On Belief: A Podcast About Cults - podcast cover

On Belief: A Podcast About Cults

Karen Geieronbelief.fireside.fm
We all would like to think that we're immune to being persuaded, but were that true, advertising wouldn't work, the best candidates would always get elected, and our personal relationships would always be equitable. On Belief examines why, with so much information available to us to dissuade us from joining harmful groups. I ask people who have had first hand experience with harmful groups and sects how they were seduced, how they were tricked, and how they got out.
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Episodes

Episode 318: Neurodiversity and Cults

In this episode, we discuss: Why she found herself in a high demand group How she felt targeted racially and because she was neurodivergent How decision making played into why she stayed What it was like to go from one group to another And more... Priscilla's website: https://whova.com/web/icsaa_202207/ The ICSA website: https://www.icsahome.com/

Feb 22, 20221 hr 3 minSeason 3Ep. 318

Episode 317: Unification Church

In this episode, we discuss: * The basic beliefs of the Unification Church * What it's like for kids * What are the rules, and are they different by gender? * What is the companion book to the Bible that the Unification Church uses? * What are the political beliefs of the church? * And more...

Sep 14, 202118 minSeason 3Ep. 317

Episode 316: Cult City Tours

In this episode, we discuss: How much real estate the church owns in Clearwater What the Scientologists do there What happens when David Miscavige comes to town The influence the church has over local politics What happens when they get heckled And more...

Aug 16, 202119 minSeason 3Ep. 316

Episode 315: Matthew Remski

Matthew shares his wealth of knowledge in this week's episode and we discuss what the heck "Conspirituality" is. Find Matthew's podcast here: https://conspirituality.net/ And Matthew's website here: http://matthewremski.com/wordpress/

Jun 21, 202117 minSeason 3Ep. 315

Episode 313: Bikram Yoga

In this episode, we discuss: * What drew her to yoga * What it costs to do the 2 month intensive * What happens at the 2 month intensive * Why vegans began to eat burgers * Why white instructors spoke in put-on "Indian" accents * And more...

Mar 03, 202115 minSeason 3Ep. 313

Episode 312: The Salvation Army

In this episode, we discuss: What are the core beliefs of the Salvation Army? Is it really organized like a Military? What are services like for kids? What is the leadership path like? What kinds of ceremonies are there? Where does the Bell Ringer money go? What's the Salvation Army stance on the LGBTQ+ community? And more...

Feb 17, 202117 minSeason 3Ep. 312

Episode 311: Growing up LDS

In this episode, we discuss: What kinds of demands are put on children in the church from an early age How activities were sex segregated What rules her parents followed What happens to children of divorce in the LDS church What it's like to go to BYU What it's like to question at BYU All about the honor code And more... For more about The Modesty Talks, visit: https://themodestytalks.com/

Jan 28, 202119 minSeason 3Ep. 311

Episode 310: Jehovahs Witnesses and Growing Up

My guest joins me to discuss: Being born into the Witnesses What Jehovah's Witnesses believe about parenting What her mother believed about parenting What an average week looks like for a Jehovah's Witness kid What happens when your mom is disfellowshipped And more...

Jan 06, 202118 minSeason 3Ep. 310

Episode 309: Church of Christ

In this episode, we discuss: How the Church of Christ differs from 'mainstream' Christianity How her parents, wanting her to have some religious education, inadvertently changed her trajectory in life What the main teachings of the church are What happens when you have a chastity doctrine at a highschool with boarders What the church camp experience is life And more...

Nov 25, 202017 minSeason 3Ep. 309

Episode 308: Conspiracy Theories

Subscribe to Right Richter here: https://tinyletter.com/rightrichter Read Will on The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/will-sommer Will Sommer has been covering conspiracy theories since the inception of Pizzagate. He joins me to discuss what drives people to believe seemingly incomprehensible conspiracy theories. In this episode, we discuss: What is the genesis of Pizzagate? Why did people believe and amplify Pizzagate? Why didn't Pizzagate end when Comet Pizza was shot up? Wha...

Oct 14, 202018 minSeason 3Ep. 308

Episode 307: The Human Potential Movement

In this episode we discuss: What was Esalen? How did the Human Potential Movement begin? What made the Human Potential Movement so appealing? Which groups sprung out of that movement? Which forms of untested therapy became popular from the movement? And more...

Sep 15, 202018 minSeason 3Ep. 307

Episode 306: Gender Critical Movement

In this episode, we discuss: What is the Gender Critical movement? What are the fundamental beliefs vs what they claim the beliefs are? Where did my guest find out about Gender Criticism? Are most of the leaders of the Gender Critical movement trans? Who are the celebrities who are involved in this movement? Why the 'science' Gender Critical people cite is erroneous And more...

Aug 26, 202015 minSeason 3Ep. 306

Episode 305: Men's Rights Activists

In this episode, we discuss: How someone finds MRAs online Where the most active members hang out What kind of moderation MRA forums have Can you see people being radicalized in real time? What drove my guest deeper What family members and women told my guest when they were involved When they started to question their views And more...

Aug 04, 202017 minSeason 3Ep. 305

Episode 304: Independent Fundamental Baptists

On this episode, we discuss: What it's like growing up with a fire and brimstone church at the center of your life What kinds of topics were taught in Sunday school Evangelical home schooling What a child understands about a sermon on homosexuality What Bible camp is like Why Bible College doesn't always make pastors And more...

Jul 21, 202017 minSeason 3Ep. 304

Episode 303: Zendik Farm

In this episode we discuss: What is an intentional community? What made Helen decide to join Zendik? What was it like moving in? What are the major beliefs of the group? What was the Zendik approach to sex and dating? How did the Farm make money? What was the group's approach to working through trauma? And more...

