Thought Terminating Cliche

Another trick in the cult leader's language toolkit is the thought-terminating cliche. These are sayings that end uncomfortable conversations or trains of thoughts. "It is what it is." "Everything happens for a reason." "Let's agree to disagree." They shut down argument and critical thinking, which is why they're so handy to authoritarians who don't like to be questioned. Charles Manson countered any rational objections to his ravings by saying, "No sense makes sense." Try arguing with that. Ti and Do, the leaders of the Heaven's Gate cult would tell skeptical listeners they didn't have "the gift of recognition." And Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, admonished dissatisfied female congregants to "keep sweet." Though-terminating cliches are a two-way street. They allow the leader to avoid threatening questions while giving followers permission to ignore their cognitive dissonance. Not sure whether you're doing the right thing? Well, "It's out of our hands," as Jim Jones would say. You might be thinking that these traits aren't exclusive to cults. After all, mainstream religions are full of loaded language like heaven and hell and thought-terminating cliches like "God works in mysterious ways."