NationStates Jolt Archive

Years ago my family was in the Children of God cult aka The Family, in Hawaii. We got out of it but the effects of our time there still have a large impact on our lives.

Just recently, I've been coming across more people who have been in a cult or had family members/friends disappear into one and it made me curious.

This isn't something that a lot of people like to talk about much but I thought I'd put it out there and see what you folk had to say.

Isn't that Manson's cult?

I was a skater. Does that count? :)

I was a skater. Does that count? :)

Only if it was a skating cult.

I have seem 'The Cult', does that count?

Cults are usualy full of young people looking for a reason to life. This is what makes groups like Al Qaeda so dangerous. But then again, the only difference between cult and religion is size.

Isn't that Manson's cult?

Actually, no.

http://www.exfamily.org/index.htm

that's a link if anyone is interested - be aware it is not a pro-Family site [i mention this in case anyone here is a member]

The Children of God had legal issues with child sex abuse in the 80's and re-formed as 'The Family'. Odd that they chose a name that was the same as Charles Manson's little group of followers.

Edwinasia: I was a skater. Does that count?

:D i went through my skater-girl phase - that's a 'cult' I have very fond memories of

I use Vim, a clone of the standard Unix text editor Vi, does that count?

Actually, no.

http://www.exfamily.org/index.htm

that's a link if anyone is interested - be aware it is not a pro-Family site [i mention this in case anyone here is a member]

The Children of God had legal issues with child sex abuse in the 80's and re-formed as 'The Family'. Odd that they chose a name that was the same as Charles Manson's little group of followers.



:D i went through my skater-girl phase - that's a 'cult' I have very fond memories of


Does ice skating count as Sk8ter-Grrl though?;)

Does ice skating count as Sk8ter-Grrl though?;)

1c3 Sk8ter-Grrl *nods*

Only if it was a skating cult.

Skating was a way of life. It was certainly a subculture.

We had our own music, parties, females, clothes and even language.

The world was divided in cool skaters (we), fucking mods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod_revival) (nothing to do with the mods here :p) and wussies (the rest)

One of my aunts is a branch dividian although after waco i geuss their less of a cult and more of a religiouse splinter group, Never really see her much i think she became a black sheep in the family.

(she joined post waco and therefore was not killed by the FBI and ATF torching the place)

Cults are usualy full of young people looking for a reason to life. This is what makes groups like Al Qaeda so dangerous. But then again, the only difference between cult and religion is size.

Are you kidding? The Family is massive - it's a multi-national group that has been around for years. And it's certainly not made up mainly of younger people - we're talking families that have been a part of it for 20 years.

And religion is a pretty broad term - cult falls somewhere on the outer fringes of it, in my opinion

there was a time i stood up with a bunch of other people and put my right hand on my chest abouts where some aorta left my heart as some prayer was recited or some song glorifying war was sung or played.

thank gawd i quit that cult.
careful, they might beat you up if you don't do this while other cult members do,
so just put your hands in your pockets if you have to stand up

Does ice skating count as Sk8ter-Grrl though?;)

:D very funny but i never did ice-skate - can't say I was much use on a skateboard, either, but it was a lot of fun trying and hey, the guys were cute;)

Catholic school... biggest cult there is as far as I'm concerned. I'm just waiting for the day those priests decide to lace the sacramental host with cyanide in preparation for the pending armaggedon.

Actually, no.

http://www.exfamily.org/index.htm

that's a link if anyone is interested - be aware it is not a pro-Family site [i mention this in case anyone here is a member]

The Children of God had legal issues with child sex abuse in the 80's and re-formed as 'The Family'. Odd that they chose a name that was the same as Charles Manson's little group of followers.



:D i went through my skater-girl phase - that's a 'cult' I have very fond memories of

I have nice memories as well. But twenty years later, I don't see anyone from that group. :)

What was so amazing that newcomers were so easily accepted, as long as you could skate, it was ok :)

For the girls we had different rules, but being snobbish was not accepted, unless you were looking very good :)

It also depends on legislation if a religious movement is considered a sect, cult or bona fide religion. In the United States, for example, the Church of Scientology apparently has been acknowledged as an official religion. In many member nations of the European Union, however, the authorities look with suspision at the branches of Scientology within their borders, because of (sometimes violent) intimidation of former members and other criminal acts executed by followers of this fascinating byproduct of poorly written science fiction.

I have nice memories as well. But twenty years later, I don't see anyone from that group. :)

What was so amazing that newcomers were so easily accepted, as long as you could skate, it was ok :)

For the girls we had different rules, but being snobbish was not accepted, unless you were looking very good :)

I got in OK because I did a really stupid stunt and didn't kill myself. Apparently, it was deemed sufficiently 'cool' [for a girl anyway!] so I was tolerated but I wouldn't go so far as to say accepted - I might have had a board but not the other necessary equipment :p. And yes, no snobs allowed!

