Welcome to the forum, Laura.

Can you please describe the pamphlet?

Did the gentleman tell you his name?

It's possible you were speaking to a member of the Jesus Christians. They claim they 'work for love and not money'. What they actually do though is plead for donations on the street whilst also cheating the benefits system.

They also claim they 'dedicate their lives to obeying the teachings of Jesus'. In reality they dedicate their lives to obeying their leader's (Dave McKay former member of the notorious ''Children of God'') interpretation of the bible.

They recently ''disbanded'' into various small offshoot groups who all took on new names. By doing this they intended to seek new followers without having the Jesus Christians baggage hanging over them. If you google the group you'll find they have had a lot of bad press throughout the years. They've been involved with various kidnappings and abductions. It's very unlikely they would tell you they are associated to the Jesus Christians however if it is them it's likely they'll be handing out similar books/pamphlets/dvds.

They are a very dangerous and destructive cult and if it is them then I would encourage you to steer well clear.

Hi Laura, could you describe the people you encountered and the name of the mall where you met them? This is a very dangerous and destructive group. You should monitor your son and destroy their literature if you have it in your possession.

Thank you so much, Apollo and Adrian!

I am so grateful that God has lead me to this website, so that I can learn more about this group that my son has shown interest in.

As a parent, I am very aware that my child will have to make his own choices in life, whether or not I agree with them. I am just trying to save Derek from the heartache that he is likely to suffer if he chooses to spend more time with this group.

As to the questions you have asked so far about where I received the pamphlet, and what it was about, I am happy to answer these questions.

First off, my son and I were leaving a mall near Santa Clarita (north of Los Angeles). The young man said his name was Scott. He was either in his early or mid 20's. I looked back a few pages on this website and saw pictures of people who may be related to this group, but he was not one of those in the picture. In the course of our conversation, he metioned that he had been in the group for "nearly a year." No exact dates were given.

As far as the pamphlet he was handing out, I can only share from memory what it was about, as my son took it. It was called "What does it mean to follow Jesus?" and it listed several teachings of Jesus, with a lot of commentary after each teaching listed. My son claims he does not have the pamphlet anymore, so I can't destroy it. What's worse is that he knows the website that is printed on the back of their pamphlets!

I have been trying to engage Derek in discussions regarding what he thinks about what he is reading on their website. Derek is very intelligent, but maybe too trusting of others. I am at a loss often as to how to counter the claims about Jesus made by this group. I have asked Derek's youth pastor to try to talk with him about this as well. I am also asking for more guidance from the senoir pastor of the church we attend.

Since you pointed me in the direction of Googling the Jesus Christians cult, I have begun to do some research on them as well as this group. I am learning more, but I am also very afraid for my son, who will be 18 years old soon, and possibly make some (horrible) life changing decisons!

I am not sure if Derek has been in email contact with Scott or this group, so I can only hope he will let me know what he is thinking and what they are telling him. Please pray for us!

When I tried to determine where this group originated from, in our conversation with Scott, he mentioned that they were only passing through the southern California area, but that they were on their way to meet friends in Vancouver. (I am not sure if that means Washington or Canada).

Any more info that anyone here can share about this group or who they are associated with would be so helpful. I will also try to share what info I can learn about them from my son.

God bless you all!

Hi Laura,

The name Scott doesn't ring a bell. The Jesus Christians have gone underground for the last 18 months though so it's possible they've found new members during this period.

Can you tell us which website you've been looking at?

Thanks

Laura, you can read more about The Jesus Christians here.

[www.culteducation.com]

You'll find various disturbing stories about members donating kidneys. A large majority of their members have donated a kidney. This is something their leader Dave McKay (former member of the notorious ''Children of God'') coerces them into doing. It is believed the cult has raised thousands of pounds by doing this. They even managed to coerce an 18 year old member (Grace Hill-Speed) into donating a kidney just months after joining the cult.

I would also specifically like to point you towards this article -- ''Loss of a fortunate son''.

[www.culteducation.com]

Joe Johnston was secretly groomed from the age of 16 before officially joining the cult at the age of 18. He was a very talented basketball player and an academic who had been accepted to join various top Universities. His dream was to play basketball professionally or become a doctor but those dreams were shattered the day he met a Jesus Christian handing out pamphlets outside a California mall. His family have been put through absolute hell since and unfortunately Joe is still a member of the cult.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2012 08:03PM by Apollo.

First off, my son and I were leaving a mall near Santa Clarita (north of Los Angeles). The young man said his name was Scott. He was either in his early or mid 20's. I looked back a few pages on this website and saw pictures of people who may be related to this group, but he was not one of those in the picture. In the course of our conversation, he metioned that he had been in the group for "nearly a year." No exact dates were given.

What was the name of that mall, please?

Welcome Laura, I think it's good that you are not taking this matter too lightly.

The name of the mall where my son and I were approached is called Valencia Mall in Santa Clarita.

I deeply appreciate you offering more articles to check out this group. I do work a lot, so I will have to make more time to look into the various sites.

So far, I have been looking at the Jesus Christians website, (based on what someone had told me about this groups connection with that group). I have also tried to read eveything written by the group that Scott was promoting. Like I mentioned before, I am sharing the material with the senior pastor of our church, as well as with the youth pastor.

I have been trying to read alot on this website as well, to see how cults indoctrinate people. I am finding it very informative, but also very disturbing.

Can someone tell me a much more simplified version about the connection between these two groups, as I don't have that much time to read through hundreds of articles and web pages. It looks that some people here have done tons of research already!

So far, I have not told Derek about any connection this group has with any other group. Do you think it would be best to keep it from him until I find out more evidence of the cult influence?

Quote
seekinginfo
As far as the pamphlet he was handing out, I can only share from memory what it was about, as my son took it. It was called "What does it mean to follow Jesus?" and it listed several teachings of Jesus, with a lot of commentary after each teaching listed. My son claims he does not have the pamphlet anymore, so I can't destroy it. What's worse is that he knows the website that is printed on the back of their pamphlets!

Can you tell me which website was printed on the back of the pamphlet?

Glenn Griffiths is once again making various false claims on the xjcs forum.

In case we have any newcomers to the thread who may not be aware of this gentleman's connection here – Glenn Griffiths is a very close associate of the Jesus Christians and has been for some time. He has come very close to joining the cult on various occasions. For a very long time now he has made it his duty to try and discredit the cult's critics.

He has been involved with various cults and is a former member of Scientology and the International Church of Christ. He is also a supporter of the racist Australian Defence League and has publicly campaigned for this group.

Glenn has previously posted on this forum under various identities.

PtolemyGlenn:
[forum.culteducation.com]

KingTut:
[forum.culteducation.com]

bigpigweed:
[forum.culteducation.com]

He has been a big contributor on the Jesus Christians forum where he has made hundreds of posts under the name PtolemyGlenn.

[jesuschristians.com]

He has also created a rather disturbing page on Urban Dictionary. This page shows the mentality of the man.

[www.urbandictionary.com]

I do believe Glenn is a very dangerous individual. He has been known to make various violent threats in the past. He clearly still has close connections to the cult and for all we know he may even be a current member. If he is a member he'll likely be travelling with the cult's Australian branch. If you see this gentleman or anyone else connected to the cult please report it on this forum. It is very important that these people are monitored.

Here is a picture of Glenn for identification purposes.