Cute lol... but I wonder what it says about us that we enjoy watching such a serious issue turned into comedy... *sigh*
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Most religions do not promote violence. However, violence is sometimes carried out in the name of a faith or diety by a relatively small number of people who are generally considered to be on the "fringes" of said religion. In some cases, groups have come to power and acted violently in the name of a faith or diety with large-scale consequences (the Crusades for example). However, ev
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Cults? Plural? Yikes... Please consider getting some real-world help (as in, not on the internet) so that you will be better equipped to both help your three year old and also keep your vow not to be involved in other cults.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Question - why is the media considered a credible source when dealing with "cults," but not when it reports something negative about an "established religion?"
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Well when the leader of any group (the new Pope...) is a confessed former Nazi soldier, you're going to get some strange comments on both sides of the equation I suppose. :?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Elohim City believes "the end is here" in 2006? I knew someone who had been involved with them and used to kinda follow their story but I haven't been paying attention to them lately. When did this come about? Just curious. I don't know of anyone that's thinking of 2006 aside from the ones you've listed, however I do know that a LOT of groups think that this ye
Forum: Destructive Churches

Apparently some guy in England ran an ad asking people to "join," but didn't specify what they were joining, as a joke? And accidentally ended up with a wold-wide following, got labled a cult, decided their cause should be to encourage random acts of kindness, and ended up with a book deal. I stumbled accross it on another cult-watch type forum and it was just so bizzare I
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteTBPAlthough the government said they went to Waco jsut to arrest Koresh (real name Vernon Howell) and other BD leaders, reprtedly Koresh and others went in and out of teh complex during the time it was surrounded. Not exactly. The government had the group under observation - with undercover agents posing as college students in a house accross the highway - for over a year. During that ti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

UPDATE: The parents agreed to allow radiation treatment when it was shown that her cancer was not in remission as previously thought. The other children were returned to the parents custody almost immediately. The story seems to have dropped from the news but I would assume that (hopefully) the girl has been allowed to return to her parents as she continues to battle cancer. The case looks mo
Forum: Destructive Churches

Good point about people believing anything they see in print :shock:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I wasn't sure where to put this... or if it's even really appropriate, but it seems a topic of intense interest in the religious world today so I thought it relevant. The Davinci Code, the book that has ardent supporters and angry detractors, the book that proposes theories that could supposedly "turn Christian belief upside down," is still on the best seller list. Have yo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There were only nine survivors of the 4/19/93 fire, but over thirty women, children, and elderly exited Mt. Carmel during the 51 day siege - and as far as I can tell, no official list of those people is publicly available. I used to think that the group had been completely wiped out in '93 but when I started researching it as a young adult looking back on a very wierd childhood and trying t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thank you for pointing out that the Davidians had lived peacefully in the Waco area for decades. In a way, that goes back to the issue of people who still "stick with" the Davidians... people like Clive Doyle, who was mentioned earlier in this thread - had been with the group long before Koresh came along. The whole history of the group was one leader following another, which was fine
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There's a lot more than just two sides to the story... more like about a hundred. And none of them are "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." I was raised there and I can't even give you that - all I can give you is my perspective, what I saw, what I experienced. After living with the shadow of the tragedy for twelve years, I've quit trying to find th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks rrmoderator. I am aware of the controversy surrounding "repressed memories" and the things that have happened to innocent families because of the allegations made by grown children who allowed themselves to be hypnotized by a therapist who then abused the situation. IMHO these therapists are no better than any other "cult leader" and what they are doing is the exact s
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I can understand not getting the chicken pox vaccine as that is a relatively minor illness when contracted by an otherwise healthy child, and the vaccine is known to wear off after approximately ten years - making teens vulnerable to the disease at a time when it is much more likely to have potentially fatal complications. The stories that I have read about Christian Scientists & child
Forum: Destructive Churches

It just depends on your experiences in the cult. Two years, or only two days, or twenty years... are equal in one respect, when you become a part of a cult - for however long - that experience becomes a part of your life, a part of your past, a part of who you are. You can leave the cult, go on with a happy, healthy life, and never think about it again - but that experience is still a part of y
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

JoAnne, your journey sounds so much like mine. I think to an extent, everyone creates their own personal inner beliefs - whether they even realize it or not. Take any "mainstream" religious group... and take their own list of their doctrines and beliefs... and then try to find a single member who, when pressed, will honestly say that they agree with every single word of it. In my ex
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Toni, Thank you for the kind words again. I'm glad that your children were largely unscathed by your family's experiences and that you have been able to talk to them about your family's past and work through it together as a family. We as "cult kids" are pretty much on our own as you said. Even the "experts" don't really seem to know what to do with
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nativeflower ~ I think it is natural to think about your experience and the friends & people you cared about who are still in the group. Your family means well but unless you've personally been through the experience of getting mixed up with a cult and trying to leave it, I don't think you can really understand what it is like for 'people like us.' So they tell you t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

You are right to be cautious! First of all, the counselor is using mind-control tactics on particularly vulnerable individuals and her behavior should definately be brought to the attention of the rehab center's directors. His wife is correct in stating that during rehab is not the time to make a huge, life-affecting decision about matters of faith. Any religious leader with a proper pe
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

What specifically makes it difficult to live with? I think perhaps it will be *slightly* easier to address specific concerns. The more specifically you point to individual, recognizable behaviors, the more likely others are to see the difference that you are talking about. I had a college roommate that was in an evangelical Christian church... which is by far not the same situation as you, but
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Actually the first problems in the group began when George Roden took over leadership of the group in the early eighties. The dispute between him and Koresh over leadership and Roden's removal of corpses from the private cemetary eventually led to an armed confrontation between the two men and a handful of followers of each. Just to clarify :) Thanks for the links, I'm going to def
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

rrmoderator ~ Kiri and I are about the same age. I have watched the footage of her testimony to congress, a thousand times. I'm not her though, and I've never had the opportunity to speak to her about what happened. So really, anything I can say about her is only the speculation of another child. That's why I generally try to speak about my own experiences, while recogn
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHave your parents moved on, or are they still loyal to Koresh in some way? Have they sorted through the cult aspects of the group since 1993? My parents rarely ever even speak of our past. I've tried to sort through what I personally experienced but it seems that everywhere I turn, there are vague lables of cult behavior, cult aspects, etc. but no one seems to be able to give me
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I've read the articles, studied the "facts," etc. I can only speak for myself (in other words, I'm not going to debate the testimony of Kiri Jewel or Robyn Bunds), but the things I read about how horrible Koresh was and how all of the children were abused simply don't match with my personal experiences and memories. Was I so controlled that I didn't realize the ext
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteUnder what circumstances did you leave the compound? My family left in 1989 after the "new light" revelation. I'd just turned ten that year. We moved away but still kept in touch with several people via phone and mail. My parents had a vacation lined up for the summer of 1993, and were planning to spend it at Lake Waco, and visit with our friends while we were in the area.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Oh wow, what to say. I just commented in another thread here, that I was raised a Branch Davidian. Then I saw this thread and wanted to give my thoughts, but I am unsure where to even begin. I guess I'll start with what's bound to draw the most questions. Contrary to popular belief, I was not physically or sexually abused by David Koresh or anyone else at Mt. Carmel. But of cours
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hello :) I apologize for intruding if I am not doing this properly. I didn't see an introduction forum :) I was raised a Branch Davidian. That probably says enough to get 100 questions, 50 people trying to save my soul, twenty five telling me to go south, and at least half as many fights LOL. So I'll just leave it at that for now and feel free to ask questions, I can't p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"