Peering Into the Culture

18 Story by Taylor Johnson | Design & Illustration by Shoshanah Davis

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘cult’? Religion? Commune? Intentional community? The rise of true crime popularity in the U.S. lends itself to curious consumers wanting to learn about events and people previously considered to be taboo.

Content about these formerly elusive groups is becoming more common due to the prevalence of streaming services and total access to the internet, which fuels the fascination with these groups.

If you search ‘cults’ on Netflix you find titles like, “The Family”, “Children of God”, “Cults, Explained” and “Wild Wild Country.” These programs are examples of how the media portrays these groups. Since they are heavily stigmatized, Hollywood can paint a picture of these people any way they want, whether true or not.

Anthony Stahelski, lecturer of Psychology, defines a cult as, “a small group that is built around [an] authoritarian, charismatic leader who according to the members has all the answers about everything and the leader is worshipped by the members of the cult and the followers will essentially do whatever the cult leader tells them to do.”

However, some people typically lumped in with these groups don’t feel this is an accurate description of what they believe and practice. Some refer to their organizations as schools, churches or camps because of the negative stigma associated with the word ‘cult’.

Stahelski adds, “The vast majority of cults are non-violent.”

One of these non-violent organizations is Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment (RSE) in Yelm, Washington.

Mike Wright, one of the four appointed teachers at RSE, shares, “RSE is an organization modeled on the school format. Events are provided in which participants learn Ramtha’s philosophical model of the nature of reality which is based upon his life experience during his incarnation.”

Wright is one of the many who oppose the negative use of the word ‘cult’ when it comes to his beliefs, practices and the teachings he follows. “Ramtha is a legendary Master Teacher who … explains that in his lifetime he addressed the questions about human existence and the meaning of life, and … he became enlightened and conquered the physical world and death. His philosophy reflects the experience of his own life. Ramtha’s teachings are not a religion,” explains RSE’s website on the formation of the school. Whether you are a part of an organized group like RSE or not, views differ on practices, beliefs and values from person to person. There can also be a shift in motivation as well. Some groups like RSE focus on personal healing and growth, while others take a more negative influence. Sometimes it depends on the leader of the group.

Encyclopedia Britannica explains that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, an Indian guru and leader of the Sannyasins, led an intentional community of his followers in Antelope, Oregon in the early 1980s. “They got to the point where they were going to poison the water supply of The Dalles. They were going to kill various political figures in Wasco County who were opposed to them,” says Stahelski.

It’s possible that one of the main reasons the Sannyasins were one of the violent groups was because of Rajneesh, their leader.

Stahelski says, “Leaders claim superhuman powers. That’s what gives them their power is the followers believe that the leaders are beyond humanity that they have divine or semi-divine characteristics.”

Unlike the Sannyasins, other groups with less vigilant leaders might not fit the mold of typical ‘cult’ activity. When thinking of these groups, it is easy to imagine these people living together, worshipping a transcendent leader, not allowed to leave and silenced when thoughts of doubt creep in.

But the students who attend RSE don’t live at their site in Yelm and are allowed to willingly leave, breaking this common association between ‘cults’ and control.

“There’s a human tendency to want to find someone who has all the answers,” Stahelski explains. “That’s a human universal.”

At the root of these organizations or schools is a connection with others. Whether or not you choose to use the term ‘cult’ is up to you, but remember that these groups aren’t as elusive as the media makes them out to be and they aren’t all the same.