“Jonestown in slow motion”. Leaving Christian Science with Hilary Alexander
Today Celine and Stephen explore a group they've not talked about before, Christian Science. Hilary Alexander was raised as a Christian Scientist and in this interview she talks about the process of leaving and making sense of the world afterwards. Christian Science – not to be confused with Scientology – is a religion that was started by Mary Baker Eddy in the late 19th century and as you’ll hear from Hilary has some pretty unusual beliefs that lead to some dangerous practices – perhaps the most important of these is the refusal by many adherents to use modern medicine or medical procedures. If you'd like to support the podcast you can by becoming a patron for just $1.50. https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
21 Okt 202258min
Bonus Episode: Separating the Quantum Science From the Woo
After leaving a cult or fundamentalist group with an all-encompassing belief system, it’s great fun to explore science and philosophy and it’s not long before the quantum world is likely to attract attention. Today Celine and Stephen have the company of a special guest to explore quantum physics and try to separate the science from the woo. You can support this podcast by becoming a patron for just $1.50 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts Videos about quantum physics The Double Slit Experiment https://youtu.be/A9tKncAdlHQ Apertures and Diffraction - Exploring Wave Motion https://youtu.be/BH0NfVUTWG4 Quantum Physics Explained https://youtu.be/Usu9xZfabPM
18 Okt 20221h 4min
The Abuse of Power in Cults
In this week's episode we explore how cults use power to ensure the obedience of their followers, drawing from French and Raven's Bases of Power and the work of Max Weber. To support the podcast you can become a patron for just $1:50 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers French and Raven review on the six bases https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_56.htm University of Regina article https://uregina.ca/~gingrich/o12f99.htm
14 Okt 20221h 7min
Bonus Episode: Cults on Film, The Borg
Assimilation, group identity and leaving is hard. In this bonus episode taken from our short series, Cults on Film, Stephen explores the science fiction favourite baddie, the Borg, from the movie Star Trek First Contact and the TV Series Star Trek Voyager, as a metaphor for cults and coercive control. You can become a patron for just $1.50 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts More about the movies and TV shows in this episode Star Trek First Contact https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117731/ Star Trek Voyager https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112178/
13 Okt 202215min
Jennifer French: Reconnecting With Family After Leaving a Mystical Cult
Jennifer French has a Masters in the Psychology of Coercive Control and is host of the Project Hope Podcast. She was a member of a Christian Mystical Cult and as a result became estranged from her family for over a decade. She talks openly about her experience of joining and leaving her group and the long process of reconnecting with her family. It's an emotional episode. To become a Patron https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts Jennifer's website https://www.jennifer-french.com/project-hope-podcast
7 Okt 20221h 10min
Cults and the promise of happiness
Celine and Stephen explore how cults use the promise of happiness to attract people and keep them on the hook. Also what is the science on happiness? Is happiness genetic? Is it dependant upon external factors? Does money make you happy? Are married people happier? All this and lots more in this week's episode. Become a patron for just $1.50 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers Links Low expectations https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/ambigamy/201408/the-secret-happiness-and-compassion-low-expectations Explaining Happiness https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1633144100 The discontented pony http://ponymadbooklovers.blogspot.com/2018/07/book-review-by-tintin-discontented-pony.html
30 Sep 20221h 35min
Special Episode: Recovering from a Damaging Religious Group with Sherrie D’Souza
Sherrie D'Souza is the International Development Director and board member of 'Recovering From Religion' an organization that specialises in helping people deal with the effects of leaving damaging religious groups and making sense of life afterwards. Sherrie was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and speaks about her childhood, growing up and becoming an adult within the group as well as the difficulty of leaving. Recovering from Religion Website https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/#rfr-welcome Become a Patron of Cult Hackers https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
27 Sep 20221h 15min
Nicola Ranson: Life, love and leaving the Rajneeshpuram
Welcome to the first official episode of Cult Hackers (formerly 'What should I think about..?') For our first show we have a wonderful and knowledgeable cult hacker, former cult member Nicola Ranson. The Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country became a worldwide hit with its fascinating story of a cultic group's strange journey from free love to bio terrorism. Nicola Ranson is now a mental health professional and author, with her memoir 'A slice of orange' coming out in 2023. She was a member of the Rajneesh group for ten years and talks about her attraction to the group, life within it, her journey out and how she made sense of her life after leaving. To become a patron https://www.patreon.com/culthackers To contact us https://culthackers.com Nicola Ranson https://nicolaranson.org/
23 Sep 20221h 10min
