"Why I Stopped Believing: On Religion, #Trump, Obedience, & Mind Control"
Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan @cultexpert.freedomofmind.com
19 Oct 2026 [1:02:52]
#PoliticalCult #QAnon #Cult
https://s.cultpodcasts.com/jXmHHeGXdE68gDHwfXLYBQ
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youtube.comWhy I Stopped Believing: On Religion, Trump, Obedience, and Mind ControlCan people be programmed by religion, Christian nationalism, and authoritarian leaders to obey authority instead of thinking for themselves? In this episode of Cults, Culture, and Coercion, Dr. Steven Hassan interviews Kate Cohen, atheist author and former Washington Post contributing columnist, about Trump, religious nationalism, cult psychology, brainwashing, mind control, and the fight to protect democracy and freedom of thought.
Kate Cohen is the author of We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe, and Maybe You Should Too and the Substack column Scratch, which celebrates human creativity, critical thinking, and the things that give our lives meaning. In this conversation, Cohen explains her journey from a closeted atheist to an outspoken advocate for religious secularism, why she believes morality does not require religion, and how unquestioned obedience to religious and political authority can threaten independent thought.
Dr. Hassan, author of The New York Times Bestseller The Cult of Trump, connects these ideas to authoritarian mind control, phobia indoctrination, Christian nationalism, propaganda, and the psychological dynamics that can draw people into destructive cults. Together, they explore the importance of questioning authority, defending the separation of church and state, and building meaningful human connections in an increasingly polarized and technologically mediated world.
In this conversation, Dr. Hassan and Kate Cohen examine:
- How Christian nationalism and authoritarian politics intersect with religion, obedience, and control
- Why Cohen identifies as an atheist and believes people can be moral without believing in God-
- How religious teachings, fear, and threats of punishment can discourage people from questioning authority
- The connections between Donald Trump, the MAGA movement, authoritarian cults, and black-and-white thinking
- Why the separation of church and state matters for democracy, religious freedom, and constitutional rights
- How the BITE Model of authoritarian control explains phobia indoctrination and irrational fears
- Why open communication, critical thinking, and honesty matter when raising children
- The connections between artificial intelligence, transhumanism, anti-democratic ideology, and the concentration of wealth and power
- Why creativity, making things, and building real-life relationships are essential to human well-being
- How people can resist conformity, recognize their own moral compass, and take responsibility for their beliefs and choices
The discussion also explores the role of atheism in American culture, the importance of protecting minority religious groups, and the dangers of allowing religious leaders to dictate our moral decisions. Cohen discusses her Substack project, Scratch, and her interest in how capitalism and artificial intelligence can encourage people to outsource their creativity and even their own thinking to generative technology.
Ultimately, th…