‘I grew up in a cult and managed to break free’
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My parents joined the Children of God in the early 1970s. Back then, it was very much part of the Jesus freaks, hippie revolution. There were lots of people wanting to change the world, to have a different way of being, living outside what was happening politically and socially. I can understand why someone of that generation might say, “stop the world, I want to get off!” – which is essentially what my mum and dad did.
They joined a commune in Bromley. In some ways they were completely separate from society; in others, they were out in it every day, singing and trying to recruit new members. When you have a cult that has gone on for as long as The Children of God [incarnations have been around since 1968], the belief systems inside of it change with the wind. They’ll change based on how the leader is thinking that day, what they “download” from God – and, potentially, how corrupt they’ve become.
By the time I was born, it had gone from being this “revolution for Jesus”-type community to one that was very dangerous. The leader had gone from talking about free love and peace to creating an environment that was toxic and abusive, especially for children. My parents had joined one type of group, and my 11 siblings and I were born into something different.
Content retrieved from: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/children-of-god-cult-escape-b2600088.html.
