I recently wrote short reflection on Wild Wild Country for Christianity Today. There's only so much you can cover in a magazine article... I still have so many questions after watching this fascinating depiction of the events in my home state of Oregon!
Here are a few:
***Fair warning: these are pretty nerdy. Definitely the kind that keep religion scholars up at night.***
What counts as "authentic" religion? Religion scholars problematize this term, but the town of Antelope, the State of Oregon, the federal government, and the followers of Bhagwan were very invested in whether or not Osho and his followers were participating in a really real religion.
What constitutes appropriation? Westerners have long been accused of appropriating practices, philosophical ideas, etc. from the "mystic East." Are the large groups of white Americans and Europeans attracted to Rajneeshpuram part of the New Age appropriation of Indian practices? If not, how would we categorize Bhagwan's efforts to create a mash-up of asceticism and materialism; “East” (defined in a number of ways in the film) meets “West” (a term with many meanings and uses in the film); spiritual and carnal?
What makes American religion, American? Entrepreneurialism? Capitalism? Celebrity? Religion scholars often note that Americans are very enthusiastic religious innovators. Does Wild Wild Country show us anything about what makes for a successful or unsuccessful religious innovation? Does it show us anything about why Americans seem so attracted to new religious movements?
What are the limits of charismatic authority? Whether you consider the real charismatic leader to be Bhagwan or Sheela, there's no doubt that the two are using charisma as a source of authority... but what are the limits of that power? Sheela and Bhagwan both test the limits in their own ways until they eventually break.
How does space shape religion in the USA? The rugged landscape, culture, and politics of Central Oregon surely played a role in shaping the practices of the Rajneeshees. How does space continue to shape other groups, whether it be rural or urban, contemporary or colonial, large or small?
This is just a start! The fun of watching Wild Wild Country is that it invites so many layers of questions upon questions.
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