American Strategic Deception Bureau

　He sighed and pointed at the purple skull emblem in the small shrine in the corner of his hall, which symbolized the Liar Prince Xirik, and smiled bitterly.

　Author's words: PS: Today the whole network is enthusiastically discussing "Black Myth: Wukong". Although Lao Lao Wang did not play the game, he was recommended to watch a quarter of an hour of monkey videos.

　Chapter 395: No Manson in running a harem, no Jones in running a cult (Part 2)

　In short, when he saw the familiar pattern on Charles Manson's back, the purple skull holy emblem that symbolized the Prince of Lies, Cyric, Ferry instantly understood everything - why a newly released criminal, a semi-illiterate with only an elementary school education, a barbarian living in modern society, could win the hearts of more than a dozen female college students in just one month and set up a decent cult!

　Regardless of what methods Manson used to deceive people in the historical time and space before he traveled through time, and how he became a cult leader and murderer, as well as a "hippie culture pioneer" and a "saint in the hearts of girls" in just two or three years after being released from prison... But at least in this dimension, Manson was able to rise like a rocket, which must have been due to the extraordinary plug-in he obtained at some point - the favor of the Prince of Lies, Xirik!

　He probably read the modified version of the "Hirajnana" that Firi had spread before through some unknown means, and had an epiphany, right?

　In fact, if Firi abuses his extraordinary powers unscrupulously to confuse people, he can quickly do something similar.

　For example, hypnotizing dozens of women, staying in an island villa or a country estate, and spending every night in revelry and debauchery.

　Or they may deceive a large number of believers, make money from them, and use it for their own enjoyment, etc.

　But what’s the point of this?

　It is certainly easy to start a cult in the United States, but the American political system means that the glass ceiling for cult leaders to climb up is very low.

　In Japan, the Soka Gakkai (which sounds like an academic institution but is actually a cult) was able to establish the Komeito Party, mobilize its followers to elect its own members to the Diet, and even form coalition governments with other parties on many occasions. It is not impossible that a Komeito Party prime minister will be elected one day.

　In fact, Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara had been trying to emulate the Soka Gakkai's path a few years before his arrest, sending people to politics to become members of parliament and thus gain political power - but he ultimately messed up and fell out with the umbrella behind him.

　After all, the Soka Gakkai rose to prominence in the 1950s, when Japan had just been defeated in the war and the entire upper class had been reshuffled by the five-star emperor, General MacArthur. The power vacuum left behind was still in the game and a stable order had not yet been formed. Therefore, the Soka Gakkai could still find room for improvement.

　When Master Asahara was deceiving people, it was already the 1980s. Japan's post-war plutocracy system had long been established, and the upper-level power had been divided among various parties, forming a set of almost stable and rigid order and rules. In this situation, a cult group that did dirty work actually wanted to enter the parliament, which was like a mad dog trying to get to the table. The result was bound to touch the bottom line of the ruling class and be hit by the state apparatus.

　As for releasing sarin gas at the Tokyo subway station, it was Asahara's final act of madness to divert the police's attention.

　In addition to Japan, religious forces can occupy a seat in parliament in South Korea, India and even Israel, playing a significant role.

　- Hindu fanatics were able to force the Sikhs to revolt en masse and cause the death of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; Israel's religious extremists have put Netanyahu and the entire country in a dangerous situation, forcing them to engage in a long-term war that they cannot win or sustain.

　But on Capitol Hill in the United States, the confrontation between the Democratic and Democratic parties has long been solid, and there is no room for a third force.

　No matter how successful the various emerging religious groups in the United States are, they can only gain some influence in state legislatures and, at best, a few representatives on city councils. If they want to take the next step and run for Congress, it is almost impossible.

　In other words, at best you can only be a local tycoon.

　Moreover, in order to maintain the operation of the cult, they have to constantly organize various charitable and social activities, walk the runway everywhere, and play all kinds of games with vested interest groups. They are even busier and more tired than big stars. In Fili's view, even concentrating on making movies is easier than being involved in a cult, and can gain more influence.

　Of course, if he had no choice, Fili would join a cult, but since there are better ways to live, Fili is unwilling to throw himself into that quagmire.

