Hi readers, You may know I was swept into a cult for a time. Yeah, a really long time. Seventeen years. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. I was recruited when I was a teenager. I was ignorant. I was … [Read more…]
You may know that I have an adult daughter: Rachel Chase. Among her many talents, she is a most amazing yoga instructor. Women my age who have taken her Gentle Yoga classes stop to tell me how healing and joyful she is. How she has helped them. What mother doesn’t melt at hearing … [Read more…]
On June 17, 2015, a Google Alert came to my Inbox that included a link to The North Africa Post article: “Religious Leaders Discuss in Brussels ‘Living together and disagreeing well.’” Yay. A plea for civil discourse! It turns out that 15 religious leaders from major religions met in Brussels, Belgium, in June this year … [Read more…]
Phenomena known as mind-control or brainwashing have been written about by psychologists, sociologists, and many other “ists.” Now it’s my turn. Note: This post was written in 2015, about one year before I published my memoir, Undertow, about my cult experience. My name is Charlene, and I am a former … [Read more…]
Cults have not disappeared and nobody consciously joins one. A person “joins” a group that offers something they need or want, but sometimes the group turns out to be a camouflaged cult. Even groups that offer friendship, love, promises of healing, guarantees of self-improvement, or “the accuracy of God’s Word.” Let’s define … [Read more…]