As it turns out, very bright, successfull people are not immune to large errors in judgement. Bernie Madoff comes to mind. No doubt, Many more examples exist. I personally don't see the "brainwashing" and "cult" arguments the state is trotting out, but I don't really know what their basis is for those theories either.
But "brainwashing" in the true sense of the concept to me includes replacing most if not all of ones beliefs with new beliefs authored by an outside entity. That's just my idea of it. But in that sense, a truly brainwashed person would do things under the new, outside implanted belief system that they would not have done formerly. For instance, Germans in 1939 would shoot and torture women and children which they would not have done in 1926 or, even, in 1918. Jim jones followers would murder others and kill themselves and their children at the End but not at the beggining.
That's cultism and brainwashing to me.
But submitting onesself to the rigors and demands of a false prophet like James Ray, and ending up dead or near dead as a result falls far short of that. The man was considered to have insights that were valuable to folks seeking to better themselves in a time when traditional sources of moral authority and guidance are widely discredited and distrusted: the church and state.
They placed their faith in a charlatan who possessed great persuasive powers, but who sadly lacked compassion and concern for others. By the end of their ordeal they did in fact enter into a dangerous personal situation and undoubtedly pushed their personal boundaries beyond what was prudent but they did so as a result of mental and physical exhaustion more than re programming and true brainwashing.
Thousands of folks go into sweat lodges monthly, I
IMO and they emerge safely in no small part because their mentors prepare the
m correctly because they understand the purpose of the experience and more importantly because those leaders and mentors care about people.
These unfortunates ran into a wolf in sheeps clotjhing, to their great detriment. But they aren't idiots, fools or robots. They would't have killed their children or Jews or anybody else at James rays bidding. But they would have stayed in a dangerous situation because they believed a evil man they had misidentified as a virtuous leader. So when he told them they might feel like they were dying but really were not, they substituted a flawed judgement for their own.
He should pay. They already have, even the lucky survivors. The attractive and exceedingly bright orthodontist who testified friday hung her head in humiliation at the most emotional ments of her testimony. My heart went out to her.
