How Young Living Created a Religion to Sell Essential Oils

The essential oils cult I almost joined years ago, the multilevel marketing company (MLM) called Young Living Essential Oils, is dying. A new book called My Word Made Flesh, with close ties to its CEO Mary Young, is being called satanic, demonic, and occult by many of Young Living’s Christian distributors. This company has been marketing their products by integrating essential oils into Christian theology and New Thought ideology for years, but they’ve finally pushed this far enough to trigger a backlash. What Gary Young and David Stewart started with Healing Oils of the Bible, God’s Love Manifest in Molecules, and Raindrop technique, Mary Young and Marcella Vonn Harting have taken to its logical next step.

Check out The Antibot’s video “Young Living Accused of Being a Satanic Cult”



***Clarification here. Young Living did not *technically* release or distribute My Word Made Flesh. As with David Stewart's books, this book was written by *technically* independent persons, then distributed to many of their reps through high-ranking *technically* independent YL reps. YL CEO Mary Young wrote the book’s forward, and there’s a QR code in the book which takes you to a site where you can join Young Living. So did YL have a hand in creating and distributing this book? You decide.

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This video contains 100% therapeutic grade skepticism.*

*This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA

[GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic]

Clarification here. Young Living did not *technically* release or distribute My Word Made Flesh. As with David Stewart's books, this book was written by *technically* independent persons, then distributed to many of their reps through high-ranking *technically* independent YL reps. YL CEO Mary Young wrote the book’s foreword, and there’s a QR code in the book which takes you to a site where you can join Young Living. So did YL have a hand in creating and distributing this book? You decide.

[Master_Conner]

Imagine someone just walks up to your door and says “We would like to let you know about our Lord and Savior, lavender bliss.”

[jacob]

"They threaten me with a lawsuit regarding my video on them . . . so I decided to make another one" Mad respect to you man

[chloesibilla]

I still have no clue how they managed to convince all these hardcore Christians into doing what they would have considered "hippie witchcraft" not even a decade ago.

[FreelancerTrent]

I'm not religious and never was, and yet I find it disgusting for a company to abuse people's deeply held faith to scam them. There is something extremely revolting in that, similar to abusing your power over a child or animal to harm them I think

[simona_ab]

The ugliest part is that they target vulnerable, hurt people. That's utterly disgusting. I highly apreciate your work, 👏👍

[Den]

When my wife was dying of cancer, my Christian cousin was pushing frankincense. The argument was "why did they bring it to Jesus if it wasn't God's medicine?" My cousin pushed hard to persuade me after my wife died. All it did was piss me off.

[jenaf]

fun fact: "essential" doesnt mean important here, it just references extraction.

[jacobmarines]

My mom tried getting into this company and me and my sister talked her out of it. Every time you make a video about young living I feel grateful for steering my mom away from them.

[roblovestar]

Well done Drew! Reminds me of Amway in its heyday. It didn't alter theology, but inspired Christians to sell its products as part of God-directed American exceptionalism and capitalism.

[bradypustridactylus]

I tried a homeopathic remedy once, but never essential oils. The only effect of homeopathy on me that I detected was that I felt extremely foolish. I imagine many Young Living distributors and users feel the same way now.

[theantibot]

Great video! After all the backlash this book caused, Young Living made a statement that they don’t endorse the book in anyway, but it’s pretty clear they endorse it when it was written by one of their top earners, contains a forward by YL’s CEO, and basically reads like a giant ad for YL! 😅

[Ichabod_Jericho]

I dated this one chick for like 4 months, she was adorably cute but I was starting to feel like she was crazy. We broke up, and 2 weeks later she started selling these essential oils (Döterra specifically). It confirmed I made the right choice.

[fosterapamela]

I have a formerly close relative who's been a distributor for years. I say formerly close because she has become more irrational in her beliefs during the pandemic. This video explains a lot of what's influencing her thought processes. Thank you.

[DrgnZip]

One of those women happily spoke about how she was directly manipulated through her faith and didn't even realize it.

[dominiquedoeslife]

Wow. I love the video you sampled, and I couldn't agree more with both of you about the toxic positivity inherent in Young Living and so many other MLMs. I had a woman on my old podcast years ago to talk about how she joined this and several other mlms&it impacted her life tremendously in a way she cannot take back. One of the last things she said to a friend who ended up dying of breast cancer was: "it's your fault. Your thinking is causing your illness." Weeks later, this friend died, thinking that my guest blamed her for "calling in" her cancer. I've become acquainted with my guest over the years, and she now runs an antimlm, anti-toxic positivity eco resort in Costa Rica that I plan to visit once travel is a bit safer for myself and for the residents of Costa Rica. She and her family basically picked up and moved out of country, because she was so disgusted by capitalistic, pseudoreligious American bullshit, and I can't say I disagree!

[stemmaster]

This is by far my most favorite channel regarding religion or anything for that matter. I've never been one to be bashing of ones belief nor have I ever understood trying to degrade someone for the way they choose to value life or comprehend its origination. I personally value critical thinking and questioning everything for sheer love of learning, and to see someone dedicated to seeking truth through careful analysis without doing it with the pure intent of being right or degrading someone's views who are just in opposition is heart warming to me. Keep being kind and keen minded, Drew. Much love.

[attesmatte]

That video was what made me follow you, and you also introduced me to the concept of "coming out as an atheist" which was completely mind boggling to me as a Swede living in a mostly non religious country. 😳
I now have a bunch of friends on TikTok who are deconstructing various types of Christianity, and I'm learning so much about the struggles. ❤️

[Uldihaa]

"The quotes you are supposed to say before putting this stuff on you" sounds a lot like an incantation to me.

[Livewell-xgi]

Thank you for this video. As a person (and atheist) living with degenerative pain, there are few things as intrusive and disrespectful as when religious mlms tell me their products and prayers can reverse my spinal injury. It’s humiliating and just wrong. I appreciate you speaking up