Personally, I feel we’re doing “better than expected.” I’ve been very impressed with the ever-increasing awareness of our situation that reveals itself in books, graduate-school theses, publications of all kinds, and in every medium.

To my way of thinking, a “Quinn-changed” mind is ultimately always a “self-changed” mind. It’s very different in a cult; a “cult-changed” mind is NEVER “self-changed.” The cult process is specifically designed to stop people from thinking for themselves and to adopt a group mind that conforms to the cult dogma.

In a cult, you’re not supposed to think, you’re supposed to shut up, believe, and obey; that’s not at all what I want my readers to do (and in fact it’s not what they give any sign of doing). A cult leader wants submissive, worshipful followers who will take his word for anything and do whatever he tells them, without question or argument.

Jim Jones is a perfect example; in 1978 he told his followers it was time for them to die—and 911 of them meekly swallowed the poisoned Kool-Aid he’d prepared for them. Not my style.

NOTE: Ishmael was published in 1992 and is still “changing minds” at present.

ID: 667
posted:
updated: 11 Nov 2003