America has always been a haven for cult leaders. Its commitment to religious freedom, a concept on which the country was originally settled — and which the founders understood to be necessary to avoid the sectarian wars that had consumed Europe for centuries — guaranteed that anyone capable of attracting a following could form one without government interference. The country’s equal commitment to capitalism meant that it was possible to make a tidy profit at it in the process.
In other words, cults are as American as McDonald’s apple pie. So the latest revelations about former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s membership in what the Washington Post described as a “breakaway Hare Krishna group” led by a guru who “controlled his followers’ major life decisions and demanded total obedience and secrecy” — and apparently held major sway over her political career and positions — shouldn’t come as a surprise.