It also depends on legislation if a religious movement is considered a sect, cult or bona fide religion. In the United States, for example, the Church of Scientology apparently has been acknowledged as an official religion. In many member nations of the European Union, however, the authorities look with suspision at the branches of Scientology within their borders, because of (sometimes violent) intimidation of former members and other criminal acts executed by followers of this fascinating byproduct of poorly written science fiction.


y'know, I think they should be under suspicion for the poorly written sci-fi alone! That's just a crime against literature.

It certainly is, The Ninja Penguin. The only thing worse than the written works of Ron L. Hubbard is when his books are actually being turned into a movie, despite the tons of hilarity that make up "Battlefield Earth". Still I think Tom Cruise should have been flogged with a bullwhip for that flick, but he probably would like the punishment.

Years ago my family was in the Children of God cult aka The Family, in Hawaii. We got out of it but the effects of our time there still have a large impact on our lives.

Just recently, I've been coming across more people who have been in a cult or had family members/friends disappear into one and it made me curious.

This isn't something that a lot of people like to talk about much but I thought I'd put it out there and see what you folk had to say.

were you born into it or did your famiily convert after you were born? how old were you when you left?

do you feel bad about being in it or for having left it and all your friends behind?

I got in OK because I did a really stupid stunt and didn't kill myself. Apparently, it was deemed sufficiently 'cool' [for a girl anyway!] so I was tolerated but I wouldn't go so far as to say accepted - I might have had a board but not the other necessary equipment :p. And yes, no snobs allowed!

Doing a stunt as a girl is seriously rewarded.

In a way, it's some little macho male world :)

I remember that I started to shout at, clearly, non-skaters wearing skate brands as Vision, Airwalks, Vans, Schmitt Stix, ...

We were contra snobbish, but so snobbish by ourselves. :)

I am a Cult!

were you born into it or did your famiily convert after you were born? how old were you when you left?

do you feel bad about being in it or for having left it and all your friends behind?


I was born into it and I was still a kid when we left. We actually had to run away and hide. I don't know exactly why but my parents were freaked out, I do remember that.

I have struggled with the fact that my parents were in it at all - so many lives have been destroyed. As for friends, well a lot of them got out eventually but I think I was more relieved to feel safe than anything else when we left. Since then, I've re-connected with some of them and the scars run deep, the others were there for years after I left.

I am a Cult!

How many people have been in L-rouge?

How many people have been in L-rouge?

Enough.:eek:

NSG is a cult all by itself.

I am a Cult!


:p yeah, yeah - me, too - my followers wear penguin costumes and have to recite long limericks about how awesome I am at skateboarding - we call ourselves the Council of Recovered Alcoholic Penguins. Or CRAP for short.

:D very funny but i never did ice-skate - can't say I was much use on a skateboard, either, but it was a lot of fun trying and hey, the guys were cute;)

In that longish haired, baggy sort of way? Damn I just realised my oldest boy looks exactly like that!

I am a Cult!

Sorry did you mean to put that L there?:D

I was born into it and I was still a kid when we left. We actually had to run away and hide. I don't know exactly why but my parents were freaked out, I do remember that.

I have struggled with the fact that my parents were in it at all - so many lives have been destroyed. As for friends, well a lot of them got out eventually but I think I was more relieved to feel safe than anything else when we left. Since then, I've re-connected with some of them and the scars run deep, the others were there for years after I left.

have you talked to your parents about how they got into it? its unlikely that the bad things were their ideas (although not impossible). hearing their story might help you to put their involvement in perspective.

it takes strength to leave a cult like that and to keep your family safe afterwards. they saved you from a bad fate.

I lead cults.

I agree, Ashmoria. They both became involved with the cult for the same reasons a lot of people do - it seemed kosher on the surface and everyone was very warm and welcoming. It gave them a chance to start fresh and feel that they belonged.

It did take a lot of courage to leave and, while there's still tension over some of the things that happened before we left, I'm grateful that they did leave eventually. I don't blame them for the cult, they were as much victims as anyone else in some ways. My mother and I have talked but my dad has never opened up much about it. I guess it's the same with all families, we each have our baggage to carry around through life.

Enough.:eek:

Psh, it's never enough

I lead cults.
http://www.peachstateposse.com/forum/images/smiles/SmileyBowing.gif
we are not worthy

Psh, it's never enough
Indeed, we need more! The Flying Spaghetti Monster commands it!!!

I'm a clown. :)

I use Vim, a clone of the standard Unix text editor Vi, does that count?

Yes, now burn.

Everyone knows that Emacs is superior.

I'm a clown. :)

ditto.

also, I am 90% sure my friend is in a cult.

ditto.

*performs secret handshake*

ditto.

also, I am 90% sure my friend is in a cult.

