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rrmoderator
What is it about cults and extreme groups that attracts so many celebrities? Hollywood seems to be overflowing with such groups and stars flock to them.

The path to celebrity mirrors the path to cultic enlightenment.

Celebrity involves a necessary "splitting". Just ask the likes of Reginald Dwight, Cherilyn Sarkisian, and Thomas Mapother IV how often the attainment of real celebrity is marked by a change of name. There comes a distinction between old self and the new, marketable self. David Lynch's [b:74694d225e]Mulholland Drive [/b:74694d225e]illustrates this best for me: the moment Naomi Watts touches down and steps out of the airport in Hollywood, she splits.

Celebrities split many times over again in their work. Look at how many times Madonna has been required to change her image. Successful celebrity actors take their work very seriously and talk of truly immersing themselves in their roles.

The resultant blurring of their identities is evident in just how often celebrities refer to themselves in the third-person. These are people who have truly "split".

Just as the road to celebrity involves a split, so too do cult-like groups often ask members to split. We are encouraged to "start over", "start our NEW lives". Cultic enlightenment is the changeover from old unenlightened self to new enlightened self.

Perhaps having learned how to adopt a winning, marketable role, there comes a shift in the celebrity mindset from self to others. Perhaps the likes of celebrity Tom Cruise and Oprah, having attained their best, most winning, and most marketable self, seek now to allow others to do the same?

What do you believe the role of the Christian is in bringing "TRUTH" to these celebrities?

"Blessed to be a blessing":

Please understand that preaching is against the rules that you agreed to.

Also, preaching "TRUTH" to celebrities is not the topci of this thread.

Are there any support groups for families of cult members? Something not as expensive as some groups online, like Hassan.

See [www.culteducation.com]

And also [www.culteducation.com]

Someone on the resource directory might be able to direct you to a support group. There are not many and it would depend upon where you are.

Please understand that this thread is not about recovery. It's about celebriites in controversial groups and movements.

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"stevew"

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"richardmgreen"


I think the important thing is to not hop from one cult to another.

True. You should stick with the cult that brung ya.

What I meant was you should break out of a need to follow any cult at all. My father always said that my problem was that I was too much focused on being a follower instead of a leader.

The appeal of certain cults is that they tell the person/celebrety that they are ''better than''.
Deep down evrery celeb knows that he/she is no better than the masses who worship them. Deep down they know ''all men are created equal''...but their overfed egos cannot accept it. So as they age and the mirror screams out...''you are an average..aging...joe''...they find a guru who will say...''no no..you are a space alien". Simple.

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Sallie
The appeal of certain cults is that they tell the person/celebrety that they are ''better than''.
Deep down evrery celeb knows that he/she is no better than the masses who worship them. Deep down they know ''all men are created equal''...but their overfed egos cannot accept it. So as they age and the mirror screams out...''you are an average..aging...joe''...they find a guru who will say...''no no..you are a space alien". Simple.

HAHAHAHA!! That's great! I needed that laugh. But to answer the question IMHO... they're average joes (for lack of better term) and are as gullible as we are.

The gurus on the other hands target them because if you have a celebrity in your midst (specially an A lister) that means more followers. After all, if he/she believes in it, it must not be that bad right??? And if you have people who worship the celeb and the celeb worships YOU as a leader... well that looks really good to a cult leader doesn't it?

It's a very smart move on the leaders part to have a celebrity on their list. I know we have a whole list of them in my group. Do they get to follow the same rules as the rest of the sheep...? No, most of the time, no. The leaders are the ones that benefit in this case... in every way shape or form.

Celebs are just as human as we are... we forget that sometimes...

Another point I almost forgot, they're also already isolated from society in their celeb status. It's easier to pluck them out completely and give them a different audience to play to.

deelly
People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us,
it's people who claim that they're good, or anyway better than the rest of us,
that you have to be wary of.
~ Boq the Munchinlander from Wicked,
The Life and Times of Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire

deellymg wrote: Another point I almost forgot, they're also already isolated from society in their celeb status. It's easier to pluck them out completely and give them a different audience to play to.

Yes actually that is true. I never considered that. The fact that they are isolated does make them an easy target.

It's plain and simple: stars are just nuts. When someone becomes rich and famous it goes to their head. I'm sure Tom Cruise and Brittany Spears were normal everyday people before they got high off fame. Now look at them.