What if the opposite of certainty isn’t doubt, but curiosity? Gabrielle Steele reflects on her 21 years inside an apocalyptic cult and how unquestioned beliefs can quietly shape identity, morality, and belonging. Through her personal story and research, she shows how curiosity disrupts inherited certainty and becomes a pathway back to empathy, responsibility, and freedom.
Gabrielle Steele grew up in a cult — and lived to laugh about it. Now a clinical trials project manager with a master’s in Exercise Physiology, she blends science and satire to explore how we form and fiercely defend our beliefs — in cults, politics, and corporate culture alike.
Through humor, resilience, and sharp insight, Gabrielle challenges audiences to question their certainties and trade judgment for curiosity. When she’s not speaking or writing, she’s mentoring others, riding her bike, and raising two sons — approaching life, like a long ride, with endurance, humility, and a little mischief.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
21 comments:
Can a low-demand group be just as much a cult as a high-demand group?
Maybe, 3:16. I suppose you can make a cult out of almost anything. The difference is that the members would not be as fanatical, and obsessive-compulsive as those in a high demand group. There's good and bad in everything. Final description is a net based on percentages.
One very popular concept of a church is a place or group which provides spiritual guidance, solace, nonjudgemental fellowship, nurture, financial assistance for members in need, etc. Armstrong church was mostly devoid of those things. It's was more like Hank Jr described his Mommy. "Daddy died when I was three. Momma never bounced me on her knee."
Yes. Many political activists on issues like climate change, abortion, blm and many modern lefty causes all have trademarks of cultic behaviour. Especially when you look into the eyes of young white activist women, one finds they do not only reflect the eyes of the Manson Groupies.... many like animal right groups or free palestine resemble the eyes of Manson himself.
Now are the causes I mentioned necessarily bad. Idiot.... thats not my point at all..... The point is they look like evil cultists.
Nck
She is spot on and simply advocating for what the Bereans did concerning the written word of God (Acts 17:11). Curiosity as she rightly stated, does have a broader application to all parts of our lives. I caution however, curiosity can move you from a state of being static, to learning, but there is the other side of the ditch where curiosity can lead you to things you would have never entertained otherwise. Usually emotions are involved. As with all things, be tempered in your curiosity.
What you are saying, nck, is that it it the people who apply labels. The political parties? Most people vote for those whom they feel are looking out for their best interests, whatever will best help them put food on their tables and care for their families. Because I am a midlle of the roader, neither party is currently looking out for mine, because extremists have taken over both parties. .That is why when I vote, I vote against the people whom I feel are exerting the most power.
9:15
It's not a label.
It is distinct behavior patterns that are not natural to themselves but adhere to group esrablished norms that make them unhappy whilst they put on a show.
Americans at best alkeging freedom, Flurry's PCG at worst, where people die of unhappiness.
Nck
Why do people say that curiosity killed the cat?
Got it. I agree that there are behavior patterns. You may be speaking in your Bernaysian terms. But, there are also people who just like to put others in boxes, or dismiss them. We Americans are as accustomed to our current president calling us names as we past Worldwiders were used to hearing our Pastor General call us dumb sheep, both of which are really meaningless considering the source. We were not permanently dumb sheep at all. Only while we were followimg HWA.
Some believe that "all" organized religions are cults and that the thought control and the abuse is a matter of degree. Some are much more abusive and controling then others. The question is, do we need to belong to an organized religion to have a close relationship with God? I believe not.
I am going to take an unpopular view among those who believe in human free will. I also believe in free will but see it operating within boundaries. So, I am not really asserting Calvinism. My view is that curiosity alone does not make that much difference. I know people who were in one cult and got curious and joined another cult. The harsh truth is that some people are Elect and some are non-Elect. If you are Elect you will eventually respond to the Christian message. If you are non-Elect your curiosity may lead you in any direction except Christianity. Curiosity is not a sufficient condition for arriving at the truth.
This is why writing with a missionary flair directed towards Armstrongists is a notable failure. You cannot change something that was established before the foundation of the Cosmos. Jesus said that some people would understand what he is saying and some would not. I believe the missionary work done in Paul’s day was directed towards informing the Elect and not mankind generally.
Armstrongists have a similar belief about Election. They believe God must call you and place you in “the church.” They emphasized back when I was attending that nobody joins the WCG. Everyone has been specially placed there – in their little niche in the hierarchy. This is why the missionary activity of “The Work” emphasized witnessing rather that conversion.
Curiosity may seem like a powerful, elective dynamic but it is not.
Scout
Yes 6:00, you make a good point. Anything can become a cult. The anti-Armstrong gang certainly qualifies.
"The harsh truth is some are elect and others non elect. If you are elect you will eventually respond to the Christian message."
Quite alot to unpack in that nuclear bomb comment. It reveals much.
That must be part of the core belief system of Joseph Tkach Senior. Why he assumed 99% of WCG would go with his changes.
