Admit it, cults are fascinating. Documentaries, such as “Wild Wild Country”, got big on Netflix and cults even made it a subtopic in the famous Netflix documentary “Tiger King”. To this day, people still refer to the suicide / mass murder of the Temple of Peoples cult when they use the phrase “drink the Kool-Aid”. Why is our culture so disturbed and at the same time excited by cults? At its base, it is in our human nature to want to understand life in a way that gives it a purpose. After all, mythologies, ideologies, and religion spring from something that is deeply human. However, cults enter an extreme zone, where they are freed from social acceptability. What is most intriguing about surface cults is the cult leader’s development because, while often extravagant, they demonstrate fundamental social flaws that exist even in the normal world. So maybe it’s really our own vulnerability and our own susceptibility to being victims of a cult that horrifies us, scares us, and we wonder what we would do if we were in a cult. Without further ado, let’s delve into the stories of some of the people who have escaped these situations.
10. Seoyeon Lee
When Seoyeon returned to South Korea after a summer abroad, her mother made a strange proposal. She said she had cancer but would only receive treatment if her daughter went to Grace Road Church with her. What is Grace Road Church? Grace Road Church leader Shin Ok-Ju believed that her followers were in grave danger of famine in Korea, and should move to Fiji. Only members who had donated large sums of money were invited, and Seoyeon’s mother had donated her late husband’s fortune. Shin was eventually arrested for ritually beating her parishioners, including killing one and holding others against her will. At the time, Leoyeon had no idea and agreed to go to church with her mother. Seonyeon remembers that it was a strange experience, with screaming and talking about the end of the world. She even told her mother that she thought it was a cult, but her mother did not believe her. Seoyeon returned to school abroad, but her mother convinced her to return to South Korea, saying that she would only seek cancer treatment if her daughter came home. Once Seoyeon fell apart and returned to South Korea, her mother underwent treatment, but then stated that they had to go to Fiji to recover for 14 days. Seoyeon finally agreed. When they arrived in Fiji, they were picked up by people Seoyeon did not know and were immediately taken to a complex. Seoyeon was scared and feeling silly, but he held on to the fact that they had plane tickets back to South Korea in 14 days. After 13 days at the Grace Road Church complex, Seonyeon was preparing to leave and realized that his mother had stolen his laptop and passport. Seonyeon knew in that moment that he would be trapped forever if he didn’t leave and that he could even brainwash like his mother. He took a risk and ran out of the complex, his mother screamed and the other followers of the cult tried to block him. Seonyeon managed to contact the police and obtain an emergency passport before they could catch her. Seonyeon does not speak to his mother and has since stayed in Korea.
9. Guinevere Turner
Geneva was born into a cult called The Lyman Family. The Lyman family was founded by musician Melvin James Melman. Lyman, a charismatic man, moved from California to Boston in the 1960s, and became increasingly interested in LSD and nurturing a community around him. Ultimately, Lyman established The Lyman Family, also called the Fort Hill Community, which catered to his growing desire to be a spiritual leader of people. The burgeoning cult, under Lyman’s command, developed strict rules on dress and sexual behavior, and all financial resources were drained from the members. Geneva remembers the years he spent in worship (from 1968 to 1979) in isolation. Members of the child and adult cult were told that the outside world was dangerous, the children were homeschooled and severely punished. What is so fascinating, however, about Guinevere’s account of her worship experience, is that for her, it felt normal. She was used to fishing, singing, and reading, as well as doing the normal chores that everyone does. And on a daily basis, it may seem almost normal to a stranger. If that life were all you knew, and you were told that the outside world was bad and dangerous, would you have the courage to leave? Would you even know that leaving was the right choice? And how much does someone question the state of their current life and know exactly what is not normal or correct about something they have always known? Perhaps because of this, when her mother, a cult member who separated from her daughter at birth, came to remove Geneva from the Lyman family, she was devastated. From the moment she left, at eleven, until the time she returned to visit the cult, at eighteen, Geneva did not feel normal and yearned for the life she had lived as a child. Between those times, Geneva felt like a stranger, as if she belonged to “the Family”. It was not until she visited the Lyman family again that she realized that staunch sexism, strange rituals, and physical punishment were practiced there. Geneva packed her things and left without turning.
