I think Gary is just as much a victim as the other members. Some of them have done things that were wrong. Sometimes very wrong. The kind of abuse that I witnessed was psychological. I do know of a several examples of physical abuse. It was not widespread. I cant be everywhere so I dont know.

Im not sure if I was even alive when you were part of the cult. I said in my first post that I was born into it. Im sorry you were hurt and you cant let go even though I think you stopped being part of the cult about 30 or more years ago. I dont know if you were phsyicaly hurt by members or not.

I myself have never hurt anyone on purpose.

I hope you are able to let go of whatever happened to you. It is not healthy to hold onto the type of heavy emotions you speak of. If you dont let go, you may never heal.

One last thing. Beyondeverythingnow. He left me his number over a year ago and I called him. He's not trying to rejoin the group. Beyondeverythingnow is a member. He wants the names of people who oppose this group. They are paranoid. They know that some members have friends or family that secretly oppose them. They want names.
These are bad people. Very very bad people.

I can't rest. Beyondeverythingnow may have been tossed off but other members read these posts and pm the posters. My box if full so I can only be reached on the board.
Ok...
Gary was about 20yrs old or so and he befriends this 15 year old boy...a group member.
So this young boy is elated.
The 15 year old becomes so full of pride...strutting around...filled with words of grandeur and talking about becoming a prince or something.
Gary is really making this 15 year old feel special you know...like he's being ''groomed'' for something.
Well he was.
Gary was grooming him for a ''special visit'' with Jack. You know, Jack Hickman the supposed great great great etc...descendent of the Messiah....blah blah blah...
So the 15/16 year old finally has this ''special'' and private meeting with Jacko which Gary Coons sets up.
Afterward the young man sinks into a deep state of depression.....
Anyhow.....
So...
This Gary Coons...he's a nice guy?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Gary Coons is married to a pretty woman and has a cute kid? Well that's a testimony to what a turkey baster and NAMBLA magazine can help accomplish.
There.......
This post will surely provoke emotion in any members........
Come one.....
Try and prove me wrong.....
Did he or didn't he groom young men for special meetings with Jacko??????????????????

My Good Name:

"...let go of whatever happened to you. It is not healthy to hold onto the type of heavy emotions you speak of. If you don't let go, you may never heal."

Frankly, here it seems like you are saying if people remain critical about what happened to them and explain this to others it's not what you define as being able to "let go."

Does this mean you expect people that have been abused to remain silent?

People have a legitimate right to speak out and inform others about a group or leader they feel has been abusive.

This can not only be meaningful and empowering component of their recovery and healing process, but it also benefits others who might be affected by a similar group.

See [www.culteducation.com]

I have never seen, or even heard of, anything physically abusive (aside from the News Day article, which was before my time). It was only ever psychological abuse, like My Good Name said, but that has been extensive, nonetheless. For many, mental abuse has been highlighted by a contemplation of suicide; for having been told the world was ending and feeling hopeless, for having found yourself suddenly on the wrong side of the rules and feeling like a failure, for having accepted that your life has been lived in vain thus far. SEVERAL MEMBERS have confessed to me suicidal thoughts, the worst of which stand regardless of how this all should play out: "If it's true, I'm completely @#$'d, if it's not, than my life is meaningless."

Nevertheless, they bred an entire generation of apathetic youth, never expecting to have careers, families, etc... Now they do, and the last thing they care about is heeding the teachings of a man who told their parents that the world would end in their lifetime. Again, as the years continue to pass by, people are starting to accept that nothing is happening, and that they were fools to think anything ever would. Consequently, Gary doesn't have near as much power as you might think. The youth are beyond gone on that front; aside from a small few. Even the older generation is losing faith.

Fallen,
I sincerely pray that you are right. You describe feelings that I also had decades ago when I left. The hopelessness. I understand of course that people in the group, even the older ones, have lost faith but....I believe that they have lost faith in the man Jack Hickman. I fear, I mean I really really am fearful and seriously concerned about the new leadership. I believe that the faith which was placed in Jack and his doctrine is now be redirected
to Gary and other leaders and their doctrine.
I admit that I haven't seen what goes on now. But I know this Gary character and as well, I know some other men who are leading this group now.
Put yourself in my shoes for a moment.
Thirty years ago the young men who were closest to Jack Hickman and the MOST DECEIPTFUL people I had ever or will EVER know.....these men are leading the children born into this cult.
OK....so these children have grown up depressed and without faith in Jack.
Now there is a well spoken, clean cut looking and....dare I say....charismatic Gary Coons ......
What is their view of Gary???????

Quote
rrmoderator
My Good Name:

"...let go of whatever happened to you. It is not healthy to hold onto the type of heavy emotions you speak of. If you don't let go, you may never heal."

Frankly, here it seems like you are saying if people remain critical about what happened to them and explain this to others it's not what you define as being able to "let go."

Does this mean you expect people that have been abused to remain silent?

People have a legitimate right to speak out and inform others about a group or leader they feel has been abusive.

This can not only be meaningful and empowering component of their recovery and healing process, but it also benefits others who might be affected by a similar group.

See [www.culteducation.com]

I think it can be very healthy to talk about what happened to you. I think when someone opens up about what happened to them this is a very good thing. If it is something that they heard happened, that should be mentioned so things do not get confusing.

One more thing- who are the very very bad people sallie is warning us about and what are they threatening us with and who would they harm and how. Should we warn the people we know. It makes me worry about posting here. Are we safe?

Pequa,
For one Gary Coons. I'll just say that I feel positive that any person who is 50 or older and who has been involved for 30 years or more and who was close to Jacko , would concern me.
Here is why. The 50+ crowd who were involved in the late 70s and early 80s and who stayed in the group were members who accepted things which...well....read my post about Gary and the 15 year old.
Stuff like that was the norm.
How about a group of 20+ young men who get a 14yr old violently drunk on the purim holiday...it's a holiday where wine is drunk. I have vivid memories of a young boy who was so violently ill that I was wondering if someone shouldn't take him to the hospital. Alcohol can actually kill a person. The older group of men that I remember were some of Jack's finest boys and are .... I am certain...now leading the youth. These young men were laughing themselves into absolute hysterics as they watched a YOUNGER AND MORE IMPRESSIONABLE HUMAN BEING BECOME ILL BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED....FOLLOWED....FOLLOWED THEIR LEAD.....
This kind of interaction and relationship is not normal. It is callous, inhumane and if a bunch of frat boys did it to a PEER it would be looked down upon...but these were not frat boys dealing with a peer...these were the men who I now believe lead the youth and the incident I describe is probably a reflection of how they still view the youth....as impressionable, gullible puppets who can tickle their giggle bones by following them down the wrong path....
Also...none of them even pretended to believe what they helped the two pastors and Jack preach. Can I mention names??? OK how about this....I'll mis spell names....
OK...members of the cult were rigidly following Saboth rules taught by Jack and elders in the 70s. Did you know that Hecks, Smastad and Uddin and Olstin never followed those rules in their own home even though they helped teach and preach those rules. They all had young men and I assume some of those young men are now leading the youth.
I use the word bad. I believe lyars are bad. I believe anyone who brazen and callously deceives impressionable human beings for no other reason than to get a laugh or feel powerful.....is bad. The cult doesn't teach that. They teach that to lie is necessary for survival and self preservation. I think that is bad.
I'm sorry about your mom. I also lost family.