　Then, as the chosen one of the Prince of Lies, Fili quickly realized that Manson's extraordinary power was very weak, seemingly not even comparable to that of a low-level priest. It was probably just the equivalent of receiving a blessing, which made his words more convincing...

　So, next, Ferry quickly called the witch Zoe, gave her a spiritual amulet, and instructed her to take a group of smart students to give a batch of "grass" and "mushrooms" and other "psychedelic drugs" to these hippies on Malibu Beach, and by the way, find out the origins of the Manson Family.

　As a result, those "Manson girls" are all college students, but when they really start nagging others, they have no defense and their mouths are like a door without a door.

　They told each other everything about their "glorious journey" with Manson over the past few months.

　Afterwards, they enthusiastically invited Zoe to listen to Manson's concert and impromptu speech, the content of which was recorded by Zoe with a tape recorder. Fili listened to it later and found that although Manson's musical level was not top-notch, it was still good enough to fool girls on the street.

　Manson's speech was nothing special. It was basically just the same old thing:

　"Always walk your own way and love yourself"; "Don't be blinded by material life, the spiritual world is the most beautiful"; "Live for the present, don't worry about the past, and don't worry too much about the future"; "Love everyone and share your love with everyone."

　Ah, that sounds familiar.

　Isn’t this the inspirational chicken soup that all the Rinpoches, life mentors and emotional experts will be nagging about on WeChat public accounts all day long?

　For time travelers who have experienced the information bombardment of the Internet era in the 21st century, these words have long been heard by people tired of hearing them and have become toxic chicken soup.

　But in the 1960s, when the original "Chicken Soup for the Soul" had not yet been published, Manson was able to figure out these principles alone in prison, and then speak them out while playing the guitar and mumbling them, which can indeed be said to be a pioneering work of the times.

　More importantly, he encountered a good opportunity and found a wonderful audience in the form of hippies.

　——Although they look sloppy and like homeless people, hippies are by no means poor people on the street, nor are they illiterate people.

　Most of them have received a good education and come from good family backgrounds, but they have embarked on this strange life path because of their cynicism.

　They have an anti-war, kind and sincere attitude towards life; but they also have a wanton, morbid and irresponsible philosophy of life towards family.

　If Manson's early versions of inspirational stories were given to illiterate poor people who had trouble making ends meet, they probably wouldn't even bother to listen.

　If you talk to those office workers who work hard every day, they will probably nod and listen to what you say.

　Only by spreading these inspirational tales to cynical, radical, and artistic young people like hippies can they quickly resonate with their hearts, thereby captivating these young people who have some culture but are inexperienced and lack self-control, and even leading them down an antisocial path...

　In short, after finding out Manson's background, Ferry used a little trick to easily get rid of him.

　"Anyway, as the chosen one of the Prince of Lies, I understand a bit about illusion and psychological suggestion.

　So, last night, I used some divine magic to tamper with Manson's dream, making him think that he had received an oracle. A purple god with a blurry face scolded him in the dream for being slow in preaching and told him to go to places where there were more people to spread his ideals.

　Then, I instructed Zoe to persuade Manson this morning and tell him that Malibu Beach was too desolate. There was no one around here except for less than a hundred hippies in the camp and two often unused seaside vacation villas.

　If you want to spread your ideas, attract listeners, and recruit more "family members," you have to find a lively place, right? "

　Fieri said with a smug smile, "So, Manson took it very seriously. After taking the big bag of drugs given to him by Zoe, he started packing up with his girls and prepared to move to Venice Beach, which is closer to downtown Los Angeles.

　After the Manson family leaves, I’ll get some money and buy the abandoned studio, and then I can legally clear out the hippies on Malibu Beach and restore peace to the place…”

　"Wait, you sent the Manson Family out? Why? Aren't they supposed to be your subordinates?"

　Isabelle, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, asked in confusion, "I thought you would reveal your identity and win over him and his 'family'."

　"Conquer them? What use are they to me? This Manson can only help me the most by scamming people and spreading his faith!

　I have never intended to join a religious cult myself, because the cost-effectiveness is too poor!

　Fili rubbed his forehead. "In Japanese religious circles, there's a saying: 300 believers, you can eat rice; 3,000 believers, you can drive a Mercedes; 30,000 believers, you can live in a mansion; 300,000 believers, you can be elected as a member of Congress—while the situation in the United States is different, the general level of treatment is indeed similar. Generally speaking, if a religious group can grow to 300,000 people in 20 years, it's already a great achievement."

　But, look, am I lacking food and clothes? Am I lacking a luxury car or a mansion? It seems I don't lack any of them, right?

　As for social status and power? Those aren't acquired through religion in the United States. Unless, like the Mormons in Utah, you build Salt Lake City from scratch—sadly, the westward expansion has long since ended, the pioneering era has ended, and such opportunities no longer exist.

　What's more, even Mormons have no say in the White House and Capitol Hill, and their situation is not much better than that of the Indians!

　So, as long as they don’t come to my doorstep to harass me, I generally won’t have direct contact with them, and I don’t have any use for them…”

　Generally speaking, Ferry's attitude towards the Manson Family is to let them develop freely and grow wildly, as long as they don't get in his way.

　If Manson

　Fili would even be happy to see his "family" prosper through lies and deception.

　Although the bloody murders committed by the Manson Family in their later years seem horrifying, in the United States, where public security has always been poor, the hippies led by Manson only killed six or seven people from beginning to end. Compared with those drug lords and gangs, there is no comparison at all.

　The reason why the news became so popular was simply because the murder took place in Beverly Hills and the victim was a big star.

　If we ignore the Manson Family's "recreational blood sacrifices" on the eve of their demise and focus solely on their drug-fueled behavior in the years prior, they're essentially no different from many other hippie groups of the same period. They were even more harmless than those money-making cults.

　Ferry had already marked Manson, and he could easily create a few "pseudo-oracles" in the future to guide this guy in the direction he wanted - he didn't care about Manson's fraud and seduction, nor did he mind whether Manson would be thrown into prison again. As long as this guy didn't go crazy and commit some bizarre murders in the rich area, and then make the headlines of the newspapers, dominate the hot search list for a long time, and then make the purple skull holy emblem feared by everyone and avoided like the plague.

　What really gives Firi a headache is another large religious group that has already taken root in San Francisco: the People's Temple!

　"According to the information I learned from Manson in my dream, he left San Francisco in the opposite direction when hippies from all over the United States gathered there for the "Summer of Love" event. Not only was there fierce competition among local religious groups, but he also discovered that the People's Temple, founded by Jim Jones, also secretly worshipped the Purple Skull symbol and seemed to possess some degree of supernatural powers!"

　Because he didn't want to be recruited by the People's Temple, and didn't dare to confront Jones rashly, Manson chose to move his followers elsewhere..."

　Fieri continued, addressing his harem, "Compared to the Manson Family, which was like a child's play, the People's Temple was much more powerful! And Jim Jones was also a strange figure who had been around for several years."

　Having said this, he paused for a moment, bent down and pulled the naked Zhao Qiuniang out from under the table, then wiped the stains on the corners of her mouth with a towel. Then he hugged the confused Zhao Qiuniang into his arms, rubbing her breasts as he continued, "We have a female Vietcong member in our home who can't even recite the Party Constitution, and we still have to hide it. And Jim Jones of the People's Temple publicly claimed that he was a member of the Communist Party of the United States and a serious Bolshevik who maintained long-term contact with KGB agents.

　The People's Temple he founded is also a red religion with obvious socialist colors.

　But the problem is that Jim Jones claims to be the reincarnation of Lenin, and I don’t know if this has been approved by the Communist Party of the United States or the KGB...”

　He joined the Communist Party of the United States and soon became a formal member and an outstanding activist.

　But by this time, the Cold War had already begun, and the situation of the Communist Party of the United States deteriorated rapidly - the FBI often came to various party branches to investigate and arrest people, and the infamous "McCarthy Hearings" were summoned every few days. In the end, the United States simply banned all Marxist propaganda activities.