8. Sarah Edmondson
Sarah Edmondson, a young actress, had been searching for a new purpose in her life when she boarded a cruise ship designed to explore spirituality. She did not know that it was a front for the infamous cult, NXIVM, nor did she know that it would dictate the next 12 years of her life. During her time in worship, she climbed the hierarchical ladder to a position that gave her immense wealth. The power she found herself in was exciting, and it wasn’t until she was included in the secret subgroup of NXIVM that it felt like a positive experience. When it was marked with the letters of the founding members of the cult, she decided she had had enough. She became a whistleblower for the cult, drawing worldwide attention to the famous actors and actresses involved in the pyramid scheme and the sex trafficking cult. Sarah Edmondson wrote a book, “Scarred,” but it is troubling. She attracted many young women to worship, but her book seems oddly empty of guilt or remorse. Instead, her writing is self-congratulatory and full of gossip. Although she was certainly abused within the cult, she was not guilty of her own mistakes. Unfortunately, this cult escape story doesn’t seem to highlight a heroic escape, but rather a moment in time when someone had a touch of conscience and potentially jumped on him out of a strange sense of fame.
7. Verity Carter and Jonathan Watt
Unlike Sarah Edmondson, Verity, and Jonathan’s escape story shows true courage and bravery. The sister and brother duo was born into a situation that must have felt like a living nightmare. The worship of the Sons of God began in the 1960s in the United States, but eventually established the communes that Verity and Jonathan endured in Scotland. As young children, they both dealt with almost constant physical abuse, and Verity suffered routine sexual abuse. The cult made life feel meaningless and made children feel that they had absolutely no power in their lives. At age 14, Jonathan had a nervous breakdown and the cult expelled him. For Verity, it took the courage to attack a man who was going to administer corporal punishment on him. That was enough to get her kicked out. Both children suffered as they adjusted to life outside of the draconian cult. Jonathan even followed the cult rules after leaving the cult, because the transition to life outside was very difficult. Jonathan struggled with homelessness and Verity with drug and alcohol abuse. But eventually, they both created their own lives and gained freedom from their oppressors. The couple exemplifies strength and endurance, not only in their escape and their ability to continue but also in the sharing of their experiences, which they do to help other survivors find their voices.
6. Briell Decker
Briell is a true hero. Not only did he escape the cult of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), but he established a shelter at the cult headquarters after the cult leader was arrested. FLDS, a polygamous cult, was led by Warren Jeffs. During his reign, he forced approximately 80 women and children to marry. Born in the FLDS, Briell knew from a young age that she would be forced to marry the middle-aged man. When she turned 18, he prepared her wedding ceremony, and she had no choice but to accept it. Around this time, the FBI accused Jeffs of forcing a minor girl to marry and then carried out a raid on the FLDS complex, where he discovered how many children Jeffs had forced to marry. Jeffs was, of course, charged and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The $ 100 million FLDS fund, which was seized by the government, was partially handed over to Briell to buy Jeff’s mansion and make it a haven for victims.
5. Maude Julien
Maude Julien was born into a strange life. Her father, Louis Didier, had bought a son, Jeannine, and decided to make his dream come true. He forced Jeannine to marry and had a baby with her, Maude, who wanted to become superhuman. From an early age, Maude was placed in horrible conditions to survive in concentration camps, torture, and interrogation. Maude’s memoirs, “The Only Girl in the World,” however, do not serve as a horrible account of her suffering. Instead, he hopes it will serve as a “jailbreak manual” packed with advice on how to engage in “passive disobedience.” Maude escaped when a music teacher (her father believed that only musicians were saved in concentration camps, and therefore forced her daughter to learn a large number of instruments) told Louis that he should send his daughter to a “hard” music school. She agreed, and Maude took the opportunity to leave. Her father died a few years later.
4. Anna LeBaron
Anna LeBaron’s father, Ervil LeBaron, was the leader of a cult that has been linked to more than 20 murders. Anna grew up when she was taught that her father was the prophet of God and that Ervil’s followers were heavenly children. Author of “The Polygamist’s Daughter,” Anna details the distant relationship she had with her father, who had a total of 13 wives and 50 children. She and her siblings felt isolated and attacked by the outside world, and were forced to work 12 hours a day. While in worship, Anna had no idea that her father was wanted by the FBI because of the murders with which he was connected. Ervil apparently ordered her followers to kill their enemies to “allow them to enter heaven”, and created a master list of murders of those who should be killed. Ervil was eventually captured by the police, but the cult continued. Even the list of murders was followed after Ervil was arrested, and 13-year-old Anna decided it was time to escape. Some of her friends and family were going to be attacked, and she feared for her life. One of her sisters helped her hide in a motel, and she eventually went to college and normal life. By writing her memoirs, Anna hopes to help her family members heal.
3. Rebecca Stott
Author of “On Rainy Days: A Daughter, a Father, a Cult”, Rebecca talks about her education. She and her families were members of a religious cult, the Exclusive Brothers. In an interview with NPR, Rebecca stated that the rules were applied with intense questioning about her sins, and that the punishments would often include isolation that could last for weeks, or until the “sinner” committed suicide. Rebecca details the anger she was forced to bottle. upstairs, and how quietly she was forced to be close to men. When the cult leader Jim Taylor Jr. was found sleeping with a young married member, the entire cult broke down. 8,000 members left the cult, including Rebecca’s family. But that did not mean that her difficulties were over. Rebecca described the overwhelmingness of the outside world with a feeling of vertigo. All the rules of her old life revolved around her as she moved further and further away from her bonds. It took a long time for Rebecca to feel less shocked by the world, and to this day A Bible cannot be opened, which makes a lot of sense. When Rebecca was just 6 years old, she had spent at least 3,000 hours of forced Bible study.
2. Claire Ashman
Claire Ashman grew up in the very traditional Catholic Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). When she left her family and began her life outside of the strictly Latino faith, she was confused and unsure of herself. In many ways, she had no idea or education of her family. That explains why, when she turned 15, she didn’t know it was creepy that a 27-year-old man (William Kamm, aka “The Little Pebble”) showed an interest in her. Unfortunately, with no healthy relationships for her to learn, Claire accepted a marriage proposal from the man. Soon after their marriage, her husband discovered the Order of Saint Charbel, and Claire found herself in the midst of the Last Judgment cult. Claire was even more confused when she was selected as Princess of the Church and was destined to marry the cult leader. For 6 years, she wrestled with the controlling hand of the church and her husband, until one day she landed a book called “The Beautiful Side of Evil,” which revealed the term “worship” to Claire. She immediately understood that she was in a sect and started learning about how to open a bank account, how to sign a lease in an apartment, and how to be free. After learning more about how to survive outside of worship, Claire escaped. Now she hopes that recounting her experiences can help other women find a better life.
1. Carli McConkey
Carli McConkey, who was having a hard time deciding on a career to pursue, came across a booth with the words “Life Integration Programs” (LIP) written on it while attending an Australian Music Festival. Attendees at the LIP booth offered exactly what a recent college graduate might be interested in. The program, which had taught over 10,000 young adults, promised to give its students direction and satisfaction. Attendees at the booth even helped Carli sign up for a free 5-day seminar at a nearby university. Carli went to the seminar and found that her days were filled with mindfulness exercises and healthy food, which was very refreshing. She did not hesitate to sign up for another program, and then another. Eventually, Carli enrolled in the advanced program called The Final Step, which seemed more like a training camp designed to take people down than to build them. Carli recalls the severe sleep deprivation in this remote camp, screaming, food deprivation, and singing. Carli felt she needed to continue the programs. She felt helpless without them and eventually paid over $ 70,000 to attend most of the training programs offered. Carli was so busy with the cult that she even lost connections to her family, and borrowed money from them to pay for the cult. Finally, Carli left when the cult had hit her both physically and emotionally that she couldn’t take it anymore. She left, and only once she was away did she realize that she had spent 13 years abused by a cult.
