tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/scientology-30249/articlesScientology – The Conversation2023-11-29T16:28:08Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2176972023-11-29T16:28:08Z2023-11-29T16:28:08ZHow to get someone out of a cult – and what happens afterwards<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561041/original/file-20231122-17-54ndfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C47%2C5199%2C3440&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tiny-pink-flower-growth-through-crack-2319577483">Ivan Serebryannikov/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>No one ever sets out to join a cult. </p>
<p>At the beginning it looks like the group <a href="https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=jj_etds">will meet some need or ideal</a>. For most people it seems to work initially - at least somewhat. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/escaping-twin-flames-release-date-trailer-news">Netflix documentary</a> showed the experiences of people in the Twin Flames Universe group, which offers online courses in finding your soulmate. For those who joined Twin Flames, it seemed that they were no longer alone. Former members say every aspect of their lives were controlled. A statement <a href="https://twinflamesuniverse.com/media-statement/">on the group’s website</a> says these claims “distort” their “true aims and methods” and “misrepresent the autonomy of our community members.” </p>
<p>In general terms though, why do people leave high-demand religious groups (often called cults), and how can you help someone who’s stuck? The answer is always unique and <a href="https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004331471/BP000021.xml">depends on the context</a>. Important factors to consider include the individual’s personal characteristics, the nature of the group and outside circumstances. </p>
<p>For some people, there is a gradual slipping away. The classic cult-like group encourages isolation from friends, family and even outside employment. But if someone does continue to engage with other activities and groups, these might reduce the appeal of an increasingly demanding group. </p>
<p>Some people experience a sudden change in thinking when the group crosses an ethical line or when the duplicity of a leader’s teaching and behaviour is realised. Sometimes a group of people <a href="https://www.insider.com/stories-of-people-who-say-they-left-cults-2018-8#the-entire-phoenix-family-of-actors-river-joaquin-rain-liberty-and-summer-spent-part-of-their-childhoods-as-members-of-the-children-of-god-2">leave together</a>.</p>
<p>But, as the length and depth of involvement increases, leaving can become harder and harder. This is partially due to the “<a href="https://core.ac.uk/reader/159137880?">sunk costs</a>” effect. If you spend your life savings on “training” and cut all your ties with your family, it becomes more difficult to start over. </p>
<p>Additionally, many people are both perpetrators and victims of the group’s harmful activities. <a href="https://www.spiritualabuseresources.com/articles/post-cult-problems-an-exit-counselors-perspective">Shame and social stigma</a> does not make it any easier to leave. </p>
<p>So if you’re worried someone you know has joined a cult, what can you do to help?</p>
<h2>Mind your language</h2>
<p>Intervention from an outsider <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178116319941">can help protect someone</a> from being further indoctrinated, but it is important to be careful about the wording you use in conversations. </p>
<p><a href="https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780113409273/page/110/mode/2up">Research on people who left</a> high demand groups has shown it can help to: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>try to maintain positive contact</p></li>
<li><p>do not shame or belittle the person </p></li>
<li><p>be curious and do some research</p></li>
<li><p>ask questions about specific aspects of the group which might be concerning.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Do not tell a person who is excited about their involvement in a new group that you believe they have been brainwashed or are in a cult. At this time in person’s journey, using <a href="https://www.jbasr.com/ojs/index.php/jbasr/article/view/73/71">language about cults</a> usually makes them feel divided from society. </p>
<p>Members are often warned that those outside the group cannot understand the convert’s experiences. Labelling the group as an evil cult can entrench such a belief. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man and older man walking and talking with takeaway coffee cups" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561858/original/file-20231127-21-boemhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If possible, try and maintain contact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/friends-senior-young-man-walking-talking-2223478821">Dmytro Sheremeta/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Do your research</h2>
<p>When joining a high-demand religious group there are usually “pulls” (things that are attractive about the group) as well as “pushes” (things the person is trying to change about their life) involved. Exploring and identifying these pulls and pushes can encourage people to engage in more active decision making and make them think about their own identity. </p>
<p><a href="https://inform.ac/about-us/">Do some research</a> about what exactly may be problematic about this particular group. It can be helpful to ask questions specific things group members are likely to encounter before the issues come up. </p>
<p>For example:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>What if you were asked not to be in touch with your family ever again? Is that okay and ethical? How will they feel about you leaving their life? </p></li>
<li><p>How much money do you think is reasonable to spend on this group?</p></li>
<li><p>Could it be a good idea to safeguard savings or property, just “in case” things change with the group?</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Encourage critical thinking</h2>
<p>The use of “<a href="https://archive.org/details/thoughtreformpsy0000lift/page/428/mode/2up?q=cliche">thought-terminating clichés</a>”, stock phrases which shut down critical thinking, are often used by groups which aim to align people’s thinking with a dogma. </p>
<p>For example, bad experiences or illness might be attributed to “karma” or giving attention to physical and emotional needs might be labelled “self-cherishing” or “promoting ego.” These explanations can be gently challenged by introducing other ideas as possibilities. </p>
<p>In some groups there is constant questioning and reframing of members’ experiences. For example, questioning the decision of an authority figure might be deflected by an accusation the member is demonstrating a “lack of faith” or an order “to meditate on your negative mind”. </p>
<p>This kind of behaviour can be understood as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003122419874843?journalCode=asra">gaslighting</a>, where someone is encouraged not to trust their memory, thoughts and sensations and can cause people to feel confused, physically ill and doubting their sanity. </p>
<p>Questions like those offered above, can encourage someone to consider other ways of thinking and tune into their own experiences and ethics more clearly. This helps people think more critically about explanations given by a group to justify harmful behaviour and maintain contact with their own internal moral compass. </p>
<p>If they’re entrenched within the group, it is still worth trying to keep an open door. Even minimal contact at birthdays and Christmas can help people know there is a friendly person outside. A recent study of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000410">family members of cult members</a>, found that those who eventually left the group said close family bonds outside the movement were important. </p>
<h2>Life afterwards</h2>
<p>Experiences of leaving religious groups are <a href="https://brill.com/edcollbook-oa/title/33911">complex</a> and <a href="https://web-s-ebscohost-com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=6bf6fd92-7688-4b7b-8b25-1de49b1e6925%40redis">diverse</a>. Some might physically distance themselves from a group, but maintain aspects of the worldview and even <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/drifting-through-samsara-9780197579961?cc=us&lang=en&#">practices</a> for long periods of time after leaving. One example is the <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/free-zone-scientology-9781350182547/">Free Zone Scientology</a> movement, made up of people who practice L. Ron Hubbard’s techniques outside the structures of the Church of Scientology. </p>
<p>In other cases, former members sometimes continue social contact with people in the group, particularly if they have close family who are still members. They might decide to never officially denounce the group, but nevertheless move quite far away from the group’s ways of seeing the world. </p>
<p>Reestablishing social and financial footing after leaving a high-demand group is not easy. In the words of <a href="https://link-springer-com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/article/10.1007/s10943-021-01397-1">one recent study</a> “extensive emotional effort” is needed to create new social ties and a new understanding of self.</p>
