This week, we go online and off the grid to The Garden, where video posts began a debate over whether the group is a commune or a cult. But who ultimately decides? What criteria do they use? And what (if anything) is gained by the question in the first place? We discuss these matters and more, learning along the way a few things about how subsistence and social formation converge/collide. So come burn a fear tower with us as we intrepid explorers trek boldly into analysis! While the dynamics of holding a community together are legion and complex, there is clarity about the following: If you’ve got a hankering to put some first-person pronouns in a research paper, Merinda’s classes have got your back...but in the event of a natural disaster and/or zombie apocalypse, Mike’s house is definitely where you should take shelter. #cultfavorite

Links:

Interviews w/ Producers

https://www.cynopsis.com/cyncity/pushed-to-the-limit-for-the-garden-commune-or-cult/

https://worldscreen.com/tvreal/the-garden-commune-or-cults-annie-taylor-naimah-holmes/

For Everyone Collective:

Religion in Culture MA Program at University of Alabama:

https://religion.ua.edu/graduate/

Follow us on all the socials @cultfavoritepod

Production assistance from the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama.

Theme music produced with Udio.