Cult Hackers

Why do people do activism, write books or make podcasts after they've left a  cultic group? Is it down to hate? Are they just disgruntled former members? A good-faith attempt to address the question of why so many ex members choose to take action or talk about their experience. 

If you'd like to support Stephen's charity bike ride from Lands End to John o'Groats you can do so here:  

To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Jo Lloyd Johnson is an artist and author who escaped a charismatic, fundamentalist Christian cultic group. She has written about this experience in her insightful and touching book called 'Silenced in Eden'. In this week's episode Jo talks about the abuse she suffered as a child, purity culture, the raising of girls to be submissive wives, trying to conform, ultimately finding freedom and writing it all down in her book. 

Jo's book:

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/94167107

Jo's Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/jolloydjohnson/

To support the show become a patron:

https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

To contact us:

https://www.culthackers.com/contact

This week our guest is Kacey from the Cult Vault, one of the leading podcasts about cults. Kacey talks about starting up a podcast, what she's learned about cults and her plans for the future. It was great to talk to her!

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

In this special, last of the current season of miniseries episodes about the psychology of cults, we are releasing the recording of Stephen's presentation to the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Conference in 2022. This presentation is based upon Stephen's research for his dissertation for his Masters in Organizational Psychology. 

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

YouTube Video Version

https://youtu.be/Yc9qoiftRSc

Today Stephen and Celine look at the news about claims of UFOs and UAP at the Congressional Hearing on July 26th 2023. This podcast has asked before, what would religious fundamentalists make of the existence of extra terrestrial life?

What do we actually know about this story? What was said during the hearing? What is the story behind characters such as David Grusch and Louis Elizondo? At a deeper level, how do existing beliefs play into how we interpret evidence? Stephen also shares with Celine some surprising reporting about just what certain officials, at and around, the Pentagon believe and how close they are to this story. A slightly different feel to this week's topic episode but we hope you like it.

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

The reporting by Steven Greenstreet

https://youtu.be/6XD4gQS_-qY

Glossary of Acronyms From Today's Episode 

AATIP: Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Programme

AARO: All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office

AAWSAP: Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application Program

BAASS: Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies

SCIF: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility

UAP: Unidentified Arial Phenomena

UFO: Unidentified Flying Object

TTSA: To The Stars Academy

NIDS: National Institute for Discovery Science

In our ongoing miniseries into the psychology of cults Stephen explores how cults manage their activity, including the similarities and differences between cultic groups and more orthodox organizations. What does the org chart look like? How do they use Key Performance Indicators and how do they punish poor performance?

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

Today we welcome back Brian and Troy from the 'I was a teenage fundamentalist' podcast. What are the thinking processes of a fundamentalist? What's it like to speak in tongues? Why did Stephen get a little bit scared when he asked the question? And why did one of them simulate giving birth in church as a spiritual experience? For answers to these questions and much more listen on..

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

I was a teenage fundamentalist website

https://www.iwasateenagefundamentalist.com/

Today on the psychology of cults miniseries, Stephen uses the tools of Organizational Psychology to explain how organizations respond to external pressures to change. Implications include what we can expect religious cults to do to respond to accusations of abuse, and how we should shape public policy towards them.

To read the original script on Medium

https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/isomorphism-and-cults-1c01b3c62e18

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

In this episode Celine and Stephen do a cult reading of the classic movie The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir, starring Jim Carey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Natascha McElhone. What are the parallels to growing up in a cult? How does the cult leader rationalise his actions? How do members who know it's not true, carry on living the lie? What's it like to grapple with doubts about the only world you know? It's all there! 

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts

On our continuing miniseries on the psychology of cults, this week Stephen explores how cult leaders often employ charismatic tactics to influence their followers. Stephen uses the organizational psychological research to compare charismatic leadership in cults to those in ethical organizations.

You can read the script of this podcast on Stephen's Medium Page. 

https://medium.com/@SteEvilSheep/leadership-and-management-of-a-cult-bdeb0c92f0a4

To support Stephen's ride in aid of the Family Survival Trust you can donate on his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cult-hackers

To reach out to us: https://culthackers.com/

To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts