Of Cults and Covid-19

My Concern Stated

I’m going to cut to the chase. I am becoming more concerned that people’s response to Covid-19 is more like a cult than anything else. Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying the virus isn’t real, that people haven’t died of it, or that those at risk shouldn’t take any precautions to prevent infection.

I am saying that the general population’s response to Covid-19 is starting to look more like a cult. When I see people wearing masks outside with no one near them, I think something is seriously amiss. I am trying to resist taking the space to write about all the irrational and unscientific rituals people are practicing.

Introducing Dr. Andy Naselli

Lest you think there is no substance to my concern, consider, if you dare, the following Sociological Characteristics of Cults by Dr. Andy Naselli. He is no lightweight as an associate professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis. He is also a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church. The guy has two PhDs, for goodness sake, and is the author of 15 books. In other words, he knows what he is talking about. If you doubt me, you can read about more of his credentials here. 

Dr. Naselli noted six characteristics of cults. I am going to argue that Covid-19 has all six of the characteristics of a cult. Please note, that Dr. Naselli did not make any reference to cults and Covid-19. The comparison is of my own making. Let’s take a look and see if I make my case.

The Case for the Covid-19 Cult

The first characteristic of a cult is Authoritarian Leadership. Naselli writes:

Authoritarianism involves the acceptance of an authority figure who exercises excessive control on cult members. As prophet or founder, this leader’s word is considered ultimate and final. . . .

Often this authoritarianism involves legalistic submission to the rules and regulations of the group as established by the cult leader (or, as in the case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, submission to the Watchtower Society). Cult members are fully expected to submit, even if they do not agree with the requirements. Unquestioning obedience is compulsory.

Can anyone say, Fauci, CDC, or WHO? This intersects with the cult of statism where Presidents, Governors, and any two-bit despot wields control through mandates, executive orders, and divine proclamations. 

The second characteristic, according to Naselli, is Exclusivism. He writes:

Cults often believe that they alone have the truth. The cult views itself as the single means of salvation on earth; to leave the group is to endanger one’s soul. . . .

This cult is terrified of the great and omnipresent Covid-19 god that, at any moment, can snuff out your life. What’s worse is that unless you obey this god’s commands, you might be responsible for the death of who knows who. 

Just as the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice to appease the gods, so one must appease the Covid god by sacrificing your right to breathe normally by donning a mask that fits snuggly over your mouth and nose. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils to give him life. Covid-19 hinders that breath from contaminating other human beings. 

And praise Covid! We now have salvation through vaccines. Never mind that they are experimental. That makes no difference to cult members. What matters is that you participate. I hear members of this cult are becoming even more zealous than Jehovah’s Witnesses, going door to door to evangelize the unvaccinated. 

The third characteristic of a cult is Isolationism. According to Naselli:

The more extreme cults sometimes create fortified boundaries, often precipitating tragic endings (we have already mentioned the tragedies in Waco and Jonestown). Some cults require members to renounce and break off associations with parents and siblings. . . .

In the Covid cult, it’s called quarantine and social distancing. But it’s for your own good and the good of all society. It’s better to quarantine grandma and let her die alone in isolation rather than die of Covid. 

The fourth characteristic is Opposition to Independent Thinking. Writes Naselli:

Some cultic groups discourage members from thinking independently. The “thinking,” as it were, has already been done for them by the cult leadership; the proper response is merely to submit....

Yep, and isn’t it wonderful of Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and the Mainstream Media to censor anyone or anything that counters the official narrative? We know already that anything other than the status quo is fake news, so they are doing us all a favor.

The fifth characteristic is Fear of Being “Disfellowshiped.” Of being “Disfellowshipped,” Naselli writes:

It is not uncommon in cults that people are urged to remain faithful to avoid being “disfellowshiped,” or disbarred, from the group. Again, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a prime example, for a person can be disfellowshiped merely for questioning a Watchtower doctrine. . . .

I’ve been summarily “disfellowshipped” by several people on Facebook because I don’t buy into the Covid cult. I’ve had people tell me that friends they’ve had for years suddenly cut them off because they dared to ask questions or doubt. 

Gosh, I can’t even enter a restaurant without paying homage to the Covid god by wearing a mask. How long before those who do not join get excluded from virtually all of life because they do not partake in the sacramental Vaccine?  

The final characteristic of a cult is Threats of Satanic Attack. It sounds as if Naselli was writing about the Covid cult when he wrote:

Finally, some cults use fear and intimidation to keep members in line. Members may be told that something awful will happen to them should they choose to leave the group. Others may be told that Satan will attack them and may even kill them, for they will have committed the unpardonable sin. Such fear tactics are designed to induce submission. Even when people do muster enough courage to leave the group, they may endure psychological consequences and emotional baggage for years to come.

If this isn’t a description of what is happening daily, I don’t know what is. I would add to this description manipulation. People who care nothing for the Bible are suddenly quoting the Golden Rule and Scriptures about loving thy neighbor as thyself. The implication being that if you do not join the cult, you are not a true follower of Christ. 

The Case Made

I think I’ve made my case that Covid-19 has become a new religion with cult-like devotion. 

I will end this blog post to encourage you to examine yourself in the light of God’s word, to see if you have turned Covid-19 into a god and whether you are participating in the sin of idolatry. If you are, take this time to repent and put your hope and trust back into the one and only True Trinitarian God who has revealed Himself in His self-attesting Bible. There is only one God, and He ain’t Covid-19.

I leave you with Matthew 10:28 where Jesus Christ said concerning the Father:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.