I’ve studied cults for a long time. Because I have always been fascinated by how a dynamic leader can persuade people to kill themselves. I’m not attracted to the morbid. I’m a student of persuasion. From Jesus to Hitler, people have always been willing to make amazing lifestyle changes based on the words of someone they genuinely believed had their best interest in mind.

Here are three things we can learn, as writers, from the most sinister in history. But let’s use our superpowers for good.

1. Taking the famous Steve Jobs quote too far.

Who built a more cult-like following than Steve Jobs with Apple? He is known for this famous quote: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” There is a profound truth in that, to a point.

Turn out the lights, put a flashlight under your chin, look in the mirror, and repeat three times: “Smart people should tell us what to do. Smart people should tell us what to do. Smart people should tell us what to do.”

That’s the first thing about cult leaders. They are smarter than the gullible members who flock to their presence and drink in every word like it’s the nectar of the gods. David Koresh knew the Bible inside and out. He was well-versed in serving up obscure scriptures like a blackjack dealer in Vegas.

He presented his skewed interpretation of Old Testament and Revelation verses with bold confidence and the skill of a surgeon. Because followers assumed he knew what he was talking about, he gained instant devotion from the ones who would tragically lose their lives.

Ronald Reagan said it best: “Trust but verify.”

If someone tells you something is true, verify it. No legit Bible teacher is going to mind you researching whether something they said is true or not. If they get mad, that should be a red flag for you. “How dare you challenge my greatness!” Uh…OK. Flee like it’s the plague.

There are always things we will “agree to disagree” about. The pandemic proved that people will blindly obey “professionals” with consonants behind their names. Simply because they were…ahem!…smart people.

2. The Jim Jones school of cutting all ties with “negativity.”

If you remember seeing pictures of what happened to almost 1,000 people in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978, it will be hard to get those images out of your mind. It was pure evil.

The “Reverend” Jim Jones spoke with authority through a microphone as people willingly drank a poisoned drink. What happened there? How did they get to that point?

They isolated themselves.

They believed that their group was destined to be infiltrated by people who were not “like-minded.” Instead of being able to listen to dissent from a mentor or accountability partner, they cut off all ties with the outside world.

Hey, I’m all for focus and boundaries. It is great to let the words of the “Nay-sayers” bounce off you like a golf ball on asphalt. But that’s why we have editors. We should give our manuscripts to people honest enough to call us out on our bull. And let us know when our writing is subpar, even for us.

A good editor will say “This work is bad. Make a few changes and resubmit it.” I wish the people of Jonestown had someone to say, “Your spiritual leader is a kook.” Isolation from critique is poison.

3. Learning from Hitler how to find our unique voice.

Everyone who visits death camps like Auschwitz has the same question: “How did this happen?” The answer is easy. A person who said “This is the way things should be done” initiated mob psychology like the world had never seen. And nobody ever went against the tide. Except for one famous man.

August Landmesser was strong enough to stand out. And that’s what made this Polish dock worker famous during World War 2.

That is how many of the most successful people in the world also made their mark. They didn’t follow the accepted norms of “best practices.” Their endeavors had serious risks. They flew in the face of power. Like Jeff Bezos of Amazon flipping the bird to all the big box stores in 1994. Was it risky? Absolutely! But look at his worth today. Because of the brand he built.

Nobody challenged those cult leaders. Just like few challenge the way business is run. Or how content is created. Or how money is made. Or how books are sold.

Everyone who attends my Torah Study Group must memorize one scripture. It is Acts 17:11 which says: “The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, because they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. But they searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”

I encourage people who attend to not believe me blindly. If I say something that doesn’t sit right with them, let’s talk about it. I could be wrong.

Can you imagine one of “Charlie’s girls” asking Manson to show them where the Beatles told them to wait inside the earth while a race war happened? Heart sang “He’s a magic man.” Nobody wrote a song about the validity of concepts from Charles Manson.

There were some members of those cults who verified if the truth was being told or not. And they escaped. It saved their lives.

If only a member of Heaven’s Gate had gone to NASA.gov to see if a UFO was hiding behind Halley’s Comet, waiting to take them to Heaven. They might all be alive today.

Here are your three “Take-aways” to ponder this week:

1. Just because someone is smart, doesn’t make them right.

The Internet is an amazing tool to catch fraudsters in their lies. If it doesn’t make sense, it might mean it’s ridiculous. Not that you aren’t intelligent enough to grasp the concept.

2. Stay connected with like-minded people.

Have an accountability partner, or someone you can trust. Utilize friendship with someone who can be completely honest with you at the risk of hurting your feelings. Sometimes our feelings need to be hurt and our dreams crushed. What we build back is stronger and more excellent.

3. Stand out in the crowd.

Social media is bursting with the same chant of “Seig Heil.” Be different. Challenge the status quo. Bring back the gesture, “Talk to the hand,” when all the lemmings want you to join them as they go over the cliff.

“Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” -Jesus

Businesses will fail this year. Writers will quit. Churches will close. Relationships will die. End-time bunkers will be built. Crappy used cars will be bought. And lives will be wrecked. All because one of these three concepts caught someone in a trap. Don’t be one of them. It’s a matter of life and death.

Is this article a little “out there?” Yes. I’m not your average Christian writer. But think about something: if there was no holocaust, there would be no nation of Israel. After getting nuked, Japan became a manufacturing colossus. Romans 8:28 is truth. And that makes all the evil mentioned above worth it in the long run.

If this made you ponder, clap it up. And don’t forget to fuel my creativity with a protein shake.