Jun 09, 202017 minSeason 3Ep. 303

Episode 302: The Inner Matrix

Guest Katie Mount joins me to discuss her time both studying The Inner Matrix and joining the company, working for its founder. In this episode, we discuss: What brought her to study The Inner Matrix What you study in their courses Why she decided to join the organization What she gave up to work for Joey Klein Whether the office lived by the principles it espoused Why some women in the office were treated differently than others How she connected with other defectors on the other side And more....

Jun 03, 202018 minSeason 3Ep. 302

Episode 301: 60s Political Cults

In this episode, we explore 3 political cults: The Weather Underground, Ayn Rand's Determinists and The JOhn Birch Society

May 26, 202019 minSeason 3Ep. 301

Episode 228: Conversion Therapy

In this episode, we discuss: How Matt got involved in a Facebook group that 'supported' men who wanted to overcome Same Sex Attraction How groups recruit vulnerable men to join bootcamps What happens at bootcamps that promise to help you 'pray the gay away' What kinds of activities and 'therapy' happen at Conversion Therapy bootcamp Why he sat in a room staring at a candle Whether Conversion Therapy works What the risks of Conversion Therapy are And more... Matt's Article: https://www.dailyxtra....

Apr 15, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 228

Episode 227: The Troubled Teen Industry

In this episode, we discuss: What kinds of kids get sent to these institutions What kinds of rules are there at these places What kinds of punishments happen How everyone is turned into a snitch What kinds of regulations govern these places What recourse kids have if sent there And much more Links from this episode: Troubled Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/2FUqbPy2iHM5zMcZllJKMN) Troubled podcast on social media: @talktroubled 2007 Congressional Hearing on Child Neglect & Abuse in Res...

Apr 07, 202017 minSeason 2Ep. 227

Episode 226: Robert Kelly

WARNING This episode contains frank discussion of emotional, physical and sexual abuse of minors In this episode, we discuss: How Jim became aware of the initial allegations against R Kelly How R Kelly targeted his victims How R Kelly controlled his victims What we know about his co-conspirators Does R Kelly know he's an abuser? How "The Settlement Factory" kept R Kelly abusing people for years And more...

Mar 24, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 226

Episode 225: Acts 29: Part 2

In this episode, we discuss: Why Dana quickly learned it's not ok to question things What happened when Dana chose a bible passage to discuss in group What happened to a friend of hers who was asked to leave What was the final straw for her What she learned about the group after leaving What life is like outside of the organization And more...

Mar 17, 202019 minSeason 2Ep. 225

Episode 224: Acts 29: Part 1

Dana was looking for a way to heal after a relationship break up. What she found was a high demand group with some questionable ideas about personal responsibility. In this episode, we discuss: What is Neo-Calvinism? What does Acts 29 believe? What is the Acts 29 lifestyle like? What happens in study groups? What made her begin to question her committment? And more...

Mar 10, 202017 minSeason 2Ep. 224

Episode 223: Toxic Workplaces

In this episode, we discuss: Some of the unusual requests made of him in the interview How forcing candidates to work for free set up a culture of precarcity What happened when he negotiated his salary What illegal thing he was asked to do The strange veneration of the group's leader And more... Follow Jordan at @jordanuhl on twitter or join his podcast at theinsurgents.substack.com (https://theinsurgents.substack.com/)

Feb 26, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 223

Episode 222: ISKCON (Hare Krishnas) Part 2

In Part 2, We discuss: What it's like to leave a group and a marriage at the same time Leaving a group when you're not legally free to work inthe country where you live How having a son made Eric re-evaluate his experiences When he knew it was time to leave How he got out What he did once he was out And more...

Feb 19, 202019 minSeason 2Ep. 222

Episode 221: ISKCON (Hare Krishnas)

Eric joins me to discuss: How his family beng involved in an LGAT might have primed him to join ISKCON later in life What the belief system of ISKCON is How restrictive the lifestyle can be Why ISKCON is full of contradictions of practice vs doctrine How love and marriage are handled What the Devotee-Guru relationship looks like And more...

Feb 11, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 221

Episode 220: The LDS Church Part 2

In this episode, we discuss: The ways in which the Church operates like Scientology The pressure put on women What makes Mormon marriages perilous What sealing is Why if you're sealed to a man, you had better hope you die first And more...

Feb 04, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 220

Episode 219: The LDS Church

In this episode, Marie and I discuss: What do Mormons actually believe? What are the expectations put on every member of a Mormon Family? How are Mormon sons and Mormon daughters raised differently? What does courtship look like in the church? What does the church actually teach about homosexuality? What is life like for women at BYU? And much more...

Jan 28, 202016 minSeason 2Ep. 219

Episode 218: Narcissists with W. Keith Campbell

In this episode, we discuss: What preconditions cause Narcissism How to tell if you're dealing with a Narcissist Narcissists in the workplace Narcisissts in relationships Narcissists as parents What makes Narcissists the perfect Cult leaders How to protect yourself from Narcissists And more... Visit http://wkeithcampbell.com for more info

Jan 21, 202017 minSeason 2Ep. 218

Episode 217: Glynn Washington on Heaven's Gate

Glynn Washington and I discuss: Why he wanted to revisit Heaven's Gate Why there are people who are sad they missed their chance to join the departed What chilled him to his bone in the interview process What it was like for him growing up in a cult What it's like for an African American man to be in a cult with White Supremacist doctrine What it was like to leave his cult What he learned in covering Heaven's Gate decades later And more...

Jan 14, 202015 minSeason 2Ep. 217
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