A cult reading list

Moderator: doubleVee

<<

gogogadget

Clear

Posts: 116

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:13 pm

Post Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:31 pm

A cult reading list

I thought a list of books and resources that talk about scientology and other coercive organizations might be a helpful resource.

Here's some books I've read one the subject:

Cults in Our Midst by Margaret Thaler Singer

Singer caught more than a little crap from CoS. The chapter on children raised in cults is pretty moving.

The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad

A general critique of the Guru/Disciple relationship, and power- vs. goal-oriented hierarchies. (Power-oriented hierarchies exists to give and maintain power to a leader. Goal-oriented hierarchies are organizations that organize specialists to attain a goal.)

Feet Of Clay by Anthony Storr

An exploration of the pathology of gurus and cult leaders. Storr identified specific traits that are more or less shared by cult leaders.


Have any more cult-related titles you think are interesting?
<<

gogogadget

Clear

Posts: 116

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:13 pm

Post Mon Jan 26, 2009 3:14 am

A few more:

My Father's Guru: A Journey Through Spirituality and Disillusion by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

A memoir of the author childhood spent with his family's very own live-in guru, who of course was a con. This guy was no LRH, more a benign huckster.

The Spiritual Tourist: A Personal Odyssey Through the Outer Reaches of Belief by Mick Brown

The author hangs out with spiritual seekers in various ashrams, and finds out that the "magic" is mostly in the minds of the seekers, rather than the gurus.

Secret Societies by John Lawrence Reynolds

A skeptical, funny book despite the sensational Geraldo-sounding title. The author does a good job of surveying the history of secretive organizations, and there is a lot here to validate the idea that LRH was a shameless rip-off artist. The section on the Assassin cult in 11th century Persia shows that the organization of coercive groups hasn't changed much in 10 centuries.

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer

This thin book is a seminal analysis of mass movements from early Christianity to modern nationalism and Communism. It's a quick read. He's a little hard on followers.
<<

gogogadget

Clear

Posts: 116

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:13 pm

Post Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:19 am

Oh, and one more:

Corrupted Science: Fraud, Ideology and Politics in Science by John Grant

Here's a great book that gives example after jaw dropping example what happens when science is twisted to serve ideology. When a crank misuse and contorts the definition of science to control other people, the results are always dangerous.
<<

DRE

OTIII

Posts: 247

Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:20 pm

Post Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:12 am

Here are a couple good fictional titles on cults.

- Clive Cussler's Plague Ship. The evil religion in this story is obviously based on Scientology. Whacko alien philosophy, celebrity followers, wealthy con artists in charge, ships- everything matches. And yet it portrays everything realistically, more so than many critics I have read.

- Robert K Tanenbaum's Escape. This is more about the legal issues surrounding a woman who blames the murder of her children on religious post-partum depression and efforts to stop an al-Qaeda cult from blowing up New York buildings than Scientology, but there are parallels. It's a good study of fanatacism and argument for defying it.

Both books have great plots, characters, and writing style. Unusual in the genre, religious bad guys are usually one-dimensional. Not so in either of these.

Return to General Chatter

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group.
Designed by ST Software