There has been no groundswell of outcries against irresponsible religious sects, no debates, no informational shows depicting the signs of dangerous doomsday cults, no warnings regarding others. It seems as though people think that such needless deaths can only happen in Uganda. Surely, such simple-minded thinking can never happen in the educated United States of America, where people rationalize without having to resort to tribal beliefs. Undoubtedly, any sane person will not allow another to lock them in any type of building for the purpose of sending them to either heaven or hell. And so, we sit down to eat, study, work and play without giving the Ugandan situation any more time.
Religion is a very powerful force in any society, no matter how affluent.
Whether the beliefs are Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindi or New Age, the hold of one's faith on someone's mind can drive a person to commit acts against themselves or others that would not normally occur. The uncertainty of the future and the demand for palpable answers force many into cults. Nevertheless, people in the literate United States join them every day. In other words, the Ugandan tragedy, whether it was a mass suicide or murder, is indeed extremely relevant to all who become witnesses through hearing of the event. The gathering of weapons and provisions by extremist militia groups in the forests and wilderness areas of this country has captured the imaginations of doctors, lawyers and other professionals not just the poor and uneducated.