RainierRadkowski Mrs.Noone English003 20February,2014 ABlindCult ThroughoutOctaviaButler'sParableoftheSowerthemaincharacter,Lauren,isin theprocessofdevelopinganewsetofideasknownasEarthseed.Thisprocessis followedthroughoutthestory,andclimatesinthefoundingofthesettlementknownas Acorn.Earthseednaturefluctuatesregularly,beginningasaprivatephilosophy,butquickly takingonthecharacteristicsofareligion.Thisprocesshowever,isslow,andeasily missedifonedoesnotregularlycompareEarthseedtorealwordreligionsand philosophies.AlthoughLauren,aswellastheotherresidentsofAcorndonotviewAcorn itselfasanythingunusual,itshowsclearsitesofcultlikeactivitybecauseofitsisolation, unusualfocusoncommunity,andbasisinidealsnotunlikeareligion.

TounderstandwhyEarthseed,andbyextentAcorn,areculticinnature,thereader mustfirstunderstandwhyEarthseedisareligion,andnotaphilosophy.Bothreligionsand philosophiesattempttocreateabasicmoralsystembywhichtoliveby.Earthseedisnot uniqueinthisrespectalthoughitdoesnotextensivelycoverthiscriticalarea,manyofthe moralsreflectedbyitsfollowerssuchasLauren,areinlinewithcommonChristianvalues. Thisislogical,asalthoughLarenabandonedherfathersgod,shedidnotabandonher fathersmorals.Whatmakesearthseedareligionhowever,isitsinclusionofideasthatare neitherrelevantto,orcriticalforitsmoralsystems.

Earthseedhastheunderlyingbeliefthatitishumanitiesultimategoaltosettleother planets.ThisobjectivedoesnotatallaffectthemoralbasisofEarthseed,butitdoes appeartogiveimplicitsupporttoscientificpursuits.Inessence,thisadditionalideagives thefollowsofEarthseedanultimateobjective.Thisiscomparabletomanyestablished religionssuchasIslamandChristianity,inwhichfollowshaveanultimateobjectiveenter heavenorparadise.AlthoughenteringheavenmayseemtobethebasisofChristianor Islamicmorals,whencriticallyanalyzed,itisclearthatevenwithoutsuchafterlife experiences,thebasicmoralcodesofthesereligionsareunaffected.Theunderlying connectionbetweenEarthseedandestablishedreligionssuchasChristianityorIslamis thatitoffersindividualmotivationtopursuecertaingoals.Thisisincontrasttoa philosophy,whichdoesnothaveacleargoalorobjectiveforitsfollowertoreach. Additionally,beyondsimplybeingareligion,Earthseedbeginstotakeoncultlike tendencieswiththecreationofAcorn.Manycultshistoricallyrelyonatheabilitytoisolate andcontrolitsmembers.Acornachievesthisgoalexceptionallywell.Laurenchoseto settlethislocationbecauseofitsisolationfromsociety.ItallowsmembersofEarthseedto stayinoneregionalmostindefinitely,whichmeansthatfuturecontactwiththeoutsideworld islikelytobeminimal.Thisisolationcaneasilybecomeauncontestedbreedinggroundfor ideologiesthatwouldotherwisebeflatoutrejectedasinsane,orheavilycriticizedasbeing unreasonable. Furthermore,onefactorthatsetsAcornapartfromitsreallifecounterpartsisthat leavingAcornisapossiblyfataldecision.Whileleavingacultcompoundinreallifeisa difficultproposition,itisreasonabletoassumethatsocietyoutsidewillbewillingtoaccept

you.ThisisinstarkcontrasttoAcorn,inwhichamemberleavingisfacedwiththe likelihoodofbeingassaultedbybandits,robbed,orworse. WhileLaurenandthemembersofAcornareuniqueinthattheymayhave developedAcornfromnecessityratherthanchoice,itdoesnotchangewhatitis.Acorn hasaclearandlikelychanceatbecomingacult,ifitisnotonealready.This,in combinationwiththesocialdynamicsofthegroup,andthemotivationalqualitiesofLauren, makeitverylikelythat,giventime,Acornislikelytoproduceareligionbasedupon ideologieslaidforthbyitsrelativelysecularfounderinessence,Laurenisblindtothecult thatshehascreated.