Remembering the Utøya Massacre: Breivik, Christianity, and Islam
The terrorist was not a conservative Christian. His real religion was Islamophobia.
Featured Global
Remembering the Utøya Massacre: What “Religious” Ideas Motivated Breivik?
After ten years from the Utøya Massacre, Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator, is still called by some a “Christian fundamentalist.” The label is misleading.
When Even Comics Were Accused of “Brainwashing”– Part II
Dr. Wertham’s successful campaign to prohibit certain comics in the U.S. largely relied on mental manipulation theories.
When Even Comics Were Accused of “Brainwashing”– Part I
Crusades to ban a literature accused of “brainwashing the masses” show how far faulty theories of mental manipulation could go.
Are “Brainwashing” Theories Coming Back?
Discredited since the 1990s, theories that “cults” use mind control techniques are still promoted by anti-cultists, and now applied to QAnon and Trump.
The Fall of “Brainwashing” Theories in the Late Twentieth Century
Scholars of new religious movements succeeded in marginalizing mind control theories applied to religion. U.S. courts of law said they were right.
How “Brainwashing” Theories Were Applied to Religion
Originally, Russian and Chinese Communists were accused of using mind control techniques. Some mental health professionals extended the accusation to religions.
Testing “Brainwashing” Theories: CIA and the MK-Ultra Experiment
Having invented the theory, the CIA believed its own propaganda and tried to “brainwash” “volunteers” in Canada. It did not work.
“Brainwashing”: A False Accusation Against Unpopular Minorities
Periodically, books and media revive the old discussion on “brainwashing.” There is only one problem about it, it does not exist.
