Joshua Paddison: Unraveling America’s First Sex Cult Scandal (Part 1)

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Today’s guest is Joshua Paddison, a US historian, author, and bona fide expert in the wild world of American cults, spiritualist communes, and utopian experiments. Josh spent years hunting down primary sources and unearthing the surprising connections between 19th-century scandal, religious innovation, and the birth of cult culture as we know it. His tale includes international intrigue, breathwork mystics, spiritual seekers, and even sex scandals that laid the groundwork for the culty headlines we see today. If you’ve ever wondered about the OG roots of groupthink, word salad, or how the term “cult” even came to exist, buckle up—Josh is here to serve up the history lesson you never got in school, and stay tuned for more in Part 2 of our conversation. Be sure to pick up Joshua Paddison’s book, Unholy Sensations: A Story of Sex, Scandal, and California's First Cult Scare. Also…let it be known that: The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad. **PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here Check out our amazing sponsors Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Audio production: Will Retherford Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore Writer: Sandra Nomoto Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: This World Mental Health Day, we’re celebrating the therapists who’ve helped millions of people take a step forward. If you’re ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/culty. Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to joinbilt.com/culty. Get organized, refreshed, and ready for the holidays for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair. Every style. Every home. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.