　In this desperate moment, the determined revolutionary youth Jim Jones took a different approach. He thought he could use the church to infiltrate the people.

　Because when he was a child, he often saw how pastors used eloquent words to deceive believers, asking them to donate money and contribute their efforts. Some churches even used folk tricks such as "faith healing" to fool patients, delaying their treatment, but they did not receive any punishment and were thanked profusely by the patients' families.

　While the US government has suppressed and persecuted left-wing political parties and academic organizations in every possible way, it has basically let religious forces run wild.

　So, almost at the same time as Hugh Hefner's Playboy was launched, Jim Jones raised money to build a church in his hometown of Indianapolis, moved the party branch into it, and named the church the Full Gospel Peoples Temple of Christ, or "Peoples Temple" for short.

　——That’s right, the People’s Temple was not originally the name of a religious group, but the name of a church and a place name.

　After building the church, Jones began to insert his own ideas into the Bible under the banner of missionary preaching and promote Marxism to the people.

　Because the black civil rights movement was in full swing at the time, Jones collaborated with Martin Luther King and, as a white person, actively advocated for the abolition of racial segregation, starting with his own church, allowing blacks and whites to come together to listen to sermons and worship.

　In addition, Jones also persuaded other churches to accept black believers, implored hospitals to treat black patients, lobbied bosses to hire black employees, and so on.

　Although the KKK and other white racist groups cursed and threatened Jones, Jones always stuck to his ideals and never gave in.

　Throughout the 1950s, he was a leading figure in the civil rights movement, and in 1960, Jones became director of the Civil Rights Commission.

　In addition to raising the banner of racial equality, Jones has always opposed war and advocated peace. As early as the Korean War, he opposed the US military crossing the 38th parallel to expand the war, and adopted three Korean orphans in the "People's Temple" church to express his sympathy for the Korean people.

　Later, Jones adopted an Indian orphan, a black orphan, and a white orphan. He often proudly showed his family photo when interviewed by reporters: "Look, this is my 'rainbow family'."

　Next, the US-Soviet space race broke out, and the panic of nuclear crisis and nuclear doomsday spread to the entire Western world. America's wealthy and middle-class people were digging underground shelters, stockpiling canned food and guns and ammunition, and reading doomsday survival manuals.

　Jim Jones, however, believed that in a nuclear war, the entire United States, which would inevitably be hit hard, would be unsafe. The correct approach would be to establish refugee camps in South America, just like the countless great migrations of nations that occurred in ancient history.

　So, he first went to Brazil and then to Guyana, where he made friends with the poor and tried to build a self-sufficient small farm.

　But a few years later, the men who stayed in Indianapolis also chased Jones to South America and found him, crying, "Come back soon! While you're gone, Peoples Temple is about to collapse!"

　It turns out that the prosperity of the People's Temple was mainly due to Jim Jones's personal talent. The few former members of the Communist Party of the United States who followed him at the beginning were all atheists. They were always not professionally qualified to engage in religion, and no matter what they did, it was awkward.

　As a result, as soon as Jones went to South America, his followers dispersed one after another, and several old members of the Communist Party of the United States became disheartened and withdrew and went home.

　So Jones had to rush back to People's Temple and give a speech to calm the emotions of the remaining believers.

　Then, he announced a collective move to California to seek greater development opportunities—"We are going to California to build a socialist Garden of Eden!"

　As a result, the People's Temple's headquarters moved from conservative Indiana to free and open San Francisco.

　——If the People’s Temple in Indianapolis is just a party branch disguised as a cult.

　Then, the People's Temple, which moved to San Francisco, began to evolve into a real cult.

　In San Francisco, the People's Temple continued to vigorously promote socialism, claiming: "There is only one glorious hope, and that is you. There has never been a savior, and you have to save yourself! Heaven is not in the sky, we must build heaven on earth!"

　Of course, socialist ideas are just a fad, and there are countless people around the world who talk about this set of ideas these days.

　The truly special thing is that Jim Jones gained knowledge through his travels in South America and found the right way to play the cult!

　——The key is to play the long game to catch the big fish. You must accurately identify the "vulnerable groups", actively provide help, and build your own basic iron plate!

