A SCOTUS Opening

[CJD]

(10-27-2020, 10:38 AM)PhilHos Wrote: I don't know much about them either, but I would think that if they were really a religious cult that treats women as property, I think more would be made about that using real world examples than constantly trying to conflate PoP to The Handmaid's Tale. 


No, I agree. Nait was belittling a successful woman using her religion in as demeaning a way possible. Usually that's decried as sexist, but apparently it IS okay to be sexist against conservatives despite fred's whining of the use of the "victim card". 

I don't share your optimism that someone would do something if there were religious cults running around. I think cults are largely allowed to remain as long as they are not harming non-members.

Look at Scientology. Judging simply by conventional wisdom, it seems fairly clear that they are a cult that is exploiting its members for financial gain. But they are still granted religious tax exemption and are allowed to continue on relatively unabated. Why? Because joining them is completely optional and they aren't hurting anyone outside of their cult. If you try to leave, the church does their best to ruin your life but strictly through legal (or arguably legal) means, like pressuring other members to black list the deserter and spreading rumors/bashing them on the internet.

I could see a religious cult like what people purport People of Praise to be operating under similar conditions. They may be indoctrinating their women to be a man's property, under the guise of traditional Christian values (which do have some outdated and harmful beliefs about women that have been mostly removed from modern Christianity and Catholicism) but they aren't hurting anyone outside of the cult and joining is (mostly) optional, with the main exception being born into the cult and being raised by their parents in said cult.

Again, I don't know enough about People of Praise to say that they are a cult in this way. I'm just saying that I think it's possible that such a cult could exist legally and without anyone trying to stop them.

If this were true, which it seems Nati is convinced it is, I don't think calling a cult a cult could be fairly considered religious bashing or anti-religious sentiment. It would just be criticizing a group who are abusing religious sentiment to take advantage of people.

You know what I mean?