Religion, Cults and Reason

A Baltimore mother accused of joining a cult and starving her child says she was acting on her religious beliefs. What's the difference between extreme religious conviction and delusion? Between a religion and a cult?

There might be several definitions of religion, but the one which seems to be most succinct is the one that says it is a belief in a supernatural power or powers. Some believe these powers control human destiny; others believe they provide a departure for understanding how the world came to be.

A cult, on the other hand, is defined as a group of people characterized by a strong devotion to a person, an idea or a set of beliefs.

There can be cults, according to that definition, that have nothing to do with religion. One might say that there is a cult of Elvis Presley fans, for example, who are absolutely sure that Elvis is alive.

The difference between an Elvis cult and a religious cult is one of control, a control justified by the inclusion of God being the real leader. It seems that a cult of Elvis believers and a religious cult are different in that one seeks to celebrate and never let go of a loved one, while the other attempts to manipulate the lives of those who adhere to its beliefs.

The story of the 22-year old woman who allowed her year-old son to starve to death because cult leaders said he must be punished for not saying "amen" is nothing short of being sadistic and cruel. She pleaded guilty to his death and received a suspended sentence of 20 years in prison.

If he resurrects, her guilty plea will be overturned. While she waits for the resurrection, she is receiving some much-needed mental health care and is being deprogrammed.

This young woman's insistence that her son is going to resurrect, because cult leaders taught her that, is indicative of the depth to which these leaders will go to control their members
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There are two questions, though, which nag at me. One: Why are there so many people susceptible to being controlled in this way? Two: What is going on in the lives of people who end up wielding this kind of control?

What is it we are lacking in our youth that makes so many of vulnerable for this control which seems to be translated as care and concern? Isn't that what people in cults migrate to? Isn't that what draws them in the first place? Is there so little real love in the world, and in homes, that people spend lifetimes looking for it?

Or is it a fact that there are whole lot more people, on the leader side and the follower side, who are physiologically imbalanced, so much so that they succumb to these notions that God is telling them to lead people to hell, or the followers that only God could speak the wisdom of the one who is telling them they should act in ways that are antithetical to love and goodness?

I guess what I am saying is, what is it in our culture that produces the fodder that would allow a mother to think it's OK to believe that God would want her child to die ... for having a "rebellious spirit?"

I know from working with people that mental illness is a lot more prevalent than we admit. A lot of children grow up mentally ill and nobody knows it; they are either bi-polar or schizophrenic or paranoid, and never get medical care. They are labeled as "bad" and are pose discipline problems, but they never get the help they need

Sick children grow up to be sick adults. I know that part of the problem people with mental illness spend lives of quiet desperation, lives that eventually impact negatively on others, is because too little is done in mental health evaluation and treatment. For the most part, mental illness is seen as a taboo, but it seems logical to me that, just as we need immunizations against communicable disease, we may need mental health evaluations to be a normal part of childhood health care.

I also know that part of the problem -- even if we had mandatory mental health evaluations for children -- is the fact that too few people can afford health care would impede necessary treatment.

But I also struggle with the fact that so many people are viable candidates for manipulation, the kind that cults -- and frankly, some religions -- exercise over their followers. What makes us so needy? Why are we so gullible? I think Hitler led a cult; I truly believe those who followed him were brainwashed.

The omni-benevolent God I know does not, will not, and has not, led people to do bad things, or stupid or cruel things. God would never sanction letting a baby starve to death - not for any reason! I think the clearest way to test a "word from the Lord" is to see if the "voice" is leading one to help or hurt people. Mother Teresa heard God' s voice telling her to live amongst the poor. This God didn't tell her to hurt the poor.

God wouldn't. God is the parent of us all.

One is deluded when one is led to cruel action, or when one is being led to believe he or she is someone other than who he or she is, and then puts the onus for the directive on God.

The voice of God challenges us to come out of our comfort zones and lead people, society, nations, to a greater good. The voice of delusion feeds one's sense of despair, plunges into their holes of need, and leads people to the darkness of chaos and confusion.

By Susan K. Smith  |  March 31, 2009; 2:47 PM ET
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