What is a cult?
From worshiping gods to worshiping brands, Dr. Kathryn Lofton, professor of religious studies and American Studies, helps me explore how modern life blurs the line between the sacred and the sold.
Dr. Kathryn Lofton, Yale University
What exactly is a cult—and how is it different from religion?
In this opening episode, I sit down with Kathryn Lofton, one of today’s most incisive scholars of religion and culture, to unpack how belief, devotion, and consumer behavior intertwine. Topics include:
What is the definition of religion
Are all religions cults
How does the market—and the algorithm—impact someone who is “spiritual but not religious”
How capitalism turns faith into merchandise
Why community—real, embodied community—still matters
Mentions:
Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon by Kathryn Lofton
Consuming Religion by Kathryn Lofton
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
The Cult of Thinness by Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber
About the guest
Kathryn Lofton is Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies, History and Divinity, at Yale University. She is the author of two books, Consuming Religion and Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon.
Learn more about Kathryn’s work: https://religiousstudies.yale.edu/people/kathryn-lofton
About the host
Dr. Mara Einstein spent a decade in corporate marketing working for some of the world’s biggest brands before turning her focus to exposing the industry’s inner workings. Now a tenured professor of media studies at CUNY, she’s dedicated to helping people understand how marketing shapes what we buy, what we believe, and even who we think we are. With a background spanning business, media, and the arts, Dr. Einstein brings sharp insight and humor to the systems that sell us our identities—and the power we have to push back.
Pick up Dr. Einstein’s book Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults on
Bookshop.org (and beyond): https://bookshop.org/a/116018/9781493086153
Website: https://www.drmaraeinstein.com
Books: https://www.drmaraeinstein.com/writing
Instagram, TikTok, Threads: @drmaraeinstein
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Drmaraeinstein
Credits
Production: Multitude
Lead Producer & Editor: Bren Frederick
Music: Marc Langer
Cover art: Cayla Einstein