If you had to join a cult, which would you choose?

[saxitoxin]

If you had to join a cult, which would you choose?

[mookiemcgee]

are any of them sex cults? I choose that one

#BRINGBACKNXIVM

[saxitoxin]

are any of them sex cults?

All of them, one way or the other.

[bigtoughralf]

Doesn't even explain what any of them are, NO THANKS

Do any of them involve communes in the Californian desert? Because that could be cool

[Dukasaur]

Well, I've done Scientology, and my father is a Raelian bishop, so those two are out.

Never heard of OneTaste before, so I'll try that one next.

[2dimes]

Why, are you actually interested to read more about Saxi, Ralf, their sexual servitude and five-figure debt?

[saxitoxin]

Doesn't even explain what any of them are, NO THANKS

whiny bitch

Aum Shinrikyo is a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year. Shinrikyo Aum is a syncretic belief system that draws upon Asahara's idiosyncratic interpretations of elements of early Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Hinduism, taking Shiva as the main image of worship and incorporating millennialist ideas from Christianity, Yoga, and the writings of Nostradamus. Its founder, Chizuo Matsumoto, claimed that he sought to restore "original Buddhism" but employed Christian millenarian rhetoric. In 1992, Matsumoto, who had changed his name to Shoko Asahara, published a foundational book, declaring himself to be "Christ", Japan's only fully enlightened master, as well as identifying himself as the "Lamb of God".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo

The Family International (TFI) is a Christian New Religious Movement founded in Huntington Beach, California, USA, in 1968 by David Berg that has been criticized as an authoritarian cult. Originally named Teens for Christ, it has gone under a number of different names. It gained notoriety as The Children of God (COG). It was later renamed and reorganized as The Family of Love (1978–1981), which was eventually shortened to The Family. As of 2004, it has gone by The Family International. Former members have accused the group of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, the targeting of vulnerable people, and creating lasting trauma among children raised in the group.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_International

The Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16.6 million members and 51,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. The church is the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.7 million members as of 2021 (self reported). Latter-day Saints believe that the church president is a modern-day "prophet, seer, and revelator" and that Jesus Christ, under the direction of God the Father, leads the church by revealing his will and delegating his priesthood keys to its president.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Churc ... day_Saints

OneTaste is a business dedicated to teaching the practices of orgasmic meditation and slow sex. Though it embraces ideas based in Eastern philosophy, OneTaste's central focus is female orgasm through a practice called Orgasmic Meditation. The organization and its leadership have been accused of cult-like operations, similar to Lafayette Morehouse, which influenced Daedone. OneTaste is currently under investigation by the FBI for sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OneTaste

Raëlism is a UFO religion that was founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël. Scholars of religion classify Raëlism as a new religious movement. The group is formalised as the International Raëlian Movement (IRM) or Raëlian Church, a hierarchical organisation under Raël's leadership. Raëlism teaches that an extraterrestrial species known as the Elohim created humanity using their advanced technology. Raëlians engage in daily meditation, hope for physical immortality through human cloning, and promote a liberal ethical system with a strong emphasis on sexual experimentation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABlism

Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. Scientology followers believe that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (Thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The Thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is observed in advanced (and – within the movement – secret) Scientology texts that lives preceding the Thetan's arrival on Earth were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Scientology doctrine states that any Scientologist undergoing "auditing" will eventually come across and recount a common series of events. Part of these events include reference to an extraterrestrial life-form called Xenu. The secret Scientology texts say this was a ruler of a confederation of planets 70 million years ago, who brought billions of alien beings to Earth and then killed them with thermonuclear weapons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

[saxitoxin]

Well, I've done Scientology, and my father is a Raelian bishop, so those two are out.

How was Scientology and why aren't you a Raelian?

[bigtoughralf]

OneTaste sounds fun but I already find giving orgasms pretty easy so spending my evenings studying that feels like a waste of time, even if there is sex trafficking. I pick the one that involves yoga and terrorism.

Why, are you actually interested to read more about Saxi, Ralf, their sexual servitude and five-figure debt?

It's actually a five finger debt, but good luck getting any blood out of that dry old stone.

[saxitoxin]

OneTaste sounds fun but I already find giving orgasms pretty easy

i assume they're not talking about to yourself

[mookiemcgee]

are any of them sex cults?

All of them, one way or the other.

After a quick google, it seems onetaste is the droid I'm looking for

[saxitoxin]

This is a pretty interesting video. It's from a Mormon who got out of the church and landed safely in Evangelical Christianity.



