The Importance of Taking Spiritual Practices on Their Own Terms

My old friend Joseph Flatley, cult journalist, talks about his recent book New Age Grifter: The True Story of Gabriel of Urantia and His Cosmic Family! A great conversation about cults, magick, hypnosis, cognitive biases and lots more. Here's the official book description: Gabriel of Urantia is the leader of a UFO religion based in the desert of southern Arizona. He has spent the last three decades weaving together his belief system, a tapestry of Eastern spirituality, Born Again Christianity, and New Age doggerel. In a compound near the Mexican border, his disciples tend the garden, take classes, and serve their guru while they wait for the end of the world. Joseph L. Flatley is a journalist who has spent years investigating Gabriel and his cult, the Global Community Communications Alliance. The result is New Age Grifter: The True Story of Gabriel of Urantia and his Cosmic Family. More than just another crime book, it places Gabriel's religious community in the broader context of contemporary American belief. Enjoy the podcast