Of Cults and Cult Leaders and the Sad Story of Fr. Jonathan Morris

It's painful to read the stories about former priest, Jonathan Morris, and his exit from the Legionairies of Christ and the priesthood. Steve Skojec wrote about his own experience with the Legionairies in Why I'm Not So Quick to Judge Jonathan Morris for Leaving the Priesthood. I laughed a little when I read the article (about not judging) because, as my colleague Chriss experienced personally, Skojec can be pretty quick to judge someone if he or she dares to disagree with him even in small matters. But that's a discussion for another day.

Are There Cults Within the Catholic Church?

To answer that, you’d first need to know what a cult is.  Most people assume they know based on some scant knowledge of the Moonies or a memory of the time when hopping chanting members of Hari Krisna, with their bald heads and glazed eyes, were seen in public airports across the country.

I remember hearing stories on shows like 60 Minutes or Twenty Twenty about parents who were trying to kidnap their kids and put them in deprogramming treatment to get them away from cult leaders.  Then there was David Koresh whose compound was raided in the early 1990’s in Waco, Texas, and Jim Jones, who led more than 900 people to Guyana in 1978 and persuaded them to kill themselves.  And of course, then there is all the talk of Scientology which is a favorite of Hollywood stars.