Cult Hackers

Today Celine and Stephen argue! Is there such thing as free will? Is everything predetermined at the moment of the Big Bang? What does science, religion and philosophy say about it? Do we like the answer? Is Celine going to storm off the podcast because her dad is getting on her nerves? All covered in this week's spicy episode. As a Jehovah's Witness Stephen was taught to reject predestination - a...

This week's interview is with filmmaker Scott Homan, Writer, Cinematographer and Director of the documentary movie Witness Underground about a group of Jehovah's Witnesses who start an Indie record label, and their subsequent journey out of the organization. Scott is also joined by Ryan Sutter one of the principle characters of the film. Fascinating and inspiring. Witness Underground Website https...

To celebrate the 100th episode of the 'What should I think about..?' podcast and the 1 year birthday, Celine and Stephen take a look back at just a few of the episodes and guests from the past 12 months. It's been a wild ride. Plus music from Luke Stevenson a former guest of the show and the latest WhatSITA Showcase act.  Why not become a patron for just $1:50 a month or equivalent in your currenc...

Donna Stevenson was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and describes herself as a "happy Witness", but her experiences as a young woman in the organization left her with many questions. Donna eloquently describes what happened, her struggles with her faith and her journey out of the organization and life afterwards. Warning: This episodes includes discussion about sexual assault   Why not become a patr...

As a Jehovah's Witness Stephen was raised to be a pacifist. Upon leaving the group ex members find themselves trying to make sense of how to think about war and whether it can be justified. Celine and Stephen explore the concept of the "just war", how we remember people who have died in wars and how for a moment the world appeared to get close to a rules based system for mutual benefit. Also the s...

In organisational studies, "Wicked problems" are a type of problem that's hard to define and wickedly difficult to solve. In this month's Cults as Organisations Stephen asks whether cults can be described in this way and what can be done by governments to protect people while maintaining religious freedoms. This is an audio version of Stephen's blog. You can read the blog here: https://medium.com/...

Gillie Jenkinson PhD is a leading accredited psychotherapist, specialising in cult recovery and recovery from spiritual abuse. She shares with us the four step framework she uses to help people recovering from cult experiences. We discuss the framework, the work done at each stage and the roles of the individual and the counsellor. We also ask about the special challenges of the born-in member and...

Producer Bob and Stephen review the Voltaire lecture given by Nichola Raihani about how deeply embedded is the instinct to cooperate. We discuss questions like; why do human beings go through the menopause, how do Meerkats teach their young, how do cleaner fish police customer service and how are a store in the UK that cuts keys and mends shoes leading the way in prisoner rehabilitation.  Why not...

Angela Lathwell was raised in the Children of God cult. She describes speaking out about the cult as the last taboo for ex members and we are honoured that she has decided to tell her story on the 'What should I think about..?' podcast.  Why not become a WhatSITA patron for just £1 (or equivalent in your currency) https://www.patreon.com/whatshouldithinkabout  

In 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In 2005 the Wachowskis adapted V for Vendetta starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and John Hurt. Today on November 5th 2021 we review the film inspired by the historical event and dig into its meaning and the actual history behind the event - plus some interesting little tidbits too. Why not become a patron for just £1 (or equivalent...

Back in the 16th Century a woman began to dance - but couldn't stop. Others began to join her and a plague was declared and according to some reports, 15 people a day died of exhaustion. As weird as it seems it's not an isolated case, over the years similar phenomena have been observed. What causes this? What does it tell us about human behaviour? Is there anything that it might tell us about cult...

Today we welcome John and Seamus from The Free Thought Prophet Podcast. Seamus talks about his 'Near Death Experience' and how it converted him to atheism. We also talk about John's journey out of the Catholic Church, reasons people leave religion behind, the hostile reaction in some places to atheism and why atheists don't always get along. It's a wide ranging and fascinating conversation with tw...

The psychology of learning. How cults shape what people think, what they do and when they do it. Stephen and Celine explore three ways of understanding learning within High Controls Groups, Coercive Relationships and Cults. Why not become a Patron for just £1 per month (or equivalent in your currency) https://www.patreon.com/whatshouldithinkabout   Reference Miell, D., Phoenix, A., & Thomas, K. (2...