<p>Some may need basic practical support to find a place to live, a job, or educational qualifications. Many find some contact with others who have had similar experiences important and validating. </p>
<p>Those who leave can benefit from being given <a href="https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2013/may-2013/working-with-cult-survivors/">time and safe spaces</a> to reevaluate their experiences. Where possible, this is usually best done with the help of a <a href="https://www.icsahome.com/support/counseling-resources">professional counselor</a>. </p>
<p>These high demand groups show how powerful the our need for social bonds can be - both in attracting people to the groups in the first place and in helping them pull away.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217697/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne Newcombe is honorary director of Inform - Information Network Focus on Religious Movements (<a href="http://www.inform.ac">www.inform.ac</a>). Inform was established in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker at the London School of Economics to provide up-to-date and accurate information about new and minority religious groups, often termed 'cults' and to provide a bridge between academic research and the questions of the general public. Its start-up funding was provided by the UK Home Office and Inform continues to receive project funding income from the UK government, as well as being supported by grants from charitable foundations and academic funding bodies. </span></em></p>If you’re worried someone has joined a high-demand group, it’s important not to shame or belittle them.Suzanne Newcombe, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/839432017-09-20T03:15:49Z2017-09-20T03:15:49ZWhy it’s offensive to offer a lamb dinner to the Hindu god Ganesha<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186666/original/file-20170919-22604-14gbpbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Hindu god Ganesha.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/anantns/8019822560/in/photolist-ddFFQL-g3vMVw-A9U122-gqundV-dQwJqp-8AniW4-HhhU4-bFu8iT-L1oLMT-iNorcn-GuHVF-7vDifm-52j8cE-8H4-5W7eVG-X6Vi1D-oUgWPy-3FczZd-CACi4-jSjDna-RbPoS-eosvd8-pPEH5R-goA3VT-4rjywT-pw8Vdz-oBP5BW-j1Hg4r-B4u7Zd-aaLb4E-oSgUT5-9ZHuRi-9ozhSY-9ZLjZd-jSkmNp-eE3Tb-9noaxS-aaNUn-o5Rp5X-4VKm6G-SCAvFV-bmaAdW-bqwzH8-9frNnJ-5Lsd4B-oLy2Bb-cDN7iG-385wzv-7oDaBv-CJCeZ">Anant Nath Sharma</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="http://religionnews.com/2017/09/11/australian-ad-promotes-lamb-as-fit-for-the-gods-offending-some-hindus/">recent ad</a> from the meat industry in Australia, seeking to promote lamb as a food that people from a wide range of religious backgrounds can consume, has <a href="http://www.hcindia-au.org/Portal/ScrollingNews/45_1_8_9_17_Advertisement_of_Meat_and_Livestocks_Australia.pdf">given offense</a> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-05/lamb-ad-under-fire-for-portrayal-of-vegetarian-god-ganesha/8875048">to many Hindus</a> in Australia and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/09/07/hindus-are-mad-about-australias-insensitive-new-lamb-ad-depicting-god-ganesha_a_23201054/">internationally</a>.</p>
<p>In Australia, the ad <a href="http://religionnews.com/2017/09/11/australian-ad-promotes-lamb-as-fit-for-the-gods-offending-some-hindus/">prompted a complaint</a> by the High Commission of India. In the United States, Hindu organizations issued a statement <a href="http://www.rajanzed.org/hindus-shocked-at-australia-advt-bureau-clearing-insensitive-ad-despite-worldwide-condemnation/">protesting</a> the airing of such an ad.</p>
<p>While the ad was initially released in Australia, it quickly made its way onto YouTube, where it had recorded over a million views at the time of writing. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8kuoFGgj8s?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The ad features a host of deities from various religions sitting down to a meal of lamb. These diners include Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, Kuan Yin (the Buddhist goddess of compassion) and Confucius, as well as Greek Gods Dionysus, Aphrodite, Thor, Isis and the founder of <a href="http://www.scientology.org/">Scientology</a>, L. Ron Hubbard. Prophet Muhammad is left out as his depiction is considered highly offensive to Muslims. </p>
<p>However, on this guest list is a <a href="http://www.sunypress.edu/p-1161-ganesh.aspx">highly revered and beloved</a> Hindu deity, Ganesha, readily recognizable by his elephant head. As a scholar of Indic traditions, I can see why Hindus are upset.</p>
<h2>Animal sacrifice and Hinduism</h2>
<p>Vegetarianism is an important part of Hindu religious worship. To be sure, not all Hindus practice vegetarianism. According to a 2006 survey, <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-nation/article3089973.ece">only 31 percent of India’s population</a>, home to the <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-hindu/">vast majority of the world’s Hindus</a>, are vegetarian. </p>
<p>It is also true that there are some Hindu deities who are offered meat. Most famously, goats are <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=3xj-s2JWKBMC&pg=PA73&dq=kalighat+goats&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjO4vz9tbHWAhWDJiYKHXTFDn4Q6AEIMjAC#v=onepage&q=kalighat%20goats&f=false">regularly offered to the Hindu goddess Kali</a>. Meat offerings are also <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Nl7ZBL2O3XAC&pg=PA318&dq=nepal+animal+sacrifice#v=onepage&q=nepal%20animal%20sacrifice&f=false">not uncommon in Nepal</a>, a majority Hindu nation. </p>
<p>But the vast majority of food offerings to Hindu deities today are <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=KpIWhKnYmF0C&pg=PA194&dq=vegetarian+offerings+hindu+deities#v=onepage&q=vegetarian%20offerings%20hindu%20deities&f=false">vegetarian in nature</a>. This author has witnessed, for example, offerings of gourds, cucumbers and bananas being made to the goddess Kali at worship services in both the U.S. and India, despite the fact that this goddess is considered to be fierce and is widely associated with animal sacrifice. </p>
<p>These food offerings have religious significance. After being reverently presented to the deities, they are distributed to worshipers as “prasad.” <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=DOJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA184&dq=hindu+prasad+offered+to+deities#v=onepage&q=hindu%20prasad%20offered%20to%20deities&f=false">Prasad represents</a> the blessing of the deities in return for the worship and devotion they have received.</p>
<h2>Vegetarianism through the centuries</h2>
<p>Hindu vegetarianism developed gradually. In ancient times there were Hindus who ate meat, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/hinduism-and-its-complicated-history-with-cows-and-people-who-eat-them-80586">beef</a>, and meat was part of many religious rituals. </p>
<p>Later texts condemn the violence in meat offerings. “Bhagavata Purana,” an ancient Hindu text from the Vaishnava tradition, for example, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=j9BOGL8u2X4C&pg=PA41&dq=bhagavata+purana+vegetarianism&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXmNyPt7HWAhWB4yYKHUNKAWQQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=bhagavata%20purana%20vegetarianism&f=false">condemns violence</a> against animals to feed oneself. In this tradition, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/35375/krishna-the-beautiful-legend-of-god/">the popular deity Krishna is also worshipped</a> as the protector of cows.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/35167/the-laws-of-manu/">“Manu Smriti,”</a> considered to be the authoritative book on Hindu codes dating from roughly 300 to 100 B.C., also <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkkFCwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=historical+dictionary+of+hinduism&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk0vzZt7HWAhXE6CYKHRF9CXgQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=manusm%E1%B9%9Bti&f=false">condemns meat-eating</a>, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=DZAWCHnbwtoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=laws+of+manu&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw2-OXuLHWAhUB5yYKHT_OA2sQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=meat&f=false">saying</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Whoever does violence to harmless creatures out of a wish for his own happiness does not increase his happiness anywhere, neither when he is alive nor when he is dead.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Indeed, by the eighth century religious rituals had become largely vegetarian. It was at this time that an influential scholar and reformer, Shankara, promoted <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810879607/Historical-Dictionary-of-Hinduism-New-Edition">the replacement of meat offerings to Hindu deities</a> with vegetarian substitutes. Meat, due to its association with death, came to be seen as ritually impure. </p>
<p>Today, <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-nation/article3089973.ece">roughly 55 percent of Brahmins</a> in India are vegetarian. </p>
<h2>Who is Ganesha?</h2>
<p>Coming back to the ad, what does it mean for Hindus when Ganesha is depicted in an ad serving lamb?</p>