Also, still waiting to hear Scientology and Raelian stories from Duk.

[HitRed]

Seek and you shall find Jesus

[mookiemcgee]

Seek and you shall find Jesus

[jusplay4fun]

OneTaste sounds fun but I already find giving orgasms pretty easy

i assume they're not talking about to yourself

of course he is

[Dukasaur]

Also, still waiting to hear Scientology and Raelian stories from Duk.

Been busy. But here goes.

Well, I've done Scientology, and my father is a Raelian bishop, so those two are out.

How was Scientology and why aren't you a Raelian?

If you've been paying attention to previous threads, my father and I are not on good terms. The fact that he is heavily involved in the Raelians is enough reason for me to stay away.

Scientology is a much longer story. I don't have time to tell the whole thing, but I'll cover some basics.

Scientology is just as crazy as they say it is. I was first attracted to it because the pseudoscientific nonsense seemed to make sense. It only took me a few months to start having doubts, but I'm the kind of person who jumps into things with both feet, so those few months were enough for me to get involved in the organization and sign a staff contract.

A scientology Foundation contract involves working seven nights a week with one day off in a year. I signed it without thinking that anyone would take such nonsense literally. I was mistaken. From the very first time I didn't show up at the org I started getting heavy flack from people. I was nineteen years old. The idea that I would be anywhere 364 nights out of 365 was proposterous.

I was in Treasury, and a large part of our stat was visiting people who had left the org with unpaid bills and trying to squeeze them. This was the beginning of my rapid disillusionment. On one of our trips, we went to Toronto and met with the guy who had previously occupied my post in the Kitchener Treasury. This guy was a Clear and had a long list of accolades. Yet he smoked and drank, and because staff pay at the time was $14/week, he had to supplement his income with panhandling. (He worked full time at Toronto Org. Staff pay was contingent on Org income, and except for Los Angeles no Org in the world ever met its targets, so staff pay at Toronto Org was, like ours at Kitchener Org, quite low.)

That trip was a double disillusionment. First, the fact that this smoking, drinking, panhandling loser was a Clear. We are told that once you've reached Clear, you have left behind all neuroses and psychoses, including all addictions and unnatural cravings, and yet that obviously hadn't happened for this fellow. It was the first Clear that I had met, but over the next little while I met quite a few others and they had a long list of problems that made it quite obvious to me that auditing simply didn't work.

The second was the fact that we were squeezing this poor bastard for money when he obviously didn't have any, and despite the fact that he worked full time at another Org. As the neophyte I basically sat there and kept my mouth shut, while my partner Bernie did all the talking. Bernie was polite and calm and said nothing improper, but he was a big guy and his body language was intimidating. No violence was done or even mentioned, but I couldn't escape the feeling that it was a possibility.

Anyway, I've got an even better Scientology story, but I'm out of time for tonight.

[mookiemcgee]

I thought the contract was for like 80 billion years? Or maybe that is only once you sign up for seaorg?

[saxitoxin]

How do people live on $14 / week? Do they provide food/housing?

[Maxleod]

I am a a proud member of the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Birds.

[mookiemcgee]

How do people live on $14 / week? Do they provide food/housing?

That's $14 CANADIAN too!!!

[Dukasaur]

I thought the contract was for like 80 billion years? Or maybe that is only once you sign up for seaorg?

1 Billion Years. Yes, Sea Org contract is 1 Billion Years.

Ordinary Foundation contract is just for the life of your current body.

How do people live on $14 / week? Do they provide food/housing?

Sea Org members live on site and get room and board.

Foundation Org people generally have a regular job during the day and do their Foundation work at night, or they have some other source of income.

[mookiemcgee]

I feel like I've already heard alot about scientology in my life, but I am uber curious about Raelians. I'd never even heard of it before you wrote that, but I've since done some googling...

Am I to understand the bald version of Bob Ross is their leader?

[saxitoxin]

I also would like to hear more about the Raelians from Duk. This documentary came out a year or so ago and I want to watch it (haven't yet).

[jusplay4fun]

I also would like to hear more about the Raelians from Duk. This documentary came out a year or so ago and I want to watch it (haven't yet).

I agree:

LIST OF ENDORSEMENTS
JP4F wrote:
... all in the Forum are kind, caring, intelligent, thoughtful, and altruistic, too. But most of us know that NONE of that applies to saxi...

He must be a very insightful and perspicacious fellow; LoL...!

[HitRed]

Raelian headquarters