We talk to the co-hosts of the podcast "I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist", B and T. What is evangelicalism? Is it a cult? What do Pentecostals believe? Why do they speak in tongues? Great guests and it was so interesting to talk about a movement we didn't know very much about. We also talk about the rise of the Mega Church and in particular Hilsong, its history, beliefs and methods of recruitment. ...

Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, Hagrid! Is it okay to tell our children stories that aren't true but pretend they are, to create a magical childhood experience? As an ex Jehovah's Witness, Stephen was raised without these stories so how did he approach this question as Celine's dad when she was a child? Also Stephen floats a new feature for the podcast to Celine called "Things we used to do". If you...

Dr Alexandra Stein, one of the leading experts on cults joins us today for a fascinating interview. She talks about her own experience within a cult, the application of attachment theory to cults and coercive relationships as well as discussing the physical effects of these damaging and toxic relationships. We also discuss the historic lack of research from a multi-generational (born-in) perspecti...

Special episode of the podcast with an audio version of the documentary Celine and Stephen made called the Pink Pound.  Video version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfDaI8rlNDc&t=603s Why not become a patron for just £1 a week (or equivalent)  https://www.patreon.com/whatshouldithinkabout  

Luke Stevenson appeared in the movie 'Apostasy', a film about Jehovah's Witnesses. He was raised as a JW and he talks honestly about living according to the expectations of his community and then leading a double life before leaving.  He also talks about his appearance on The X factor, his part in Apostasy and his singing. He tells a great story and is a born entertainer. Why not become a patron f...

Today we explore with cultic vision the 2004 movie 'The Village' written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, starring Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. Is it the story of a cult? We discuss... Also, we see the return of Tweet Of The Week or TOTW as everyone is calling it 😊 Why not become a patron for just £1 (or equivalent in your currency)? https://www.patr...

So excited to welcome two of the original EX JW YouTubers onto the podcast this week. JT and Lady Cee talk about their life as Jehovah's Witnesses - JT as a Bethel Brother and Lady Cee as a Regular Pioneer. They're great company and it was such a pleasure to speak to them both. Sorry about my tinny microphone - hope it isn't too distracting. Why not become a WhatSITA Patron for just £1 (or equival...

This is a special podcast documentary episode where we explore homeschooling. It seems to be increasingly popular, particularly with religious parents so what are the risks? Are there any benefits? We talk to two people, Kezia and Matilda who were educated at home, as well as Kate, a professional educator to get insights from different perspectives on this controversial topic. Do we change our min...

Today we head down to the Bible Belt of the USA and talk to Jared, an ex Jehovah's Witness, Pioneer and Elder. He talks about his childhood as a committed Jehovah's Witness, his youth and how a fateful search for some music from a JW drama changed his life. Why not become a Patron for just £1 (or equivalent in your own currency) https://www.patreon.com/whatshouldithinkabout/  

Adults only this week as the 'In Conversation' Panel, Producer Bob and Jordan Robertson from the Shunned Experience Podcast, review the lecture from Doni Whitsett, PhD, LCSW at the International Cultic Studies Association convention, where she talked about recovering from sexual trauma, experienced while part of a cult or high control group. Why not become a patron for just £1 (or equivalent in yo...

What was it like to be raised a Jehovah's Witness during apartheid? What was it like to leave the organization? Robin Jackson is a podcaster with his show 'Cult Life' and the author of two books. He joins us today on the 'Would should I think about..?' podcast and talks about his life, his awakening from the Group and his need to go public about his experience.   Why not become a patron for just £...

Riley from the Jexit 2020 channel joins Stephen to discuss the MGTOW movement - Men Going Their Own Way. Riley reached out after we talked about it during the Matrix episode and he provides an interesting perspective as someone who got involved after he left the Jehovah's Witnesses. Thank you Riley for a fascinating discussion. Why not become a patron for just £1 (or equivalent https://www.patreon...