The appeal to lose oneself

Why do cults appeal to people? Or how does one commit atrocities for a cause?

There are lots of reasons but the one I have been thinking about is that it provides a framework to wash away someone’s “sins”. It helps us feel clean and pure again for the mistakes someone has made–deliverance. The trade-off is that you now owe a debt. And in extreme examples, that means their lives.

Part of the reason it is so hard to leave is that you must go back to the original problem. Which is people do not want to face what they have done.

I have been fascinated with thinking about debt and the morality behind it. It is something I am going to be exploring more.