You know I have the exact opposite problem. I'm a cult and I'm 90% sure that my friend is in a clown!:D

You know I have the exact opposite problem. I'm a cult and I'm 90% sure that my friend is in a clown!:D

:eek:

Indeed, we need more! The Flying Spaghetti Monster commands it!!!
All glory to His Noddlyness
I'm a clown. :)

ditto.
:eek: They're spreading!

:eek:

Thats right I'm talking clown love! Personally I'm okay with it, in fact some of my best friends are clowns, as long as they don't come on to me!

Thats right I'm talking clown love! Personally I'm okay with it, in fact some of my best friends are clowns, as long as they don't come on to me!

http://www.boomspeed.com/looonatic/evilclowns.jpg

*performs secret handshake*

*slips and falls on her seltzer bottle*
damn it!

*slips and falls on her seltzer bottle*
damn it!

*watches you writhe on the floor* That's new. Did they just add that?

*watches you writhe on the floor* That's new. Did they just add that?

:D

hey! good news! I got me a white face!

:D

hey! good news! I got me a white face!

Gratz! :)

Nation States General

Well, I used to be in this one cult...

We ate zombified flesh and drank blood and we were told that the world is about to end and only the chosen will ascend to heaven.

It has quite a few members, but I'm glad I left it.

I was born into one of the biggest cults around! for initiation you are dunked under water and told if you don't follow its teachings you will suffer for eternity, then you had to do really weird things like pretending to drink blood!! maybe we were being trained to be vampires??!?!?

I was born into one of the biggest cults around! for initiation you are dunked under water and told if you don't follow its teachings you will suffer for eternity, then you had to do really weird things like pretending to drink blood!! maybe we were being trained to be vampires??!?!?

You were in the same cult as me! Not surprising, really, it's quite a large one.

I was born into one of the biggest cults around! for initiation you are dunked under water and told if you don't follow its teachings you will suffer for eternity, then you had to do really weird things like pretending to drink blood!! maybe we were being trained to be vampires??!?!?

Were you told to eat this tasteless paper cookie thing and pretend you were eating your god?

I'm in this ancient cult that believes in an all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing, immaterial, invisible deity that created the world and gave us six hundred and thirteen commandments to live by. We also have the best food.

Well, I used to be in this one cult...

We ate zombified flesh and drank blood and we were told that the world is about to end and only the chosen will ascend to heaven.

It has quite a few members, but I'm glad I left it.

I was born into one of the biggest cults around! for initiation you are dunked under water and told if you don't follow its teachings you will suffer for eternity, then you had to do really weird things like pretending to drink blood!! maybe we were being trained to be vampires??!?!?

Amusing as your posts are, 'cult' and 'religion' are not synonymous. Cults have several distinguishing features, but the main one tends to be that they tend to discourage social ties with non-members, and apostates are completely disowned. This is what makes cults so dangerous: their members become completely dependent on their friends within the cult and they have nobody to fall back on if they want to leave. Some branches of Christianity could be considered cultish (Jehovah's Witnesses for example) but the religion as a whole is not.

Christianity is a mere illusion, its a guise for training vampires :eek:

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/11Gs8ywlmsL._AA160_.jpg

Amusing as your posts are, 'cult' and 'religion' are not synonymous. Cults have several distinguishing features, but the main one tends to be that they tend to discourage social ties with non-members, and apostates are completely disowned. This is what makes cults so dangerous: their members become completely dependent on their friends within the cult and they have nobody to fall back on if they want to leave. Some branches of Christianity could be considered cultish (Jehovah's Witnesses for example) but the religion as a whole is not.

Well, my post wasn't really serious, but Christianity (usually, there are exceptions) does discourage social ties with non-members, and, while apostates aren't completely disowned, they are generally treated with mild disdain at best. This isn't just right-wing nutjobs, either. I know this case is anecdotal, but it's more an illustration of what I mean:

I was hanging out with a Christian friend of mine for his birthday, and most everybody else there was from his church-- not some crazy church, either: they hold tailgates before football games, and have mostly normal people. Now only my friend, Adam, knew that I'm an atheist (or, not very religious, at least-- we don't really discuss it much), and one of their discussions turned to one of their friends who became agnostic.

"What? Agnostic Why?!" or "It must be that roommate of his, he's a bad influence, I think." From otherwise perfectly normal people!

It might not quite be a cult, but even the mainstream has somewhat cultish characteristics.

My big red flag when you cross from religion to cult is control. When you have someone who controls your physical environment, thoughts, emotions, and information sources through fear, intimidation, or abuse, then you are getting into dangerous territory.

Some Christian groups do that, you aren't allowed to watch the news, or read the paper or visit the library or talk to people "outside the group" or have your own thoughts or feelings without being accused of being "possessed" but they aren't the mainstream.

