What do you think of this as an idea for a play?

I was all prepared to return to discussion on the play idea, but on coming back to type, I realised actually some stuff that's not on topic along the lines of what we've been discussing might be useful to you. (Ah, well, not quite on what we've been discussing) Funnily enough, the way I started reading pro-science topics was basically similar to you. I was hunting for some good things to write about for a play, and am always fascinated by mythology. So I started reading about random topics, like cryptozoology, alien sightings, etc. That lead me into topics on cults, which lead me to pro-science (really skeptical sites) stuff, and that lead me to astronomy, and that lead me to places like randi.org, which is all about critical thinking. I can spend days at a time just reading the comments on one blog post about a controversial topic; and actually the debates are intelligent (for the most part) and quite insightful. A number of times I've had my own ideas about my life (though not my religion, as I don't have one) challenged, or a new thought occured. This may seem irrelevant for discussion on your play, but thinking on how I got to reading certain things made me realise that many of the topics you've suggested are interconnected: participation in a cult requires a certain set of thinking to be pushed aside, like critical thinking. A leader of that cult must be able to find a way - whether they realise it or not - to suspend critical thinking. Whether it's belief in Bigfoot, aliens, or that girl over there is actually the god Thor (for the sake of keeping this discussion going, keep in mind, I'm not offering an opinion on religious beliefs or equating cults with religion), there is a certain mindset that appears. Funnily enough, it's probably the same thing happening in cults that happens when you go to theatre; a suspension of 'reality'. I have two really good examples of weird cultism and lack of critical thinking. This one is a real eye-opener. http://skepdic.com/ramtha.html A woman in America who believes she is the channel for a 35 000 year old 'spirit guide' from Atlantis and/or heaven (from the article it seems to be both). The woman seems to have thousands of followers, and a copyright (wait for it...) on access to this spirit. Honestly, there's enough in there for 20 plays. If you really dive into what the woman says and read the stuff from her followers, it's a good insight into human beliefs. For a real world example of something similar to your idea (and here it should be mentioned that it's not a cult, but certainly has some cult-like aspects of the 'leaders' being made into martyrs by their own fans/believers) look up anti-vaccination and Jenny McCarthy. Do especially read comments on both pro-science and pro-McCarthy sites. There is a bucketload (actually an entire planet's worth) of debate going on out there, which gives excellent insight into how people think and relate to authority figures - whether the authority is warranted or not. Note that you shouldn't be looking so much at the reasons behind the whole anti-vax thing, since there's legitimate emotional responses behind that (although not science), but rather the way the movement has latched onto its princess, Jenny, and seem to take her word over the word of a doctor. If you don't know her background, look that up too, as she has rather interesting beliefs even before the anti-vax stuff. (It should be noted that this particular example has absolutely nothing to do with religion or religious beliefs whatsoever; it's a fight completely over science) For something else useful, I recommend checking out this site: http://skepdic.com It has a lot of really good historical posts; kind of like a Wiki for skeptical topics, including lots on cults and events relating to cults, and further reading links/books. There's also plenty of articles on the mind and the way the mind works in regards to believing in things. Anyway, the whole reason I replied to your thread in the first place is because I find the whole cult/mythology stuff fascinating; and reading both for and against arguments are a great way to figure out both how people act on either side, but also figuring out how your characters should think, talk and act. Hope all of that makes sense, and you can start to see the angle I was coming from in previous posts. Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne