Of cults, possessions and enlightenment
These podcasts delve into spirituality, criminality, everything in between
The lure of an otherworldly connection or a promise of a better way of life can be intoxicating. So much so that those who do drink it all up can lose themselves in the pursuit. And the rest of us are fascinated by it. Take the recent HBO documentary series, “The Vow,” about the pyramid scheming, self-helpy, abusive sex cult that attracted wealthy finance sector types, actors and socialites among others. If you were watching, you must be asking — how and why?
Now that Season 1 is over, you can still be transfixed by listening to one of these five podcasts, released this year, delving deep into the world of cults, possessions and ecstatic enlightenment to answer these questions and quench your curiosity, without having to attend an introductory meeting.
“Heaven Bent” (2020–), Frequency Podcast Network
Vancouver radio host Tara Jean Stevens has a personal connection to the worldwide spiritual event that put Toronto on the Christian tourism map: the Toronto Blessing. It all began on Jan. 20,1994, when some sort of collective possession took over the parishioners at Toronto Airport Vineyard, a small Christian Church off Dixon Road and near the end of a Pearson runway. It was a Thursday evening service when the room erupted — people fell to the ground and began screaming and shaking in what was described as a tidal wave of religious enthusiasm. The phenomenon became known as “carpet time.”
Soon, this “revival” spread to other churches, including Stevens’ Pentecostal Tabernacle in Prince Rupert, B.C., when she was a teen. Stevens shares her own memories throughout, which lends authenticity and levity to the series, and admits to speaking in tongues herself. Listen to her return to Prince Rupert in the episode about dental miracles (Episode 5: Gold Teeth). “Heaven Bent” is genuinely asking what is real and what is merely a performance, interviewing scientists, historians, atheists and believers to try to get at the truth. And, she includes archived and current recordings of sermons and of people speaking in tongues and expressing some high-and-mighty worshipping behaviour.
“Unfinished: Short Creek” (2020) From Witness Docs and Critical Frequency, 10 episodes, Stitcher
Short Creek is a community on the Utah-Arizona border that is best known for its ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), led by the infamous Warren Jeffs. There have been stories written and filmed about the FLDS and their practice of polygamy and more notoriously, the marriage of underage girls to much older FLDS men. After the arrest and imprisonment of Warren Jeffs over a decade ago, so many were left to face their painful past.
This podcast series is positioned between “the battle between freedom of religion and freedom from religion.” It is hosted by ex-Mormon Ash Sanders and Sarah Ventre who are from Utah and Arizona, respectively, and spent over four years reporting the story of FLDS from Short Creek.
The result is a thoughtful and empathetic look at the people who made up the FLDS, including those that escaped from Warren Jeffs, those that left after his arrest and even those that remain loyal to him.
Listeners should note that episode five is a particularly difficult listen. Warren Jeffs’ crimes are listed in more explicit detail, including the rape of his child brides among other criminal acts. This is the episode where you will also hear those who still stand by him, believing the evidence against him to be fake.
“Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment” (2020), six episodes, Wondery
If you have ever embarked on a self-improvement journey you might understand what motivated a group of strangers to meet in the desert for a spiritual retreat. After all, they were there to follow in the footsteps of the one-time Oprah-endorsed guru and self-help superstar, James Arthur Ray.
Although you may call what happened to these soul-searchers transformational, others (like a jury of his peers) have called it negligent homicide. Three of the participants didn’t make it out of his “Spiritual Warrior” retreat in Sedona. The over 60 participants, now with shaved heads, had been subjected to oppressive heat in a socalled sweat lodge, following a 36 hour fast.
What happened? Investigative journalist Matt Stroud retells the story of what happened on that retreat through recordings and interviews with participants, the detective on the case, and Ginny Brown the mother of one of those who never returned. What Stroud uncovers is a man, equating himself to God, pushing his followers to the absolute limit.
“Cult Podcast” (2017—)
Every Monday, friends and comedians Paige Wesley, Armando Torres and Andrea Guzzetta take a not-so-serious look at popular cults and their leaders, inadvertently providing a social service. Their general vibe cautions listeners not to drink the
Kool-Aid. The conceit? Each week one of the three presents a mix of commentary and research on one group and the other two react, trying to make each other and the listeners laugh. Their 2020 season has covered groups like the Illuminati, The Hells Angels and The Church of God with Signs Following (America’s serpent-handling congregation).
If you want something truly topical, download episode 130, which aired March 16: “Shincheonji: Fire Type Jesus.” It’s tough enough being a cult in today’s media landscape, what if your cult was also being blamed for a major COVID-19 outbreak? Such is the plight of Shincheonji or New Heaven on Earth. Their super-spreading services resulted in 36 per cent of COVID cases in South Korea.
Wesley, Torres and Guzzetta take us through how this cult came to be, the history of their practices (like drinking the water from their leader’s footbath) and what they believe. This episode includes a running segment, “other Jesus’ at the time” — meaning at the time the leader of one cult was claiming to be Jesus, how many others were claiming the same thing at the same time?
“Uncover Season Six: Satanic Panic (2020),” seven episodes, CBC Podcasts
The thought of a satanic cult preying on children would incite terror in anyone with a pulse, whether you believe or not. For some reason, throughout the ’80s, it was widely believed that satanic cults were active across North America, though to this day, after hundreds of allegations, nothing has been proven.
But, that didn’t stop the phenomenon known as the Martensville Nightmare. In the early ’90s in Martensville, Sask., an investigation into allegations of sexual assault at a daycare evolved into something far more disturbing — reports of ritualistic satanic activity involving the sexual abuse and torture of children.
Thirty years later, host Lisa Bryn Rundle guides listeners through the madness that took over Martensville. Over seven episodes, she speaks to investigators, reporters and community members to understand the strange happenings circulating around the investigation that included the implication of some police officers and ultimately fracturing the once seemingly close-knit town. She also asks “why some people still believe, until today.”