We now have a scientific explanation for THEM, otherwise known as Freepers, Wing-Nuts, Neocons, etc.
Is Bush Worship a Cult?
Oh yes... it's a cult all right.
I have another set of
cult evaluation standards for your cross-referencing pleasure. It's a really good form that you can fill out, with a series of "1 to 10" scales, to evaluate whether a group falls into this pattern.
In a nutshell, here are some of the main points that make the Bush Regime a cult:
- High amount of pressure to conform and break ties with family who don't subscribe to the cult's beliefs
- Those who disagree or contradict the leader must be punished
- The leader claims special exalted status, divinity or direct divine contact that others don't have, especially used in conjunction with "the ends justify the means" mentality
- Rigid fundamentalist dogma
- Constant quest for wealth
- Aggressive recruiting and proselytizing
- Censorship and disapproval of humor or parody of the leadership
- Hidden front groups
- Paranoia whipped up about real or imagined enemies, an "us versus them" mentality
- Hypocrisy on the part of the leadership ("do as I say, not as I do")
There are other points that also apply. So I guess this all begs the question... do they know what they're doing? Are they trying to intentionally set up a cult or cult-like framework, or is it just a natural outcome of the Nixon-admin leftovers, including Cheney?
Considering what I've been reading about Dominionism and the Machiavellian way they're running things, I'm not convinced that they are innocent in this regard... I'm inclined to don my tinfoil hat and say yes. Yes, they know exactly what they're doing.
And it's working.