Sex cults are fucking fascinating. I have watched some illuminating media lately about the cults known respectively as NXIVM and OneTaste (the docuseries The Vow and the documentary Orgasm Inc.) and am struck afresh by philosophical questions galore. One of the main ones I’ve been pondering is: What makes sex such a fruitful focus for cults? Why are there so many sex cults but (probably) not as many cults focused on, I dunno, physical fighting, making music or doing theatre? Why is sex special?
The documentary on OneTaste helped answer this question for me. This organization ostensibly offered classes on something called “orgasmic meditation,” a process whereby a man stimulates a woman’s clitoris in a specific way for 15 minutes and it’s supposed to be meditative and enlightening for both of them. (Other gender dynamics do exist within the OM community but are much more rare.) Abuses of power were constantly occurring behind the scenes, though, and many people were deeply harmed by being involved in this seemingly positive organization.