“The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.” Jeremiah 14:14
Organized religion arguably provides structure, meaning and community to many people battling with the struggles of life yet during these challenging times we are seeing a proliferation of “false prophets” capturing the minds of individuals with messages of fear and guilt.
During my lifetime several good friends got caught in the web of religious sects, surrendering their lives including all their material assets to the group.
They would bombard me with enthusiasm of how their lives had been transformed by “the teacher” “priest” or “guru”. I would repeatedly be invited to attend a meeting and made to feel like losing out on something very important.
The common traits of the cult
Fundamentalist groups and cults of all persuasions share a common trait. They are tribally insulating, separating the convert from all former friends, spouses, family and associates. Anyone not sharing the same belief structure is termed as a non-believer, or as the enemy.
After having made the enormous personal sacrifice of giving up an old life it is extremely difficult to escape. Few people have the courage to admit that they made a huge mistake by believing in an illusion. After all external ties have been severed the individual is at the mercy of the group in providing a livelihood, food and shelter. The friend, son, daughter, spouse you once cherished as a carefree individual is bombarding you with quotes from the master. You will hear: “But the guru said …”,it is the opinion of the guru that …” “the guru would not approve that …” “I would first have to ask the teacher if I can …”
At this point the friend or family member is far gone down the road of mind control, repeating the teachings of their leader like a recording device on automatic. They will find numerous excuses if you question the lavish lifestyle of the cult leader while the devotees are donating their last pennies. “Its all ultimately for a good cause,” they would say.
Decent and intelligent human beings are particularly vulnerable to the cult when they are going through a crisis of meaning or mental health challenge. The “prophet” is the last straw of hope, seemingly offering the perfect recipe. What follows is the complete surrender of personal responsibility to the guru or belief structure of the cult.
The false promise of hope when people are vulnerable
We’ve had this phenomenon of “end times” during several historical cycles. During the Middle Ages, most of Europe’s population was decimated by the bubonic plague. Science was at its infancy with the false prophets having easy play in convincing people that the deadly disease was God’s punishment for sinful ways. Persons not conforming to the shared belief were vigorously persecuted and often burned at the stake. The sins could be absolved by paying tithes. The higher the donation the “higher the likelihood” of having a good afterlife in paradise.
We falsely had assumed that humanity had become immune in the 21st-century to such crude preaching and the questioning of basic science. The messaging today comes in the guise of political parties with a charismatic figurehead and bearing all the hallmarks of the religious cult. Several extremist parties in western democracies essentially are in the business of fear-mongering and xenophobia. They are supported by a billion dollar industry of alternative reality media stirring a cocktail of hate and negativity. The first step toward authoritarian control is to dehumanize your opponent or the person with a different belief, culture or mindset.
Evil and delusion of the mind can always be identified by the language of hate, disrespect for fellow human beings, and blatant lies. Social friction points along with race, gender and economic lines are over-emphasized. Division, dissent, and chaos is sown by an “us against them” propaganda.
We are indeed living in dangerous times. A growing number of people are feeling left out and stranded during rapid social and economic change. The uncertainty and fear are the feeding ground of the false prophets offering simple solutions for complex global problems.
The chosen few must commit to a strict code of conduct, belief, and ritual.
As human beings, we make mistakes with feelings of guilt often deeply submerged in traumatic childhood experiences. Self-esteem is shattered after a job loss or family break-up. There is that underlying promise that by committing to the cult those bad feelings will disappear. In reality, the guru will repeatedly stir the feelings of inferiority to maintain his stranglehold.
Protecting our vulnerable family members from the false prophet is no mean task. The groundwork is laid in strengthening self-confidence, self-esteem, self-love, and a spiritual mindset based on common decency and respect.
Experiential spirituality is freed from the shackles of fundamentalist belief in the awareness that we are fallible and incomplete human beings, learning the lessons of life as we go along.
The truth is that there is no one truth. God’s garden is made up of a multitude of plants, animals, cultures, religions, and languages. The beauty and adventure of life lies in the individual exploration, the opening of new doors, and walking onward new paths of insight and knowledge accumulation is becoming who we really are.
External belief systems have too often in the past been forcibly imposed, robbing the individual from essentially living a life of meaning, authenticity, and soul purpose.
Reino Gevers – Author – Mentor – Speaker
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