6 people missing from St. Louis area believed to be in clutches of online cult

deafboy , 6 months ago

I was kinda disappointed. The “University Of Cosmic Intelligence” website is full of pictures and videos that looks and sounds vaguely spiritual, but I couldn’t find any specific teachings. It looks like Jamal is trying to pass as a cult leader without building an actual cult :D This is what I imagine children trying to role-play adults would look like.

I’ll try to dig more into the whole thing. Maybe there’s something more behind the paywall. There’s also an hour long video from Motherboard about the cult.

deafboy , 6 months ago

Nope, it’s pure noise. Which means every follower probably hear what they wants to hear. Just look at the comments under the video. I think I’ve just watched a guy go through the mental breakdown, and I just felt sorry for him.

Monument , 6 months ago

No commentary on the disappearance of these 6 people. I truly hope they’re okay.

But… this man leads an online cult via cell phone from prison?!?

FlyingSquid , 6 months ago

Why are prisoners even allowed cell phones? Especially prisoners who are convicted sex offenders? Do they want them to call and harass their victims and their victims’ families?

averagedrunk , 6 months ago

Why shouldn’t they be allowed cell phones, at least as a privilege? They shouldn’t be allowed to harass anyone, but they’re people. JPay and other predatory companies put an undue burden on families just trying to talk to their loved ones (who, let’s face it, may not be guilty) in the pen. There are even worse companies that pretend to be places where you can send money or put money on a phone card for a loved one but once you get to the fine print it’s just a scam. That dries up if you just allow folks the opportunity to talk to their family during their downtime.

But fuck them, I guess. People are in jail to be punished and if they don’t have the maximum amount of punishment 24x7 along with their families then we’re not really getting our money’s worth.

Or maybe he’s talking on a butt phone.

FlyingSquid , 6 months ago

How exactly do you stop them from harassing people if you give them a cell phone?

Candelestine , 6 months ago

A focus on rehabilitation by undoing the brainwashing of a criminal mindset? You essentially have to re-parent them, since somebody screwed it up initially. A heavy focus on reducing recidivism wouldn’t completely prevent problems or anything, but you can teach people the benefits of cooperative behavior and actually just … being cool.

FlyingSquid , 6 months ago

Do you really think this guy has been rehabilitated enough to be allowed a cell phone?

Candelestine , 6 months ago

It’s not a question of if he is. It’s a question of how to get from where we are, to a place where we are rehabilitating instead of threatening and punishing.

No system is perfect, but we can’t over-marginalize criminals just to keep ourselves safe from them, or we risk just entrenching their beliefs.

FlyingSquid , 6 months ago

We also can’t allow criminals to continue committing crimes from prison.

Monument , 6 months ago

I agree with you (at least in principle).

I think that prisoners should be allowed to be rehabilitated. The U.S. bloodlust for punishment causes way more public harm than good.

I can’t get people who I work with to respond to emails half the time - even when they need my help!
(Because most of my offers of help are offering to show them how to do the thing they’re asking me to do. I ain’t your secretary, Linda. Go rent a book on how to use Word. … because they wouldn’t think to search online for the info.)

I’m honestly impressed he can get anyone to do anything, let alone manage to disappear into thin air while he’s doing sermons from ‘the yard.’

afraid_of_zombies , 6 months ago

That is pretty impressive.