Thoughts about religion from former cult leaders?
August 11, 2015 12:14 PM Subscribe
A pretty thorough Google search doesn't turn up anything about former cult leaders who put out thoughts about religion of any kind in any way shape or form after they stopped being cult leaders. I am looking for some.
I mean, there have to exist cult leaders who quit or something like that, right? Even though it's a life position for most, there have to exist some.
No cultists, cult leaders. Cult is subject to a wide definition and may be pejoration... people who made new religious movements? Something like that. People in an intermediate position between founding one cult and the next is OK, I think.
I mean, there have to exist cult leaders who quit or something like that, right? Even though it's a life position for most, there have to exist some.
No cultists, cult leaders. Cult is subject to a wide definition and may be pejoration... people who made new religious movements? Something like that. People in an intermediate position between founding one cult and the next is OK, I think.
Charles Manson?
What about disgraced televangelists? Maybe they don't fit the exact definition of cult leader, but I'd wager they're cut from the same cloth.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 1:15 PM on August 11, 2015
What about disgraced televangelists? Maybe they don't fit the exact definition of cult leader, but I'd wager they're cut from the same cloth.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 1:15 PM on August 11, 2015
Marjoe Gortner? There was a pretty good documentary about him in the 70s.
posted by the dief at 1:45 PM on August 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by the dief at 1:45 PM on August 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Scholars of religion tend to use the term New Religious Movement (NRM) to encompass religious communities with modern origins that operate outside of the mainstream or dominant religious culture. That term might be helpful as you look for more information. It seems to be fairly rare for leaders of these movements to step down or move on.
The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements includes a chapter on "Charisma and Leadership" by David G. Bromley discusses the role of charismatic authority claims. He writes, "Charismatic authority claims do not necessarily remain static. Once an NRM has formed it is commonplace for the charismatic leader to alter charisma claims. There are occasional cases in which charismatic leaders renounce their claims.... It is much more common for leaders to heighten their status claims over time" (111). He cites Lois Roden and Harold Camping as examples of leaders who had to deal with the aftermath of failed prophecies.
Catherine Wessinger's chapter in The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements, "Charismatic Leaders in New Religious Movements", discusses the role that charismatic leaders play in these movements, which seems related to the concept of "cult leaders" that you're looking for. Unsurprisingly, she states "Typically a person claiming charismatic authority is strongly invested in keeping that role and identity" (88). Her one example of "responsible charisma" comes from Ji Zhe's study of a new Buddhist movement in Taiwan led by Li Yuansong (1957-2003), which may not fit your definition of "cult." Li founded a lay Buddhist group and his followers accepted his claim to be an arhat, one who has achieved awakening. He gained many followers throughout the 1990s, and developed a community to help his followers study and practice this form of Buddhism. However, he "judged that his followers would not be successful in living a lay Chan lifestyle without his presence as a model" (93), so he facilitated a shift to Pure Land Buddhism. As Wessinger writes, "Li was aware that he was the charismatic leader of his religious organization. Due to his concern for the well-being of his followers after his death, he divested himself of charisma.... Li's parting gift to his followers was leading them to convert to an easier method of Buddhist practice under the guidance of a Pure Land monk" (94). This was the closest I could find in these sources, but it is more a case of a charismatic leader stepping out of his charismatic role than a leader changing his spiritual or religious beliefs.
posted by earth by april at 1:55 PM on August 11, 2015 [10 favorites]
The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements includes a chapter on "Charisma and Leadership" by David G. Bromley discusses the role of charismatic authority claims. He writes, "Charismatic authority claims do not necessarily remain static. Once an NRM has formed it is commonplace for the charismatic leader to alter charisma claims. There are occasional cases in which charismatic leaders renounce their claims.... It is much more common for leaders to heighten their status claims over time" (111). He cites Lois Roden and Harold Camping as examples of leaders who had to deal with the aftermath of failed prophecies.
Catherine Wessinger's chapter in The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements, "Charismatic Leaders in New Religious Movements", discusses the role that charismatic leaders play in these movements, which seems related to the concept of "cult leaders" that you're looking for. Unsurprisingly, she states "Typically a person claiming charismatic authority is strongly invested in keeping that role and identity" (88). Her one example of "responsible charisma" comes from Ji Zhe's study of a new Buddhist movement in Taiwan led by Li Yuansong (1957-2003), which may not fit your definition of "cult." Li founded a lay Buddhist group and his followers accepted his claim to be an arhat, one who has achieved awakening. He gained many followers throughout the 1990s, and developed a community to help his followers study and practice this form of Buddhism. However, he "judged that his followers would not be successful in living a lay Chan lifestyle without his presence as a model" (93), so he facilitated a shift to Pure Land Buddhism. As Wessinger writes, "Li was aware that he was the charismatic leader of his religious organization. Due to his concern for the well-being of his followers after his death, he divested himself of charisma.... Li's parting gift to his followers was leading them to convert to an easier method of Buddhist practice under the guidance of a Pure Land monk" (94). This was the closest I could find in these sources, but it is more a case of a charismatic leader stepping out of his charismatic role than a leader changing his spiritual or religious beliefs.
posted by earth by april at 1:55 PM on August 11, 2015 [10 favorites]
I don't know if Prem Rawat would count for your purposes.
He was a really big deal in certain circles when I was in college (early 1970's) under the name "Guru Mahara Ji". He was supposedly a "perfect master", whatever that might be.
But he got older, and got rather corrupt, and the fame and following kind of faded. He's still in the cult business but isn't a very big player.
There was also Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh whose cult kind of imploded in 1985. He was deported from the US in 1985 as part of a plea bargain, and toured the world for the next five years (because 21 countries refused to allow him entry) and died in 1990. But during that last five years he was still trying to be a cult leader, pretty much without any cult.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:38 PM on August 11, 2015
He was a really big deal in certain circles when I was in college (early 1970's) under the name "Guru Mahara Ji". He was supposedly a "perfect master", whatever that might be.
But he got older, and got rather corrupt, and the fame and following kind of faded. He's still in the cult business but isn't a very big player.
There was also Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh whose cult kind of imploded in 1985. He was deported from the US in 1985 as part of a plea bargain, and toured the world for the next five years (because 21 countries refused to allow him entry) and died in 1990. But during that last five years he was still trying to be a cult leader, pretty much without any cult.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:38 PM on August 11, 2015
Well there's Raj Patel, who accidentally became a reluctant messiah, based on writings by Benjamin Creme.
From The Guardian, 2010: While he struggles to cope with this unwanted anointment, his friends and family are more tickled by the situation. "They think it's hilarious," he said. "My parents came to visit recently, and they brought clothes that said 'he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy'. To them, it's just amusing."
posted by glasseyes at 10:37 AM on August 13, 2015
From The Guardian, 2010: While he struggles to cope with this unwanted anointment, his friends and family are more tickled by the situation. "They think it's hilarious," he said. "My parents came to visit recently, and they brought clothes that said 'he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy'. To them, it's just amusing."
posted by glasseyes at 10:37 AM on August 13, 2015
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posted by pakoothefakoo at 12:40 PM on August 11, 2015 [2 favorites]