<p>For many Hindus, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=YZBlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PP3&lpg=PP3&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false">Ganesha is a beloved deity</a> who is considered to be the “remover of obstacles.” As such, he is invoked at the start of any venture (including worship offered to other deities). Most recognizable for his elephant head, he is the son of Shiva, the supreme being for the Hindus and his consort, Parvati. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186635/original/file-20170919-25319-175unbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A plate of ladoos, the favorite sweet of Ganesha.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vipez/2740120759/in/photolist-5b8Qrn-5LK1iD-5LxsfD-5jDHJo-bgmEZg-5jzrgH-aYPdLg-5jDGKo-bNdYFa-dFeiAP-dFjJGS-pMVFcg-dFjJFE-hkfVRa-hkeUVA-GfUX2-9n3ZxU-dooU1E-dooUz5-bmCvjc-9QroYz-dooTXN-xXRdS-6mnYwF-hkfVMT-hkeXEq-9WyRnU-oU7Gke-gfJ38-Frce5-gfJ3v-gfJ3T-bzjrT7-7kLys4-4CY6PB-5g1pTT-9mPYpA-pgw7Xp-9VQ93o-gfJ4k-XGHeNa-4d6vWj-PgmofR-4FKJwM-bczYPa-9vP4G-6dekYW-jCHTZp-drkDmW-dFXTiy">v i p e z</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While at least one ancient text, the “Manava Gṛhyaśāstra,” suggests that at one time, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=oF-Hqih3pBAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ganesha&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-rv3dubHWAhVG1CYKHSsWAgcQ6AEIMjAC#v=onepage&q=meat&f=false">Ganesha may have been offered meat</a>, in contemporary practice this has been replaced with vegetarian food, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA234&dq=Ganesha+Ladoos&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi38b6hurHWAhVG0iYKHdcCBvEQ6AEIPzAE#v=onepage&q=Ganesha%20Ladoos&f=false">the most popular of which is the “ladoo”</a> – a delightful Indian ball-shaped sweet made from chickpea flour, usually yellow or orange in color. It is common for Ganesha to be depicted holding a plate of ladoos.</p>
<p>The chief rationale for vegetarianism is the principle of “ahimsa,” or doing no deliberate harm to any living being. This value is promoted not only in Hindu traditions, but <a href="http://www.ibtauris.com/en/Books/Humanities/Religion%20%20beliefs/Other%20non-Christian%20religions/Jainism/Jainism%20An%20Introduction">among the Jains</a> (a community that is almost exclusively vegetarian) and Buddhists in India.</p>
<p>While vegetarianism may not be universal among Hindus – nor have they always practiced it – the ideal it represents is held in high regard. This makes an image of Ganesha sitting down to eat lamb jarring, to say the least, for many Hindus.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83943/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeffery D. Long serves as an unpaid consultant to the Hindu American Foundation. He is also a member of the Vedanta Society and past steering committee chair of DĀNAM (the Dharma Academy of North America).</span></em></p>Offering food to deities in Hinduism has deep religious significance. And most Hindu deities are not served meat.Jeffery D. Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/822742017-08-09T13:25:31Z2017-08-09T13:25:31ZDude, South Park turned 20 – how to make an all-time classic by insulting everybody<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181543/original/file-20170809-25936-hj9x1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and Stan. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrism70/3220146111/in/photolist-5Uy6fx-a9YWiZ-9hzCam-Ds39U-bE34Tz-4HWXes-ptRonE-8YF73V-hvSxH-JnCddY-8c4fs-2uNJrZ-8YuPfT-6NcQzh-8EgrYx-ckR4gs-9hyw8U-dqot2e-8Jzsm-5s53jp-3nPyNA-6sdKQj-huxAMF-6Nkb5s-ay3nPt-4Z941c-dxBqWY-7VebBe-2uT7Ah-4vvMfM-aYZ8nD-dR6CcV-AgjKqb-zAABX-25tSdX-apZJto-2uNJkc-4xzp7q-9RzCaM-4UKctK-c6sWkb-9ALor-2F4hfv-amPC1p-cbt3uE-g2L6uP-3JLe76-4psv3p-S4tib-9YR2Pc">Chris Murphy</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>My first visit to South Park was the animated short The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs Santa. I was fresh from art school and working as a 3D animator, producing “cut-scene” narrative shorts for computer games for some of the biggest companies in the field. We were mostly animating life-like characters, striving for photorealism within the limitations of the software of the time. Then came Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny. </p>
<p>Jesus vs Santa went around the studio like wildfire. It was one of the first viral videos I can remember. Animators, artists, writers, programmers and managers huddled around monitors to watch an animation made from crude – really crude – stop-motion style cut-out paper and cardboard. </p>
