Listen / Read
What can be the outcome when individuals give their lives into the hands of a charismatic religious leader who offers certainty and demands mindless obedience? How is it that people can find themselves in such a situation? You really need to listen to today’s reading to believe it, but here’s what he said :
- If you pound people hard enough with certainty when they’re feeling vulnerable under the pressures of life.
- If you offer them instant family when their lives are poor in friendship.
- If you offer them a message which makes meaning of life when their lives are confused and problematical.
- If you offer them a special task to spread the group’s gospel when their work is dull or meaningless.
- If you can offer them clear leadership when they can find no one to admire or believe in or to follow.
- If you’re offering this with intoxicating, mind-numbing worship then you’re offering a powerful package which many people will buy.
It’s a bloody good job that Tom Butler is in no way charismatic and can’t even be certain of what it was he was doing the night before the morning after. He ticks every other box.
What he has done here is explain perfectly that the only difference between moderate and extremist religion is the killer instinct.
Thanks Tom, you’ve saved me a job there.