Weekly Newsletter: The Red Pill

In the 1999 film, The Matrix, the protagonist, Neo, is given a choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The red pill will allow Neo to “wake” from the world of illusions and see the real world, while the blue pill will allow Neo to remain within the world he thinks is real. He chooses the red pill, and the story takes us on a remarkable adventure.
 
When hearing the stories of people who have been seduced into destructive cults such as Heaven’s Gate, The People’s Temple, and the Manson Family, we wonder how their leaders could have gained such a powerful control over their followers. More importantly, how can we convince people who have been caught up in these unusual and destructive systems that they are living in a destructive world?
 
We need a red pill. A pill much like what was offered Neo to help him see beyond the matrix of illusion to the real world. The problem is, however, even if such a pill existed, the members of the cults would refuse to take it, explaining with deep conviction that we are the ones in need of waking up.
 
The pill does exist. The pill is our intuition and common sense. When a religious belief system goes against common sense and our gut instincts, when it demands self-sacrifice in the name of their god, then it is time for us to wake up. Promises of happiness, heaven, and better lives in the afterlife are made, but most, if not all, religions make similar promises. What makes Jim Jones or Warren Jeff’s promises any better than someone else’s? We always keep in mind the advice from Stone One that states, “I assert that I am responsible for my own spiritual path.”