Belonging
Humans feel more comfortable with like-minded humans, but that can aggravate division
Whether you realize it, you are now or have been in a cult. Probably more than one. Probably more than one simultaneously. And you’ve probably worshiped someone without realizing it. So, let's start by agreeing on what these two terms mean.
Here, from the Oxford Dictionary, is the definition of “cult”:
A relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices, especially relating to religion, that are regarded by others as strange or sinister or as imposing excessive control over members.
A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.
And here, from the C.S. Lewis Institute, is a general definition of “worship”:
To show deep reverence, adoration, and devotion to a person or being considered supremely important or sacred, such as God.
By the way, you can get more information about a related issue, brainwashing, in one of my previous posts.
Before I go where I think you think I'm going, let's talk about some of the other cults you may have or have had in your life:
Boy Scouts. Girl Scouts. The cool kids at school. The football team. The cheerleading squad. The Audio-Visual Club. (I wanted to get some "Geek Squad" T-shirts made up, but I was stopped by those humorless bastards at Best Buy.)
Most corporations are cults, too. For a time, I worked for ABC, where there were myriad unwritten rules about appearance and behavior. Executives, for example, wore business suits and ties of a style and quality that fit their place in the pecking order. I also did some consulting for iHeartRadio, where there was a sort of hero worship of some of the top personnel—staff members would say things like, "The great Joe Blow,” reflecting a culture of putting leaders on a pedestal. And the people who work at Amazon—when they're not getting sick from the conditions in the warehouses—pretty much deify Jeff Bezos.
After college, starting my career in my chosen field, I wanted to supplement my princely $135 a week salary, so I started an Amway business. I think the company is legit, but in my distributor group we were encouraged (read: told) to vote a certain way, attend nondenominational (read: fundamentalist Christian) church services, and declare loyalty to the “upline.” We were told the “woman’s role” in “the business” was to stand by her man and do all the cooking and cleaning so the man would be free to go out every night and “show the plan.” If you didn't go along with those rules, you didn't get very far.
That last paragraph also demonstrates the importance of jargon. Made-up words, acronyms, and redefined words will bind cult members together and repel infidels.
Okay, here's the moment we've all been waiting for: applying the concepts of cults and worship to our current political situation. The one cult that checks all the boxes is MAGA:
Beliefs or practices that are regarded by others as imposing excessive control over members.
A popular leader for whom the multitudes will jump off a cliff if so asked.
Deep reverence, adoration, and devotion to that person.
The MAGA movement has its share of jargon, too—starting with phenomenal acronym itself and what it stands for. Other words and phrases that have been co-opted by Trump and his merry band include “America first,” “fake news,” “witch hunt,” “enemy of the people,” “stop the steal,” “rapists and murderers,” “patriots,” “the base,” “WWG1WGA,” “1776,” etc. Together they make up a kind of code, and when one of these words or phrases are dropped into a conversation, they become a short fire way of identifying fellow travelers.
But MAGA is not the only cult in play here. The Democrats are a cult, but they have demonstrated a remarkable inability to get out of their own way. The Supreme Court is a cult.
The military is a cult. Right now, that's a very good thing, because their cult is, I'm sure, not head-over-heels in love with the MAGA cult. And that, when things really get dicey, makes a Trump-led military coup highly unlikely.
Photo Credit: Bretton Putter