Karen Stollznow

Put on your white sneakers, drink some Kool-Aid and follow your Supreme Leader Jack O’Brien for a deep dive this week into the world of cults. 

There are so many cults all around us and they exist in many forms. The picture in your mind may be of a secluded ranch with some long-haired guy trying to sleep with as many women as possible, but that isn’t the only type of cult out there. Yes there are your Scientologies and your Heaven’s Gates, but Apple is a cult too. So is Disney. 

One of the most powerful cults in the world right now is ISIS. They have a government and an army, but their mission and ideology aligns more with a cult than with a country.

All these facets of cultism are discussed on this week’s show. Jack O’Brien is joined by author Karen Stollznow to discuss why America is such a good breeding ground for cults. Later, author Steven Hassan talks about mind control and how he now spends his time counseling former cult members.

Make sure to buy tickets to our next live podcast taping where we get heavy and talk about the afterlife, maaan! What if there’s no heaven and hell and we’re all just a hologram inside the mind of an ancient computer simulation? What if the Zoroastrians were right and it doesn’t matter how good you are in your life, you just have to cross a rickety bridge guarded by two four-eyed dogs to reach eternal salvation?

Join Jack, Dan, and Michael on Saturday, July 16th at 7pm at the UCB Sunset Theatre in Los Angeles as they try to figure out what it all means. They’ll be joined by comedians Casey Jane Ellison and Ramin Nazer to discuss their favorite afterlife scenarios from movies, sci-fi and lesser-known religions.

Tickets are only $5 and available here: https://goo.gl/yvf76j

Footnotes:

Karen Stollznow, ‘God Bless America’: http://goo.gl/fsKlSu

Cracked: Amway: 5 Realities of the Multi-Billion Dollar Scam http://goo.gl/Eff3SS

Cracked: 5 Insane Lessons From My Christian Fundamentalist Childhood: http://goo.gl/wfXGsB

Cracked: 5 Things I Learned as a Sex Slave in Modern America: http://goo.gl/VNlYXh

Cracked: 5 Ugly Things You Learn as a Sex Slave in the Modern World: http://goo.gl/pNoyuU

Freedom of Mind (Stephen Hassan’s Website): https://goo.gl/9nKvnK

Stefan Molyneaux – Free Domain Radio (YouTube Cult): https://goo.gl/LDKGMd

The Globe and Mail: Stefan Molyneaux: http://goo.gl/ZZTeCs

ABC News: Speaking in Tongues: https://goo.gl/RKfrRi

This episode is sponsored by Wiener-Dog from IFC Films, Squarespace, Blue Apron, an Now Hear This Podcast Festival.