I often hear the argument that the large number of highly educated people calling themselves “believers” somehow gives credibility to their shared superstition. I disagree entirely, and here is just one example why.
Pyotr Kuznetsov, a certified (and certifiable) Russian engineer with two degrees is from a deeply religious family. He quit his job several years ago to became a traveling monk, under his new title “Brother Maxim” or “Father Pyotr Kuznetsov” depending on which one of his 29, mostly female followers you ask . He wrote a book in which he prophesies the world will end in May, and so his followers have been inspired to go underground and wait, while threatening to turn their cave into a furnace if anyone tried to enter.
On Saturday Al Jezeera reported that “Seven women walked out of the cave on Friday after Pyotr Kuznetsov, the group’s leader and a self-declared prophet, was brought from a psychiatric hospital to talk to them.”
MOSCOW (AP) — Fourteen followers of a self-declared prophet emerged Tuesday from a dank, muddy cave in Russia after melting snow damaged the hillside shelter where they had been waiting for the world to end, officials said. After numerous cave ins the group decided that god was giving them a sign to leave their muddy, disgusting hideout leaving 14 holdouts of the original 35.
Well its a good thing Pyotr didn’t try this in Texas or they would all be spicy crispy by now. And where was he while all this was unfolding? Seeking psychiatric help of course. Wont those “believers” feel foolish when they get reunited and he says “Seriously dude, I was out of my mind when I wrote that.” At least they knew when to cut the crap, which is more than most cults can say.
The membership of all of these doomsday cults are not insane. They are ordinary everyday “believers” who follow their religion to the only possible outcome. Which is why freedom of religion must allow for freedom from religion, because I’d prefer if they burned in their hell fires all by themselves.
