Fargo woman finds her voice after growing up in what she calls ‘a cult’
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FARGO — Sunlight streams through the window of Melanie Rudd’s north Fargo office, illuminating a vibrant explosion of color — hot pink chairs, bold abstract art and a space as lively as the woman who created it.
But for years, her personality was muted, silenced by a rigid religious upbringing and the weight of trauma.
Now, through her new book, she’s using her voice to help other women find theirs.
Rudd was raised in what she describes as a cult-like church. Her grandmother joined Spirit & Life Church in Lake Park, Minnesota, in the 1970s, and the family became deeply entrenched in its strict teachings.
“The signs of a cult,” Rudd explains, “are hyper-dependence on the leader. He wasn’t pointing us to God — he was pointing us to himself.”
She recalls how “Pastor Saul” used his sermons to shame women for their choices — everything from their clothing to their home decor. He even showed up at members’ houses unannounced to inspect the inside of their home.
“Every Sunday or Wednesday, someone new would be at the front of the congregation, tearfully confessing her sin publicly. I remember one woman crying up at the podium because she painted her sunroom yellow. She didn’t know the pastor’s wife had painted one of her rooms yellow. It didn’t matter. This woman grieved the Lord and had to repaint her room another color,” Rudd wrote.
Content retrieved from: https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/fargo-woman-finds-her-voice-after-growing-up-in-what-she-calls-a-cult.
