Cults, Cults, Cults
- Charlie_C
- Jan 14, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 15, 2019
A few months ago, my English class was assigned the novel Station 11 , written by Emily St. John Mandel, as a novel study. The novel describes a post-apocalyptic world set in the future where a virus has spread across the world and killed off nearly 99% of the world’s population. The story follows a group of Canadian Shakespearean actors who travel around Ontario performing iconic plays for small towns as well as learning how to hunt and survive the barren world.
In this post-apocalyptic world, Mandel speaks of a cult led by “the Prophet”, who parades around with his followers, spreading the “New Testament”. The Shakespearean actors eventually cross paths with the Prophet and his people, and soon learn the dangers of the cult as well as how much power the Prophet has over his people.
In today’s millennium age, cults range in many different forms and beliefs. “Researchers attending a conference on cults in Federal Way Saturday disagreed on how many cults are scattered around the world, but they agreed on another key point: The number is growing.” The growth of the number of existing cults in today’s world results from the “spread of religious freedom to the appeal of these groups' recruiters.” Although for many of the cults, the intensity level is unknown, the leaders have the ability to cause mass destruction and psychological and/or physical trauma on their followers. Many of the cults use psychological manipulation to manipulate their followers to do absurd or dangerous things, such as the Jonestown Massacre of 1978; where “temple members were regularly humiliated, beaten, and blackmailed, and many were coerced or brainwashed into signing over their possessions.”
“Now, there are an estimated 5,000 cults in the United States.” a cult researcher concludes. Yet this number is only the number of cults researchers are aware of, meaning the possibility of thousands more existing in secret is quite high. Many individuals are often confused of the premise behind why people join cults; the reason being that cults appear very positive and very convincing when one is vulnerable. This can apply to anyone who is experiencing any type of stress, anyone with a strong desire of belonging, anyone who is gullible, or anyone who is disillusioned by society. Cult leaders are often very charismatic, manipulative, and strict to which they are able to control their followers and demand their loyalty without question.
Mandel highlights the dangers of a cult in her dystopian novel as she explores the reality of human desperation when the world they know has come to an end. The novel touches upon the story of a cult leader’s beginnings (as a child) to allow the reader to understand how his environment during his upbringing influenced his life and decisions he made as an adult.
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It makes me feel uneasy that there are and will be more cults that gain large amounts of followers with manipulation. I think people that join cults are vulnerable and desperate for a community to be a part of. This is especially the case for the citizens of St. Deborah by the Water in Station 11. After they are fully in the cult, they either become manipulated or realize that the cult is nothing like what they anticipated. In Station 11, we see examples of people wanting to escape, but are unable to due to fear or lack of resources. It is scary that cults like these are gaining popularity, especially in the US. I think you made very good…