<p>In true South Park style, it was a highly un-politically correct and sweary yarn that was really just an excuse for an extended fight sequence between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>JESUS: Christmas is for celebrating my birthday.</p>
<p>SANTA: Christmas is for giving. </p>
<p>JESUS: I’m here to put an end to your blasphemy. </p>
<p>SANTA (tossing kid off his knee and rising to his feet): This time we finish it. There can be only one. </p>
<p>STAN to KYLE: Dude, this is some pretty fucked up shit right here. </p>
<p>(Battle commences)</p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3KUqTnC2bxc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Trey Parker and Matt Stone made Jesus vs Santa in 1995, having met at the University of Colorado Boulder. They had already made another South Park short, The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs Frosty in 1992, plus various other short films, including musicals. </p>
<p>But it was Jesus vs Santa that really got the young filmmakers noticed. It <a href="http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000407/1997">won them</a> a highly prestigious best animation award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 1996. On the back of the success, Parker and Stone were commissioned to develop some episodes for Comedy Central. </p>
<h2>Wow, cartoons are getting dirty</h2>
<p>South Park premiered on August 13, 1997, starting as it meant to continue with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uG9ob8qdss">Cartman Gets an Anal Probe</a>. By episode four, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQO-CPpq05A">Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride</a>, Comedy Central had committed to a full series and the show was on the way to becoming a sensation.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181545/original/file-20170809-26004-n60920.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Yes, chef.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef_(South_Park)#/media/File:SouthParkChef.png">Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While conservatives <a href="http://www.mrc.org/bozells-column/south-park-tvs-new-nightmare">were horrified</a>, ratings kept growing. As well as the unique blend of playground filth and razor-sharp observation, it had a great voice cast – with Parker and Stone joined by the likes of soul singer Isaac Hayes as Chef McIlroy. The first season went on to win numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy awards and a Peabody award. A new production pipeline was soon on the way. </p>
<p>South Park’s arrival ruffled the feathers of certain animation studios whose higher production values and costs were not winning those sought-after awards. Yet the sudden demand for episodes did force Parker and Stone into a rethink, since physical cut-out stop motion is crushingly time-consuming and could not be sustained for a full season. </p>
<p>They turned to to the same 3D software we were using in the games industry, taking great care to recreate the original look (initially using PowerAnimator, but later Autodesk’s Maya). This meant they could do an episode in three weeks, and later they streamlined the process down to a one-week turnaround. With other animations commissioned months in advance of transmission, this was unheard of. </p>
<p>It meant South Park could be highly topical, which was another thing that made the show unique. During the 2000 US presidential elections, for example, South Park ran <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705978/">an episode</a> in which a deadlocked vote for class president spoofed what happened with Bush and Gore. And in 2005, the show famously turned on Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0761294/">Trapped in the Closet</a>, getting <a href="http://freespeechdebate.com/case/tom-cruise-sues-south-park/">them sued</a> for their trouble. </p>
<h2>Go to hell, South Park</h2>
<p>Many critics were quick to label South Park a flash in the pan when it started; a gimmick that would tire quickly. Yet, 20 years later, the show is still going strong – and still highly controversial. Season 20 had Donald Trump in its crosshairs and just kept firing, earning some high ratings along the way. </p>
<p>When Season 21 starts next month, Stone and Parker are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/russespinoza/2017/07/28/comedy-central-announces-new-south-park-season-21-premiere-date/#2dffd69155db">promising</a> something of a return to stupid-kid basics. With the show currently commissioned up to season 23 in 2019, headlines of Oh My God They Killed South Park will have to wait a little while yet. </p>
