experiences when they close a big rege cycle is HIGHER than when a person completes a service. When a person completes something, is on a “win,” they are sent to the Registrar who will (rather easily) compel the person to give more money to them. Yeah, that’s pretty blunt: the org team and, by extension the entire organization, loves/worships money.

I wish C of S would stop toying with their flock by constantly (registrars and fundraisers) hammering on the false narrative that, if you donate or do such-n-such action, you (too) will be a bountiful high-affluence person. Is that an implied promise of becoming “an oligarch” too (to keep egos stoked and donating)?

C of S, as well, puts its members through this other money mind-mess of the Finance & Money courses in Division 6. Those courses seem so rational and useful: how to practice personal economics to foster and grow a stable solvent scene.

Until you bump into the next C of S registrar or fundraiser. Then all of what you studied goes out the window. Sane financial management principles are “effectively disposed of quietly, without sorrow.” Sometimes loudly, as I one time had a fundraiser yell at me and threaten to route me to Ethics for not agreeing to donate a huge amount to the IAS.

As so many of us experienced, C of S is a steady, existential pretzel twist on a person’s finances—be sane, be insane, be sane, be insane, on and on. Such a twist, and a treason on people’s willingness to contribute to things they have been led to believe are worthwhile.