Episode 37: American Messiahs: The Public Universal Friend

CW: religious talk, cult talk, persecution, police

Basically since the moment the pilgrims landed in the U.S. there have been cults here. From the beginning until now, the U.S. has had its fair share of self-professed messiahs. The week before last we posted an episode about our own personal experiences with cults, and this week, we’re starting a tour of American Messiahs from the first to the contemporary. In this one, we’re talking history, the pilgrims, the surprising ideology early cults were working with, why early America was such a fertile place to cults, and who The Public Universal Friend is.

To start, here’s an article about how cults made America. This goes over not only the pilgrims but also The Public Universal Friend and some other early US cult leaders.

How Cults Made America

In this episode, we talked about The Second Great Awakening and the rise of the revival movement in the US. This article talks about the revival and its connection to cults.

Revivals & Cults

This article is just a more direct look at the Second Great Awakening.

Second Great Awakening

Karen broke in during this episode to set the record straight on what turning the other cheek really means, and I’m here to drop this lesson from Bible Study Tools to support her.

Turn the Other Cheek

This is a great read about The Friend’s life from The New York Public Library which also includes a section of other nonbinary and intersex people in the 18th and 17th centuries.

The Friend

Episode 37: American Messiahs: The Public Universal Friend

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