Posted by:
caffiend
(
)
Date: September 30, 2020 11:38AM
I've been wading through a long article, "Leninthink," and am amazed at the overlap between cultic thinking and Marxism's offshoots of Bolshevism and Maoism. Here's an appropriate excerpt:
"What happens is something like this: when a criticism of the true ideology is advanced, or when embarrassing facts come out, everyone learns a particular answer. One neither believes nor disbelieves the answer; one demonstrates one’s loyalty by saying it. It is interesting to be present when the answer is still being rehearsed. Gradually, one acquires a little mental library of such canned answers, and the use of them signals to others in the know that you are one of them. If this process took place often enough in childhood, the moment of decision lies in the remote past, if it ever happened at all. For those who joined as adults, there is social pressure to accept one more explanation."
One emphasized matter is that loyalty to the Party (or One-True-Church?) supersedes other loyalties and personal priorities, including personal morality and empathy. Thus the coverups of abuse and scandal: Others may have to suffer for the Party/Church to retain power and legitimacy. My astute wife suggested that Brigham Young was to Joseph Smith as Stalin was to Lenin.
A long read, worth the time and effort, with a special nod to Lot's Wife.
https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/leninthink