Author Lance Moore is an ordained United Methodist minister, and describes himself as a “Defender of the Faith and a follower of Jesus.” In this fascinating and thoroughly researched book, he seeks to investigate not only familiar cults and their leaders but also those people who exhibit cult-like traits. Therefore, Donald Trump takes his place on these pages, alongside the likes of David Koresh and NXIVM’s Keith Raniere. From Moore’s perspective, what sets these cults apart from more conventional religions, including his own Christianity, is that whereas traditional established religions operate within society, cults create an alternative world that is alien to the norm. As he writes: “Their alternate reality has a form of rationality, yet at its core, cult logic is Pretzel Logic… twisted, self-defined, and only internally consistent.” When viewed from the outside, cultic beliefs can often be easily disproven or exposed as fraudulent, but for those within the cult, their indoctrination becomes a peer-driven “conformity bias.”
Moore retains a great deal of sympathy and understanding for those caught up in cults. He identifies malignant narcissism at the heart of all cult leaders, which gives them the drive to manipulate and exploit their followers. He terms this “narcissistic megalomania,” and in the book’s most important section (entitled “The Cult Culture Template of Traits”) he breaks down the stages of cultdom—from the initial centering around a narcissistic but charismatic leader to the “scorched earth” policy where “cult leaders may ultimately destroy everything and everyone if they fail.” This doomsday approach is highlighted by examples including the mass suicides of The Peoples Temple in Guyana and that of The Heaven’s Gate cult in the USA.
Some readers may balk at the inclusion of Donald Trump in a book focused on cults, but Moore’s deep thinking on the subject and thorough researching of the former president’s strategies and personality traits are more than convincing. Through numerous quotes on and by Trump, Moore illuminates the narcissistic megalomania common to cult leaders and “a clinical case of ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ on a scale rarely seen.” The chapter on Trump in particular is an excellent example of the mordant humor Moore brings to his subject.
A later chapter sees Moore turn his gaze on to his own religious beliefs, examining the beginnings of the Christian church and the undoubtedly cult-like roots of the story of Jesus. He uses the same unflinching methodology to criticize Christianity, though he believes that the humility at its heart essentially protected it from becoming a true cult. Moore’s wide-ranging approach is a welcome relief from the often-sensationalized accounts of cults and their frequently violent demises. Empathetic, educational, and highly significant in this day and age, CULTS ON TRIAL takes the time to explore the appeal of cults while identifying the malignancy at their centers.
Lance Moore’s CULTS ON TRIAL is an intelligent and well-researched book that brings new insight to the world of cults and cult leaders.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader