20 years ago, I was involved with our local wrestling program, helping at the high school and with the kid’s club. The entire enterprise was well run and coordinated, and the high school coach and staff did great work nurturing the children involved at all ages. One of the parents, whose son would eventually be a state champ, was pushing for all-year wrestling, with the idea that, from an early age, wrestling would be the only sport each kid would choose. He felt that this would create world-class wrestlers; I said I thought that it was a really bad idea. As much as I have always loved the sport, it isn’t the only thing in life. We all need a variety of activities and influences to make us well-rounded, integral parts of society. One-trick ponies don’t work. Neither do cults.
This attitude works in every aspect of life. I have known people whose lives revolved 100% around church. Their social lives were all about church members, and they were told to disconnect with those who did not have the same understanding of God that they had. These churches often sold books and clothing that bolstered the theology they preached; they only watched Christian television and listened to Christian music. Anything other than these influences, they were told, would make them unclean, stained by “the world.” 7 days a week – 24 hours a day – the message of their special place and security in heaven was driven home, and to stray in any way from that path imperiled their very souls. Whether they had planned it or not, they had joined a cult.
Diversity is necessary in everything we do. From what we eat to what we read to the news we watch; allowing ourselves to become siloed creates an imbalance in our lives. If we are not careful, we will eventually see those who are different from us as the other; and not just different, but dangerous. This is how extreme ideas are normalized – this is how cults are formed. When you join a cult, you are taught to dress the same, think the same, and act the same. You are told that your values are superior to other people’s values, and you need to do everything you can to not be tainted by them. You keep your kids from interacting with non-believers; you even disconnect from family members who don’t see the world the way you do.
Cults eventually end in some kind of death. It might be the death of the cult leader – it might be an armed conflict – it might be a mass suicide. Rarely, cults end when the followers realize that the leader is only in it for themselves. Think Jim Jones or the Moonies or some of the mini-megachurch denominations. A balanced life is the healthiest way to be, whether it’s having your kid play a bunch of sports or the reading material you keep in the library. Cults are dangerous in any form. Open minds and lives see and accept diversity and seek to include many boats. Blinders are meant to keep horses from seeing what is around them. They also allow us to be blindsided. Open minds, hearts, and arms make us, and the world, better.
Prayer – Holy God, You made us to experience life in all of its beauty. We can see Your beauty in everything, and we are thankful. Amen.