<p>Throughout the show, there have never been sacred cows. Nothing in politics, race relations or religion is off limits. One favourite target is Canadians, who always get depicted as morons with heads that bounce up and down. They really got it in the neck when the feature film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158983/">South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut</a> came out in 1999 – particularly in the musical interludes Blame Canada and Uncle Fucker. This didn’t stop the movie <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=southpark.htm">from making</a> a good profit worldwide, and Blame Canada even <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158983/awards">got nominated</a> for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/48XreePDi8k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>South Park will never be to everyone’s taste, but it has endured because of the creators’ unapologetic approach to controversy. The characters comment on our society in surprising depth and in ways that other animations would not get away with. The scripts work on a number of levels, and Parker and Stone still have a hands-on approach to the show, so their voices are still heard. </p>
<p>It is a reminder that for all the flashy CG imagery we have become so used to, viewers still heavily identify with a show which could have been produced by someone in their bedroom with a cheap video camera and some cut-out paper and scissors. It’s substance over style, dude. Now get back in the kitchen and make me some pie.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phillip Vaughan receives funding from ESRC.</span></em></p>How Trey Parker and Matt Stone made it for the long haul. Parental Advisory: explicit content.Phillip Vaughan, Director MSc Animation and VFX, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/639212016-08-15T04:29:25Z2016-08-15T04:29:25ZMy Scientology Movie: a perceptive mix of psychological drama and reality TV<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134045/original/image-20160815-25467-185ccrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie is a perceptive and fair-minded exploration. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">My Scientology Movie/Red Box Films</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>America is home to many bizarre religious movements. In Kentucky, there’s a stunning 155-metre long, all-wood replica Noah’s Ark, part of the <a href="https://arkencounter.com">Ark Encounter</a> theme park. It was built for US$100 million by Creationists, Christians who take the biblical story of the Great Flood literally. In South Carolina, there are Pentecostal churches where people <a href="http://holiness-snake-handlers.webs.com/">play with venomous snakes</a> to the rhythms of bluesy gospel music and sometimes die from the bites. Each year in Lily Dale, a beautiful village in New York State, spiritualist mediums host <a href="http://www.lilydaleassembly.com/">outdoor summer séances</a>, attracting thousands of visitors who come to hear messages from their dead loved ones.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134040/original/image-20160815-25472-1c0rq9g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Handling serpents at the Pentecostal Church of God, Kentucky 1946.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Russell Lee</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And yet despite this flourishing and unusual scene, it is mainly the Church of Scientology that attracts the attention of outsiders. This religion, founded in the 1950s by a science fiction writer who championed the use of an electronic device which he said could read people’s emotional activity, has adherents in the thousands, including most famously Tom Cruise. Known for its vigorous proselyting, the Church of Scientology is notoriously sensitive to criticism and guards its operations and teachings closely.</p>
<p>A 2015 documentary, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4257858/">Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief</a>, offered astonishing insights into the workings of the church. Former followers told of exploitation, intimidation and mind-control in Scientology’s inner sanctum. In particular, it painted a dark portrait of Scientology’s current leader, David Miscavige.</p>
