September Third Sunday Zoom

When
09/21/2025
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Member Aaron Tyrrell will be presenting on: MAGA Cults and reconverting those in one.

Cult dynamics aren't just for weird religious communes! Before the Internet, you had to isolate people from the civilization and bombard them your recorded sermons on a loudspeaker until they gave you all of their possessions. Now, you can bombard them with social media feeds and text message notifications, let them isolate themselves in their basements, and convince them to spend all their money on online coaching courses and natural health supplements.

The biggest and most successful of these new online cults is the cult of Trump, which has indoctrinated nearly a third of voting age adults. People who are used to thinking critically and fact-based debates often feel helpless when trying to persuade their coworkers, friends, and family that they are being lied to. The more fact-checks and expert research you cite, the more they cling to their beliefs. Are there experts we can consult that can tell us how to get through to people trapped in their cult beliefs?

Stephen Hassan is one of the world's leading experts on cult behavior and deprogramming. A former Moonie, he escaped the cult and went on to publish his thesis on the BITE model of Authoritarian Control that has served as the standard for assessing high-control groups. BITE stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion, each of which can be deployed to subvert someone's will. Hassan also wrote the book "The Cult of Trump" which outlines the methods used by Trump and MAGA to control the Behavior, Information, Thoughts, and Emotions of his followers. He also offers advice based on his years of deprogramming experience on the best approach to persuading MAGA cult members that bypasses their defenses and lets you actually get through to them.

Bring your own coffee and snacks.

The Zoom link will be provided to members in the newsletter and event announcements.