NOM

I saw a quote the other day that said: "The first sign of a cult is to say everyone else is lying."
The second sign of a Cult, (yes, I'm going to use that word) is it will demand, or coerce, or manipulate however it can, loyalty to the cult/personality over loyalty to the family.
Summer is the time for family reunions, and I noticed at a recent reunion, that a mild criticism got immediately shut down. It wasn't a criticism of a Church, however, it was criticism of a political figure.
Yes I know this type of thing can go both ways, but my biased experience sees it typically going one way.
I shouldn't have been surprised, but it is mystifying how people can go from being a political supporter, to a partisan, to a worshipper of a particular figure. And people in a personality cult may still acknowledge their idols make mistakes, they just won't tolerate discussion of them.
I also may be doomsayer, but folks, "the times they are a-changing," and "the wheels still in spin."
As Kipling said, "If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."

deacon blues wrote: ↑Mon Jul 29, 2024 2:02 pm And people in a personality cult may still acknowledge their idols make mistakes, they just won't tolerate discussion of them.

The frequency and severity of those individual lies and misdeeds seem to accumulate into a mass in which the individual ill-doings seem trivial and easy to forget. The bottom line is that no matter what our guy does, regardless of how strongly it conflicts with our personal morals, he's still always better than the other guy, based on the rumors I hear about him.

deacon blues wrote: ↑Mon Jul 29, 2024 2:02 pm The second sign of a Cult, (yes, I'm going to use that word) is it will demand, or coerce, or manipulate however it can, loyalty to the cult/personality over loyalty to the family.

My family happily put more importance on my relationship with church than my relationship with them. Family was there in support of the church and not the other way around. It led to empty relationships with family members. Fortunately some connections with friends went deeper than a shared religion.

It has been an effective way to maintain group membership over time for the mormon church. We will see if it can survive the internet age with so much light shed on the damaging aspects that used to be hidden.