You say mass insanity, but the author does a good job identifying tribalism as a survival trait in the right environment. There are values in the cults you list that the West should share, though, of course, many it shouldn’t.
I have many Mormons around me and in many ways, they are a beautiful people. However, it is true that I would not even trust a Mormon to “aid an unbeliever against a believer”. This is how these minority cults survive in the West. Maintaining identity is a challenge, especially when physical characteristics do not help.
The problem, I believe, is individual insanity. These tribes promote leaders and many lead them to ruin. Members of tribes need to have a healthy distrust of their leadership. By the time the Kool Aid comes out, it’s too late.
I got into a beef with another Freeper who made that same claim about FBI agents, viz. they were only doing their job but are really good people.
I have Mormons in my extended family. I studied Mormonism in depth, utilizing books I ordered from the Utah Lighthouse Ministries.
That religion is corrupt from start to finish. They begin by rejecting the Holy Bible. That, in and of itself, is enough to eliminate them from polite society.
But their history and current doctrines are horrible to the point of frightening.
The Doctrine of Blood Atonement. Joseph Smith/PT Barnum said the blood of Christ was sufficient for most things, but in some things, only the sinner's own blood shed will suffice. I remember in the mid 1980s some mormon lunatic murdered his sister in law and cited that "doctrine" as justification. One of the crimes worthy of murder was to say something bad about their "prophet" Joe Smith.
I cannot have any respect for people who a) reject God's Holy Word and b) mindlessly follow a system that is steeped in ignorance.
They're in the same class as muslims and voodoo.