　For example, country people who have just come to a big city, college students who have just broken up, family members of seriously ill patients, drug-addicted homeless people, etc.

　These people have one thing in common: they need a small circle of people to comfort them and provide them with a sense of security. Cult preachers should not rush to spread their doctrines at the beginning, but instead act as friends, asking about their well-being and providing them with spiritual support: helping drug addicts quit, counseling those who have been heartbroken;

　Pray with the families of critically ill patients, introduce the surrounding environment to strangers, help them integrate into the city, etc.

　In fact, even into the 21st century, many international students studying in the United States had similar experiences: newly arrived, struggling with English and unfamiliar with local customs, a Christian church warmly welcomed them, inviting them to Sunday morning prayers, forming one-on-one study groups, helping them practice spoken English, and even offering assistance with renting an apartment, renting a car, and obtaining a driver's license, often moving these newly arrived students to tears.

　Once the number of believers grows to a certain level and they have some money, the cult group will do something very interesting: engage in real estate.

　——If there is only a lonely little church, its momentum is too weak and people cannot feel awe. It must be a vast land with abundant resources.

　To this end, American cult leaders usually find a poor suburb at the beginning of their careers, buy a piece of bad land at a low price, and then mobilize their followers to build churches, grow crops, start industries, collect donations, and slowly buy up the surrounding bad land as the territory of their own cult.

　Later, as the number of believers in the community increased and churches were built everywhere, this piece of bad land became less and less valuable - because there were few normal people in the whole town, and the streets were full of cult members, forcing the original residents here to move if they refused to join the church.

　However, in a community full of cults, land prices would be kept very low, and no outsiders would be willing to take over the houses of the original residents.

　In the end, you can only sell it to the cult at a low price - in a few years, you will have your own town and can build an independent kingdom.

　But it is not safe at this point. Although you have your own territory, this is no longer the feudal era, and there are too many people who want to be the boss.

　To this end, the cult leader has to give believers some small favors to make people grateful to him, while gradually "revealing miracles", encouraging believers to engage in personal worship, asking members of the group to swear allegiance, asking believers to send their children to be baptized by him personally, and asking everyone to compose songs to sing about his various great and glorious deeds, constantly reminding everyone that this church cannot do without you, just as sailing on the sea depends on the helmsman and all things grow with the sun.

　Of course, carrots alone are not enough; a stick is also needed. Therefore, the leader needs to compile a set of rules and regulations, requiring believers to pursue spiritual happiness, give up material vulgar interests, and obey the leader in everything. Then, a patrol team is organized to punish those who do not abide by the rules.

　But even at this point, it is similar to those bosses who instill inspirational quotes in their employees. There are many people who appear to be obedient but are not convinced in their hearts.

　Therefore, cult leaders also induce or force their followers to "isolate themselves from the world" and deceive their followers all day long by saying that the outside world is dangerous, the government wants to persecute them, friends outside the church are deceiving them, their parents don't care about them, and only the church is their eternal home.

　Once a cult successfully isolates a person from the world, the final stage of brainwashing is complete, leaving believers virtually helpless. The longer they stay inside the church, the more afraid they become of the outside world. Especially when they see their friends and family members in the church, they no longer consider leaving. After all, humans are social animals, and once they become part of a society (even a cult), it's difficult to leave.

　(Note: This was the twentieth-century cult method. In the twenty-first century, in the internet age, cult methods have changed again.)

　At this point, this cult group has become a local bully, with hundreds to thousands of followers. The struggle history of most modern cult leaders basically ends at this point. The next step is to buy villas, ride yachts, play with women, and enjoy life to the fullest!

　If a cult leader isn't satisfied with this step, they can continue to climb the ladder. However, this would put them outside their comfort zone and into a high-risk industry. The safest path to success is to attempt to compete with orthodox religions and evolve the cult into a state-registered, legal religion, like Mormonism and Scientology in the United States, or a host of emerging religious groups in Japan and South Korea.

　If you want to be more exciting, you can collude with warlords, help them conquer the world, and turn your own religion into a state religion - refer to the history of the founding of Saudi Arabia.