McKayla Maroney joined a cult?

[arabiandoublefront]

This article made Yahoo!'s front page:

 

[emmade]

Interesting. Sounds like a bunch of quackery to me. My view on this kind of bullsh*t has changed a little now that half my family are involved in rubbish - I think if it isn’t causing harm, then just let people carry on as they please. People are free to spend their money as they please, even if I completely disagree with spending thousands on blessings and pendants and angels or whatever. If people form relationships with other people built on shared wacky beliefs, then so be it. Human connection has its benefits - community, friendship, acceptance. I think my sister is friends with other wacky people that just feed her ridiculous beliefs, but they are her friends. When she has a rubbish day, they are there to support her and that connection is a positive thing.

However, I think a guru claiming to cure things like HIV and sarcoidosis is incredibly dangerous. That kind of ridiculousness can cause irreparable harm and makes me furious. When my sister starts making health claims, I have to walk away and start trembling with fury.

In regards to Maroney - who cares. She seems to be in a better place than a few years ago. If her involvement with a potential cult isn’t causing her harm (psychological, intellectual, physical, financial etc), then she is free to make her own adult decisions.

As an aside, I didn’t know that was how her Dad died. That is sad.

 

[JaJa]

The problem is though if this Church of the Master Angels is anything like some other cults it can and does cause harm to vulnerable people. Wacky beliefs are one thing, and honestly even many of our mainstream religions can be accused of that. But cults that as a matter of policy and regular engage in suppression and harassment and emotional, mental, physical and financial abuse of their adherents, and prevent them from seeking medical care when needed etc etc are very dangerous. And McKayla with her experience of extreme sexual and emotional abuse while in elite gymnastics could be unusually vulnerable to this kind of thing.

 

[irichluck21]

PTSD can cause people to make poor decisions because they are vulnerable.

 

[JaJa]

Absolutely it can. And predators know that.