Wild Wild Country Christian Review
Let me tell you, Wild Wild Country is a ride. You think you’ve seen it all, then this documentary hits, and it’s one twist after another. Set in the Oregon wilderness, it’s about a guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), his devoted right-hand woman, Ma Anand Sheela, and the thousands of followers who decided to drop everything to live out some utopian fantasy in the middle of nowhere. The premise sounds wild—hence the title—but what really grips you is how the filmmakers, Chapman and Maclain Way, let this story unfold with almost no judgment, no easy answers. They simply show the chaos, the people involved, and they let you decide where your moral compass points.
But if you’re coming at this from a Christian worldview, like I am, there are some pretty deep waters here. This is more than just a documentary about a cult gone awry; it’s a warning. A reflection on power, faith, and how things can spiral out of control when people are looking for meaning in all the wrong places.
Spiritual Hunger Meets Charisma
From the get-go, you can’t help but notice how much these people wanted to believe. It’s a fundamental part of being human, right? We’re wired to seek out something bigger than ourselves. But here’s the thing—when people are spiritually hungry, they’re vulnerable. That’s what struck me watching this, especially as a Christian. We know from the Bible that spiritual deception is real. Jesus Himself warned us about “false prophets” (Matthew 7:15), and what better example than a man like Bhagwan, who was clearly charismatic but dangerous?
There’s this moment early in the documentary where you see these white, Western spiritual seekers arriving in India, flocking to Bhagwan’s ashram. Most of them are young, disillusioned, and looking for something—anything—that’ll give their lives purpose. You can’t help but feel for them, in a way. They’re drawn in by promises of enlightenment, of living a higher truth, and who doesn’t want that?
But for those of us who follow Christ, we see the red flags from a mile away. The allure of a spiritual experience is strong, but without discernment, it can lead you down dangerous paths. Paul wrote about this to the Corinthians, warning them to hold fast to the gospel and not be led astray by “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). That’s what was happening here—a false gospel of self-realization and enlightenment that had people wrapped around Bhagwan’s finger.
Power Corrupts: The Rise of Rajneeshpuram
Once Bhagwan’s followers set their sights on the land in Oregon, things escalate quickly. What started as a community built on supposed spiritual principles—love, peace, meditation—soon turns into a literal town with its own government, infrastructure, and even an armed militia.
What’s fascinating from a Christian perspective is how rapidly power corrupts. This community, which was supposed to be about transcending the material world, gets embroiled in land disputes, legal battles, and eventually, biological warfare. It’s an age-old truth: when humans try to build their own kingdoms, things go south fast. You see echoes of the Tower of Babel here—people trying to make a name for themselves, trying to create something without God, and it falls apart in spectacular fashion.
Ma Anand Sheela is a key figure in this whole mess. She’s intense, ruthless, and fiercely loyal to Bhagwan. She starts as this seemingly devoted disciple but quickly becomes the architect of the community’s darker side. Under her leadership, the group poisons a whole town and engages in all kinds of illegal activity to maintain control. Watching her, you realize that spiritual zeal, when not anchored in truth, can lead to fanaticism.
It’s a reminder of how important it is to be discerning about leadership. Jesus told us to judge leaders by their fruit (Matthew 7:16), and the fruit of Rajneeshpuram was rotten to the core. For Christians, this is a sober lesson: no matter how charming or powerful a leader seems, if they’re not rooted in the truth of God’s Word, it can—and often will—lead to destruction.
Faith, Freedom, and Fanaticism
One of the big themes the documentary touches on, almost accidentally, is the tension between faith and freedom. In America, where religious freedom is a fundamental right, you see how this gets complicated in Wild Wild Country. Sure, these people had the right to practice their beliefs, no matter how strange or unorthodox they were. But what happens when one group’s “freedom” starts infringing on others? What happens when faith becomes fanaticism, and you’re willing to harm others in the name of your beliefs?
The Rajneeshis justified their actions by claiming they were protecting their way of life, their spiritual sanctuary. But the Bible teaches that true faith doesn’t lead to violence or coercion. James 1:20 reminds us that “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Yet in Rajneeshpuram, that’s exactly what you see—anger, fear, and control masquerading as spirituality.
What’s interesting, too, is how the filmmakers almost play with this idea of moral ambiguity. They don’t outright condemn anyone. They interview people from all sides—the former Rajneeshees, the local Oregonians, the lawyers and politicians involved—and let you piece it together. But from a Christian perspective, it’s hard to miss the truth: this was a spiritual counterfeit, and it led to chaos, not peace.
The Dangers of Moral Relativism
There’s a stretch of the documentary where you almost feel like the filmmakers are buying into the Rajneesh movement’s narrative. Slow-motion scenes, set to uplifting music, paint this picture of the community as an idyllic, misunderstood utopia. And here’s where I think the film falls a bit short—it softens the darker edges of the story.
The Bible is clear that there’s good and evil, and while the documentary tries to sit in the middle, a Christian worldview can’t. There’s a temptation in our culture to blur the lines between right and wrong, but Wild Wild Country is a stark reminder that relativism doesn’t work. When you abandon absolute truth, chaos follows. The Rajneesh movement might have started with lofty ideals, but it ended in deceit, crime, and moral corruption.
Conclusion: What Can Christians Take Away?
At the end of the six-part series, you’re left with more questions than answers. But for Christians, Wild Wild Country is a rich field for reflection. It’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of spiritual deception, the corrupting influence of power, and the consequences of putting faith in the wrong things.
As believers, we know that true peace and purpose aren’t found in self-realization or human-made utopias but in Christ alone. Watching this documentary, I was reminded of how grateful I am for the gospel—the real gospel. A gospel that doesn’t promise enlightenment through self-effort or following a guru, but salvation through the finished work of Jesus.
The people who followed Bhagwan were searching for something, and they were willing to give everything to find it. In the end, they found disappointment and destruction. Wild Wild Country serves as a reminder to all of us: be discerning, hold fast to the truth, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the true source of life.
