“Cult” (n.) and “cultic” (adj.)

There is great confusion when describing certain groups and movements as "cultic." Since the most famous examples of cultic groups and movements in living memory include the Manson Family, People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate, the popular conception of a cult has become a centralized group with one leader with a type-A personality. This is not how most cultic groups take shape.

"Cultic" and "centralized" are not synonyms. They are entirely different concepts, and whether one group or movement is one has no bearing whatsoever on whether it is the other.

The United Pentecostal Church International and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World are both cults. They are part of the Oneness Pentecostal movement*. Note, the UPCI and PAW are not in fellowship with each other and have no official relations. This is because this movement is decentralized, encompassing various different groups that are united in few if any ways besides (some) similar teachings. Whatever leadership and governance model they have, shared or contrasting, is secondary, because Oneness Pentecostalism as a set of doctrines is itself cultic, meaning any group that espouses it is a cult by definition.

Christian Identity is a more pronounced example of a cultic movement that is decentralized. It is a white supremacist group that teaches that white people are the descendants of the ancient Israelites, and that "gentiles" (people who aren't white) can never be saved. Its footprint is almost entirely made of websites, prison gangs, and local congregations, which are not in fellowship with each other or with any larger group. I would hope any decent person would be opposed to this movement and its teachings, but an attempt to treat "cultic" and "centralized" as synonyms might keep one from recognizing CI as something that should be avoided.

Other decentralized movements that are cultic include the Word of Faith movement, the Men's Right Movement, dispensationalism, neurodiversity, the Sovereign Citizens movement, BDSM, the New IFB, kinism, and the Black Hebrew Israelites. Every group that is part of these is a cult, thought they may not be in fellowship with other groups within the same movement.

*The Oneness Pentecostal movement is not representative of Pentecostalism as a whole. Most of the world's Pentecostals belong to the Assemblies of God which has taught the Trinity for its entire existence. Pentecostalism is not necessarily cultic. Oneness Pentecostalism is.

Thank you for defending Leo Ryan. I am distantly related to him through a common ancestor and too often. he's either the Forgotten Victim - or he is blamed for "putting himself in harm's way". Senator Ryan was trying to help people escape. Nothing could possibly excuse or justify Jim Jones ordering his murder.

Oh, thanks. His death seems to be either a weird footnote/inciting incident of the People's Temple massacre, or a political/security/personal protection inside baseball thing, but like, he was trying to help and doing the kind of nosy hands on stuff that senators should.

Once a month, John Cobb stops by Evergreen Cemetery in East Oakland to check on the Jonestown Memorial. Eleven of his family members are buried there, including his mother and five siblings. He’ll sit on the bench, contemplating those he lost, or get to work wiping away the acorn shells and foxtails on the granite memorial plaques he helped put in place over a decade ago.

The memorial exists to ensure the stories of his loved ones aren’t forgotten. It sits on a half-moon-shaped hill in the cemetery, which is located just below MacArthur Boulevard between 64th and 68th avenues, overlooking the Coliseum in the distance. The memorial is remarkably humble — four plaques with 918 engraved names of the Peoples Temple members who died 45 years ago  — and belies how big Jonestown has loomed in the collective imagination. 

Cobb lives near the memorial and now runs a furniture business. But when the Jonestown tragedy happened, he was 18 years old and part of Jim Jones’ personal security detail in Guyana. Jones started Peoples Temple church in the 1950s, first in Indiana then San Francisco, championing racial equality during a time of overt segregation. It ended with him using drugs, paranoid in a “promised land” he called Jonestown in the interior jungle of Guyana, where he forced death on members via poisoned Flavor Aid and gunshot. Over a third were under the age of 18.  

When Cobb is at the memorial, reading the names, his memories are nothing like the horrific images from Guyana that flooded the media in the days that followed. What he sees are ordinary moments of ordinary people: Sharon “Tobi” Stone, who said little but hit that cowbell hard in Cobb’s R&B band, Black Velvet; Free movie tickets for the kids in the hands of Patty Cartmell, who could talk her way into anything; Marceline Jones’s love of burnt toast. 

WVO Drinks lts Own Poison-Calls Jim Jones a "Victim Gone Wrong" (1979)

The following was written in a Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) newspaper, “Revolution,” before their ideology degraded into the “New Synthesis” and spiraled into a personality cult surrounding Bob Avakian. This excerpt is from a larger article criticizing the Workers' Viewpoint Organization, which later became the Communist Workers' Party, a “communist” party that upheld post-Mao China as socialism. 

WVO's line on China is a most blatant example of this rightism too. They will not come out publicly and denounce the revisionist leadership and uphold the four comrades, the "Gang of Four." Publicly, they uphold China as "still a socialist country." And that's it.

But even more sinister is the fact that to particular lucky individuals classified by them as "advanced and active," they will say that Hua and Teng are revisionists, they do think there was a coup d'etat, the Four were correct, even that Chou En-lai was the revisionists' back-up man.

Why is this? Because, at this time, the "advanced" are the only ones who can grasp this "demoralizing" situation without falling into cynicism and losing faith in the possibility of socialism working. Public exposure of revisionism, they say, will only fuel the bourgeoisie's propaganda, attacking the viability of socialism.

The logic of this quickly falls between your fingers like so much sand (more like quicksand). Because bourgeois propaganda is using the situation in China to tell us that socialism will never work, it must turn back to "pragmatism, down-to-earth capitalism," then our duty as communists is to cut through that with the knife of scientific analysis.

Which is exactly what the RCP has done, spreading the truth of the class struggle under socialism, how setbacks happen, how to arm ourselves against them, how to fight even harder for genuine Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and against revisionism, the "easy road," pragmatism, etc.

WVO would have the masses in the U.S. think that China is socialist (ignorance is bliss?). According to WVO, the masses won't be able to figure it out unless WVO tells them, so they're going to keep it under their hats for the right moment. This shocking depth of disdain for the masses brings us back to the People's Temple and WVO's characterization of Jim Jones.

Actually, Jones' disdain and manipulation of the People's Temple members and WVO's disdain for the working class and oppressed nationalities are very similar. The RCP's analysis of WVO in 1977 summed up, "The Religious Disorder of the Worker's Viewpoint Organization." And that's exactly what it is.

About Jones, WVO says, "Jones' brand of mysticism was misleading but not nearly as sinister as the Moonies or other crazy religions. These sects preach and openly support racism and fascism. For all its reformist practices, the People's Temple at least fights racists and fascists and attracts the support of the black and poor people. Many join because they see the group doing progressive things."

About the WVO, you could say the same thing: "For all its reformist practices, at least they're communists and they're fighting capitalism, and they attract the support of oppressed nationalities and students." BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHY THESE "CULTS," RELIGIOUS AND REVISIONIST ALIKE, ARE SO SICKENING AND SINISTER. They do attract, for a time, honest people who want to fight the system-then they lead them down a dead-end street.

WVO's following is not going to commit suicide, but the organization is swallowing its own dogmatic poison, more and more quickly in their flip to the right. The honest forces within, and there are many, if they really desire to struggle all their lives for living socialism and the final aim of communism, if they really strive to be ruthlessly scientific to fight the bourgeoisie, will gradually be won to the genuine party of the U.S. working class the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA.

The best fics are the ones that recognize that although Luke Skywalker may APPEAR on the outside to be a normal friendly twink who happens to have cool powers, especially when contrasted with such ship partners as Boba or Din or even Han, he is arguably the scariest person alive in the galaxy around the prequel era. AND, crucially, he is also a fundamentally weird guy. This man was homeschooled on a rural farm his entire life and then apprenticed to a swamp gremlin who showed him how to tap into the cosmic power of the universe. He blew up the death star age 19, killing approx 2 million-ish Imperials. He is a vortex of Force power that can communicate with the ghosts of dead Jedi. He’s staring into the distance and mumbling to himself and doing Yoda aphorisms and casually pulling out the “yeah I could crush that guy into a paste with my mind (:” and nobody around him knows what to do with that. I think he is a character who has very little frame of reference for how a Jedi or a person in general is supposed to act and there is some thing about him that is by necessity really fucking weird and a little scary but he’s so nice that it can throw you off the scent a little bit. Thanks for coming to my TED talk

Day 6 of drawing Maul until Disney/Lucasfilm hires me to do Maul things

If Durge Could Recruit Gortash Headcanons:

Once agreeing to ally with Gortash, Durge can convince him to join the party, but only if they agree to kill Raphael. If Karlach is in the party, this may be done in exchange for Gortash to fix her heart if Durge can pass the persuasion roll on Karlach.

• Upon joining the party, Gortash shows up in a more practical armor set, still gold and black but not as decorated as his robe. There’s scrapes and dents on parts of it, clearly having been worn before. Durge can ask him about it in conversation and discover he has chosen to wear the same armor as he did when they robbed Mephistopheles Vault. He never repaired it and can tell a story for each scratch.

• He does a lot to try to jog Durge’s memories, and it works a some degree. We hear little stories around the city, some more suggestive than others.

• Old habits never die. He’s constantly touching Durge, always walks next to them, has a lot of strong opinions but will only concede to Durge.

• Durge persuasion rolls on Gortash are DC10 and under. Anyone else it’s DC30.

• He absolutely compliments Durge a little too much. And he’s always the first at Durge’s side after the fighting ends. Grumbles if he has to rez anyone else but dotes on Durge.

• Gets along well enough with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Laezel. Respects Minthara and Gale, sees them both as potential allies if they know their places. Absolute bitch to Wyll. Actively the number one Ravengard hater.

• If Durge can convince Karlach to stick around, she will only be in the same party as Gortash once or twice. She’ll confront Durge about it after and either has to be kept separate or leaves the party.

• If taken to Astarion and Shadowhearts’ personal quests, he’ll be surprisingly respectful, and will tell them they’d make good Banites, particularly if Shadowheart resists Shar. (Kinda think he would tell Astarion not to Ascend but for his own advantage of not having to deal with an Ascended Vampire and not wanting the hells to gain power from 7,000 souls)

• Random gifts pop up in Durge’s inventory. He says nothing about them. One is definitely the hand of an enemy.

• When in the House of Hope, Gortash will only allow Durge to enter the prison with him until the warden is dead. He’ll tell them everything, but won’t let the others see it.

• Killing Raphael is very emotional. He’s proud, happy, relieved, but being there shakes him up. Durge can hug him in private when they talk about it.

• If Durge chooses to save Hope, she tries to hug ‘little Enver, all grown up’ before they leave. He does not like it, but part of him is happy to see her free.

• Durgetash romance can initiate after Raphael is dead. Sceleritas is so fuckin' pissed. Like, he kinda ships it, but he CANNOT handle Durge getting labotomized again for this Banite fool.

• He has random little personal quests and pop-up events like his formal coronation celebration ball, taking Durge to a fancy dinner, dealing with fans, and assassinating a rude journalist who called him not-so-young-and-handsome.

• If taken to Lady Jannath's estate, she flirts with him. Durge has an option to stab her for this- just once. Just a little. She'll be fine! Gortash approves. He apologizes to her, but he's absolutely into it.

• His two allied pathways at the end are to remain fully evil and control the brain/Faerun with Durge or absolutely still be, ya know, Gortash but destroy the brain and become archduke without the tadpoles' help as he’s now viewed as the city’s hero. This is his least evil option and requires a Durge romance or at least a Durge that will remain by his side regardless and saving Hope as pivotal moments.

• Durge's alliance or resistance of Bhaal would significantly influence this. Resisting Bhaal lowers the DC on any persuasion. Failing the duel with Orin would block any option except controlling the brain with Gortash as he sees it as the only way to protect Durge. Because controlling the absolute would offer them a large enough following to grant them literal ascension to godhood, freeing Durge from Bhaal's control. Plus, you know killing a god would only inflate Gortash's ego more, and that would be his new goal.

jews: hey so this word is so important that historically it was only ever said once a year on the holiest day of the year and only by one guy. this tradition stopped after the fall of the second temple and everybody has forgotten how to pronounce it, and it's been deemed unpronounceable. now, we use a word to replace it, but you're not allowed to say it outside of prayer or reading torah aloud. any printed material that has it written must be buried in a graveyard like a human, it can't simply be thrown out

christians: *treat the word like a fucking trivia question, have songs that just mispronounce say it on repeat for the entire chorus, make shitty ugly ass earrings with the word written on it, include the word in fun translation exercises like it's just like any other word*

City, where every stone has a story to tell...

Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend & looks twice as old as all of them put together."

- Mark Twain.

Last chance to form alliances before Croissant opens a can of arcane whoopass :)

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SYDNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t know why some people find it weird that Donna makes sure to mention different pronouns about the Captain in Wild Blue Yonder lmao

She literally has a trans child so has spent a lot of Rose’s life since she came out and started transitioning educating herself on correct pronouns so it’s probably natural to Donna to immediately switch to make sure she’s including other pronouns. Since she’s so supportive and protective of Rose I’d find it strange if she didn’t correct herself on pronouns.

Also Doctor Who has always been Queer I don’t know if you have been living under a rock but it’s not just a random new thing that started happening this year or have we all forgotten Jack as a character in 2005??

i really enjoy the idea that normal friendships/relationships are so foreign to durge and enver that they would come up with any excuse to see each other. like it takes five meetings to make plans for a small scale heist and half of them are over mimosas. the entire plot of bg3 sprung from durge being like “damn what will please dad and let me hang out with enver”

Important history of Jim Jones, founder of People’s Temple and mass murderer, which intersects with William Branham. Branham, the 20th century’s most famous prophet and the foundational and chief prophet of the Latter-Rain movement and the New Apostolic Reformation, promoted Jones and Jones adopted and adapted much of Branham’s theology.

sometimes i’ll just Put Him In An Outfit For Funsies