<p>Louis Theroux’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5111874/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">My Scientology Movie</a> (2015) also offers an account of Scientology but does so in a very different way. Theroux, a gentle and inquisitive journalist and filmmaker, had wanted to make a documentary about Scientology but was unable to gain the cooperation of anyone inside the Church. Rather than giving up, he enlisted the help of former senior Scientologist and whistle-blower Mark “Marty” Rathbun, a central figure in Going Clear, to script and then dramatise his experiences inside the Church.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134048/original/image-20160815-25488-1k8qoc2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Are you making a documentary as well?’ Theroux filming Scientologists following him with cameras.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">My Scientology Movie/Red Box Films</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The outcome is a perceptive and revealing film about Scientology’s methods and leadership. Rathbun and Theroux audition actors to play Miscavige and Tom Cruise, discuss Scientology at length as they drive around Los Angeles, and make return visits to Scientology’s Gold Base, a compound outside LA. </p>
<p>A combination of real-life chase, reality TV, psychological drama and straight documentary, all wonderfully filmed in sun-soaked California, it culminates with a stunning re-enactment of an alleged Miscavige rant at his followers.</p>
<p>Along the way Theroux and Rathbun are followed and filmed by Scientologists, a tactic known as “<a href="http://gawker.com/5794223/meet-the-bizarre-scientology-stalking-squad">squirrel-busting</a>”. Theroux turns his camera onto these people, gently but insistently peppering them with questions. As the squirrel-busters falter when the same tactics are applied to them, we are treated to some rare light moments, although the footage will not help Scientology’s image.</p>
<p>The film focuses on the figures of Marty Rathbun and David Miscavige, the man who succeeded founder and original leader L Ron Hubbard. Rathbun, Scientology’s best-known defector, comes across as an ambiguous figure. His account of Scientology drives much of the film, particularly the representations of Cruise and Miscavige. It is evident from the way he is pursued by the squirrel-busters that he has endured much haranguing. </p>
<p>When Theroux gently pushes Rathbun about his own complicity in the reported bullying, harassment and cultish activity that took place when he was a Scientologist, he is evasive, deflecting responsibility. At other times, Rathbun turns on Theroux, angry about things he has said, or decisions he has made. It is rare to see so many sides to a central character in a documentary.</p>
<p>Miscavige is a recluse, and as noted, would have nothing to do with the film, so Theroux relies mainly on Rathbun’s descriptions and archival film to guide actor Andrew Perez’s portrayal of Miscavige. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134047/original/image-20160815-25485-l7vnve.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Actor Andrew Perez portrays Scientology leader David Miscavage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">My Scientology Movie/Red Box Films</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perez is a revelation. We see him audition and then watch him as he quietly prepares for the role. His star turn comes in one scene when he completely loses himself to the character. If this is life-like, as Rathbun attests, then it is a devastating portrait of Miscavige and the brutal way he treats his followers.</p>
<p>Throughout the film, Theroux is unflappable and calm, even as the Scientologists raise the stakes or Rathbun turns on him. At times, he offers erudite commentary about the religion. He is fair too, and while Scientologists will disagree with his representation of them, one senses he never set out to make an anti-Scientology polemic. This is clear from the probing questions he puts to Rathbun.</p>
<p>My Scientology Movie is not a big picture account of the religion. It reveals little about Scientology’s complex and esoteric beliefs, or the lives of its ordinary followers. However, Theroux never treats Scientology as a wacky American curiosity. </p>
<p>Rather, his film, which gives rise to critical questions about the responsibility religious leaders have in the lives of their followers, and the outcomes when that is abused, makes for brave and clever filmmaking.</p>
<p><br></p>
<hr>
<p><em>My Scientology Movie will be released Australia-wide on 8 September.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63921/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Singleton receives funding from the Australian Research Council for a project examining young people's attitudes to religious diversity. </span></em></p>My Scientology Movie avoids taking cheap shots at one of America’s most mockable religions; instead it is a fair, revealing (and sometimes funny) look at Scientology’s methods and leadership.Andrew Singleton, Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Research, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.