I was briefly involved with the teachings of this fellow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samael_Aun_Weor), but left when his groupies told me I was gay because I masturbated too much in a past life. I'm pretty sure his movement counts as a cult, though I was only ever involved through the distance learning courses they offer in astral projection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIOzE5jpNPo

:)

hahaha! Skaters... I still cannot skateboard... but enough road-rash to show I tried... I was in the "Branch Agg-inline"... not davidian.

My family was in a cult for some time. The leader claimed to be communicating directly with God, and was not to be disagreed with... I disagreed.:D Last i knew my mom may still be in it, but I am considered heathen and/or dead.

I am a proud member of the Masonic Catholic Brotherhood of Zion. For a while I was also a Scientologist, but felt hampered by the materialistic, objective Scientologific Method. I need a little more feeling in my beliefs.

I am a proud member of the Masonic Catholic Brotherhood of Zion. For a while I was also a Scientologist, but felt hampered by the materialistic, objective Scientologific Method. I need a little more feeling in my beliefs.


lmao... why on earth cant you just form your own beliefs and not be a member of any cult religion etc.??

lmao... why on earth cant you just form your own beliefs and not be a member of any cult religion etc.??

My own beliefs are even crazier than my cult's. Trust me, I'm a lot better this way.

Well, my post wasn't really serious, but Christianity (usually, there are exceptions) does discourage social ties with non-members, and, while apostates aren't completely disowned, they are generally treated with mild disdain at best. This isn't just right-wing nutjobs, either. I know this case is anecdotal, but it's more an illustration of what I mean:

I was hanging out with a Christian friend of mine for his birthday, and most everybody else there was from his church-- not some crazy church, either: they hold tailgates before football games, and have mostly normal people. Now only my friend, Adam, knew that I'm an atheist (or, not very religious, at least-- we don't really discuss it much), and one of their discussions turned to one of their friends who became agnostic.

"What? Agnostic Why?!" or "It must be that roommate of his, he's a bad influence, I think." From otherwise perfectly normal people!

It might not quite be a cult, but even the mainstream has somewhat cultish characteristics.


c'mon, it could have been the same response if the conversation was about football teams ;) but I get what you mean - unfortunately, some Christians have their own type of insular behaviour - funny how it has very little to do with the actual teachings of Christ who was and is inclusive and non-discriminating in who and how he interacted/s with us - sadly I see many 'of faith' using their beliefs to discriminate and behave in a very un-Christlike fashion towards others

I am a Cult!

Your claim is less than credible. However, mine is solid. Ever hear of Frisbeeterianism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisbeetarianism)?

Originally posted by Frisbeeteria
Your claim is less than credible. However, mine is solid. Ever hear of Frisbeeterianism?

haha That is great! my only question is what about catholic frisbees... is purgatory the dog's mouth?

I'm an iconoclast. I don't do well with cults.

I have a Mac. Does that count?

I have a Mac. Does that count?

Yes.

I knew somebody who was a Young Conservative - does that count?

I am the leader of a cult that worships me, I currently have about a dozen followers who think I have consumed the Flying Italian American Tomato Sauce Monster.

Years ago my family was in the Children of God cult aka The Family, in Hawaii. We got out of it but the effects of our time there still have a large impact on our lives.

Just recently, I've been coming across more people who have been in a cult or had family members/friends disappear into one and it made me curious.

This isn't something that a lot of people like to talk about much but I thought I'd put it out there and see what you folk had to say.

I went to a corrupt Baptist school that used brainwash methods, they operate like a cult.

In fact they have alot to do with my big sob story and vengeance oath which yall heard a thousand times.

I plan on exposing them for who they really are.

I went to a corrupt Baptist school that used brainwash methods, they operate like a cult.

In fact they have alot to do with my big sob story and vengeance oath which yall heard a thousand times.

I plan on exposing them for who they really are.

Glad to hear it - knowledge is power when it comes to this sort of thing and the more a group's secret dealings are made public, the better the vulnerable can be protected

At the summer camp I used to be a camper at, we found a painting that we thought Bob Ross might have done. So what did we do? Start a religion of course! Bobrosstefarianism we called it, a friend of mine was the Grand Poobah and another the alter boy. Somehow we connected Bob Ross with donkey punching, and by the end of the week, a flag with a dead baby, a Bob Ross painting, and a donkey getting punched hung on the flag pole. We even made up a song for it, which everyone in the entire camp ended up singing.

To the tune of Boom Chicka Boom:
It's a dead tree, it's a dead tree!
It's a dead tree, it's a dead tree!
It's a river, It's a river, It's a river, it's a dead tree!

I use Vim, a clone of the standard Unix text editor Vi, does that count?
Yes! vi Vi Vi is the number of the beast! LONG LIVE EMACS!