It's as old as the hills (Job 15:7) like a fly in the ointment (Ecc 20:1)as A nest of vipers (matt3:7) that the powers that be (Rom 13:1)and a sign of the times(matt 16:3) that humans judge others like a thorn in the flesh (2cor 12:7)like a graven image (Deut 5:8) to be godless and an outcast with a millstone around his neck (matt18:6) whilst asking am i my brothers keeper? (Gen4:9)
Yet Jesus Christ preached blessed are the peacemakers (matt 5:9) born again(john3:3) and beheld believers as the apple of his eye(deut32:10), the salt of the earth (matt5:13) a labour of love (1Thess1:3) and warned critics cast the first stone (John 8:7) and as you sow so shall you reap (Gal6:7).
Silly comment 7:47.
No, it's not a nuclear bomb comment, 11:58. It is a simple truth from the Bible.
Just as you have your favourites, so does God.
He's collecting them up to 144,000.
As Paul said, God WILL have mercy on ALL but, if they won't accept the covenant, they will have the judgment of death instead.
Favourtisim is the fast route to disapointment.
Your judgment is not necessarily God's judgment. People have to meet your interpretation of scripture or be treated as evil.
You want sabbatarians to renounce their beliefs and join your movement. Yet you lie and deceive those two attributes are not godly.
You may find scripture contradicts your comment about God having favourites 7:52.
Romans 2:11 For there is no favourtism with God.
There is no favouritism with him Eph 6:9.
Now i truly understand that God doesn't show favoritism. Acts 10:34.
Favouritism is inconsistent with God's character. Impartiality is an attribute of God. He is absolutely and titally impartial in dealing with people.
If you show favouritism , you commit sin. James 2:9
I participate heavily in the automotive hobby. There are certain "cult cars" like the Fords of the '30s, '49-51 Mercuries, Tri-Five Chevies, the or factory hotrods of the mid to late '60s. This expands to dead stars, as James Dean is associated with the '49 Mercury from Rebel Without a Cause.
In motorcycles, the Harley Davidson is the one ttrue Bike, Easyriders is like the Plain Truth, and the runs and shows are the Feasts, and donations to the various charities and politicians who support the sport and bikers rights are like the tithes. Same holds true for guitars and outstanding players, concerts, and videos.
But these examples, much the same as Banned, are all examples of good cults, because they enhanced peoples quality of life, and made life more enjoyable, whereas Armstrongism really sucked because it ruined peoples minds, and forced bizarre behavior and personality modifications and defects upon its followers. The difference is like that between brownies or chocolate chip cookies and feces.
They forget the second half of that verse, "Satisfaction brought him back."
We had a discussion about twenty years ago on one of the old Armstrong discussion forums regarding the word cult. One of the regulars recognized that not all cults are necessarily bad. She shared with us that whenever she uses the cult label on Armstrongism, she refers to it as a "toxic" cult. That said it all for me, and I've applied her intuitions and wisdom to my use of that word ever since. It gets past the typical first response of an Armstrongite to the effect that "Well, what about such and such group? Aren't they a cult?"
Yes! you can apply the term "cult" in many situations today. It is the toxic ones that do permanent damage, and should be eschewed! Armstrongism is all that, and more.
Not a silly comment at all 12:25.
"A cult is a group or system of religious, spiritual, or philosophical belief centered on a shared devotion to a charismatic leader, specific teachings, or an ideology." As defined by Wikipedia.
This blog is very much a cult. A cult of secrecy.
I wonder. For some time, I've enjoyed watching people, and identified their basic motivations and personality types. In a sense, it is akin to observing the mixing of chemicals, and observing the properties of new compounds. Some people seem docile, obedient, cautious, empathetic by nature, while others are mean-spirited, reckless, profane, ostentatious, exploitative, narcissistic, well you get the idea. There are also various mixtures of these polar opposites. My friends used to ask me how to get their young sons to be macho like mine. My response was to tell them, no, you don't know what you are asking for, you really want them to be computer nerds. Mine spent some years as being completely unmanageable, and I was his unwitting passenger.
We do not know what led up to our births as human beings, what immediately preceded this life, if anything. The Bible does not inform us directly of such things, and what few clues are given are highly subject to interpretation. There are even those who believe that not everything that was told to Eve by the serpent was a lie. We think we know, in vague terms, what follows our human lives. Some optimists amongst us actually believe that salvation will be universal.
I recall studying Edgar Cayce decades ago to see if he had any insights. Cayce believed that so long as we accept Jesus Christ in one of our multiple lives, we will ultimately be saved. He acknowledged that there is a barrier, a void between our lives, preventing us from fully remembering previous lives, although past events and karma incurred from those lives provide subliminal influences on each of our current lives. If one accepts Jesus Christ in one life, the inference is that that would be a primary influence in future lives. Could this be where the elect come from?
There is also the concept of generational blessings and generational curses. The environment of a family of empaths generally produces empathetic offspring. Criminals often beget criminals. However, we've all encountered exceptions, the good family with one exceptionally evil child, or vice versa. And sometimes the bad kids from the good families do turn it all around and become like the rest of their family. In other cases they corrupt their brothers and sisters.
What about length of life? Does a short life indicate that the individual just had a few remaining issues to mop up? Does abortion kill some of the elect before they would even have a chance to exercise their innate goodness? Life is overlaid with a certain randomness, probability, time, and circumstance. Good and bad happens to both predominantly good and predominantly bad people as well as those in betweeen.
Perhaps it is intentional that there are so many mysteries to life. Many people are optimistic, and would like to believe that there is a path in which the nonelect, through proper decisions, can upgrade their status.
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