Cult Bashing

by Ken Hutchins

This article was written in 2005. We believe that it has never been published in any format. Its present posting is in response to the following comments (complete with grammatical errors and abbreviations) by Scott Springston and Fred Hahn:

“Hey, I’m just trying to help you guys reach a broader audience than just the few cult like members that you have.”—Scott Springston

“Of course I can see how SS members or Nautilus,REN-EX or whatever members can get caught up in the cult/hype…”—Scott Springston

“… much (not all) of what is said by the SS/Renx proponents WRT it’s superiority has not been shown to be true. YET, many of them talk as if it is. It’s bad science. It’s cult-like talk.”—Fred Hahn

In the year 2001, I was interviewed approximately 200 times by various magazine columnists, radio and television show hosts, and newspaper writers. During this time I grew increasingly concerned that some interviewer would eventually put me on the spot and ask me if my organization was a cult. I agonized over this possibility, especially regarding my answer, if questioned.

A partial collection of the many magazines featuring Ken Hutchins and SuperSlow between 2001 and 2004. There were also many interviews on radio and television including twice airings of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

I did not want to answer with denial. Whenever I have witnessed others in denial about some issue, the denying party consistently sounded weak and guilty. In fact, the use of denial seems a natural and forgivable red herring in any crime mystery.

Shortly before encountering an interview where the feared question was indeed popped, I came to an epiphany regarding cults. So when asked if I was a cult leader, I proudly answered, “Yes.”

This answer surprised the interviewer, who represented the Fox News affiliate from Tampa. My complete reply was something to the effect of, “Yes, but let’s first briefly define, cult. A cult is a group of people who stand behind a certain belief system and/or its charismatic leader. We just described the Pilgrims, the Quakers, the Baptists, the Catholics, the Amish, the Democratic Party, the Marines, the Daughters of the American Revolution, any fraternity or sorority on any university campus, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Rotary Club, just to scratch the surface. Our forefathers from Europe fled oppression for their beliefs and came here and settled in various enclaves to eventually form a country promoting freedom of belief and speech. The United States is basically a collection of cults and this is a major reason to be proud to be a citizen here.”

A meeting of the investigators at the Nautilus-funded Osteoporosis Study at the University of Florida Medical School during the early 1980s. Pictured are Keith Johnson, MD, Brian Dutoit, PhD, Ken Hutchins, a nurse, Brenda Hutchins, and the project secretary. Here our little cult planned our rituals, so to speak.

Ken Hutchins delivers a negative-only neck flexion exercise to a study subject. (Don’t Ever Do This!! Bad Idea!!). This was Ken’s cult ritual—right?

The interviewer then said, “Turn off the camera. We can’t use that.” And I then asked, “What do you mean, you can’t use it? Granted, this is off topic, but, generally speaking, the most important information you’ve recorded in years.” He didn’t respond.

I continued to reflect on my answer for several weeks, sometimes wishing I could have stated it better. I also noted how the media has emotionally charged the word, cult, to imply something disparaging. From here I came to realize that to label a group as a cult in this manner evolves to become an acceptable and subtle form of bigotry.

For example, if I want to disparage my competition as possessing values or practices I don’t respect, I can probably get away with calling them a cult easier than if I grouped them under any other obvious stereotype. And to do so with certain groups crosses the legal line into hate speech. Offhanded and intended snobbery like “cult” is legally allowed, but, in a way, serves the same purpose. However, there is no reason for such a put down to stick, since we all live in multiple layers of cults.

For the record, cult is the root of culture and various cultures comprise our society at large. A sect is merely a further subdivision of cult—not to be confused with occult.

A panel discussion during one of the Nautilus Seminars held in Lake Helen, Florida five times each year during the early 1980s. Left to right are Ellington Darden, PhD,  Brenda Hutchins, Ken Hutchins, Boyer Coe, and Tom Laputka (moderator). Was Nautilus a cult? Of course it was. And Nautilus was in good company like the rest of Americana!

Another Epiphany

If I, Ken, take a narrow view of our society, I am not necessarily a bigot; however, I might scorn the Branch Davidians, Jim Jones and his Jonestown, as well as those religious sects that worship by dancing with poisonous snakes. Therefore I must admit to being a conditional bigot. After all, I am cool with all the major religions and races in this country.

Rhetorical Question: At what threshold does a “cult” rise to the distinction of a formal religion? What’s that magic number? One?… More than one? How much more than one? A baker’s dozen?

But if I expand my horizons to include all of present humanity as well as to admit that tolerance is ideally unconditional, I might openly condemn the cannibalistic practices of a New Guinea tribe or the virginal sacrifices of another tribe in some other remote locale. And if I expand my horizons temporally rather than just geographically, I might consider disgusting the ancient Spartans who sent their boys, upon reaching the age of seven, away from their mothers to live in a homosexual bivouac, or the Karankawas of the Texas coast who routinely fed all their female newborns to their dogs. Taken in this broader context, my intolerance with these practices and their belief systems makes me a bigot.

The first discovery of a Karankawa grave site on Galveston Island in 1962. Note the shoes and feet of Ken’s sister, Kathy, at the top edge of the field. Melvin Hutchins, MD, Ken, and Kathy Hutchins assisted T. E. Pulley, PhD excavate this site for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Note that the Karankawa diet was almost exclusively raw oysters during the winter months on the island.

Approximately 20 years ago, a friend and computer engineer once proclaimed to me that he was a “mainframe bigot.” I laughed and asked, “What do you mean by that?” He replied that part of his job in his company was to enable the various desktop personal computer users to interface with the company’s mainframe computer. At that time, there were many different PC manufacturers requiring differing interfaces. Apparently this frustrated his primary focus of doing mainframe maintenance.

Another friend and practicing attorney recently told me that he once took several business courses from an instructor who was fond of using the term, “selective tolerance.” At any opportune moment the instructor would utter the term under his breath in a clever, but cynical manner. We both mused that, “So that’s what we are, selectively tolerant… hmm?” Reciprocally speaking, we are therefore, as stated before, conditional bigots.

By the way, the origin of bigot literally means by God.

The Resulting Problem with Total Tolerance

If I, Ken Hutchins, on the other hand, am totally tolerant—if I can openly accept without criticism all the practices and attitudes of the world—past and present—then and only then can I be labeled as completely non-bigoted and non-prejudicial. However, I am now beset with another problem. Ken Hutchins has no convictions.

I see this as a messy paradox, especially for any legal or justice system. Are laws in a society merely arbitrary? (Isn’t arbitrary from the root of arbitration… hmm.) If not, where are the lines between practical, arbitrary, and just?

We are certain that Arthur Jones would not have liked the distinction as a cult leader. Most of us seem to overlook that we all participate in cults. And to infer that anyone is party to a cult is neither disparaging nor distinctive. Photo by Ken Hutchins.