Religious Cults

Banished is an eye-opening, deeply personal account of life inside the cult known as the Westboro Baptist Church, as well as a fascinating story of adaptation and perseverance. Since no organized religion will claim affiliation with the WBC, it's perhaps more accurate to think of them as a cult. Lauren Drain was thrust into that cult at the age of 15, and then spat back out again seven years later. Banished is the story of Lauren's fight to find herself amidst dramatic changes in a world of extremists and a life in exile.

In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially mixed, and he was a leader in the early civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to northern California, where he got involved in electoral politics and became a prominent Bay Area leader. But underneath the surface lurked a terrible darkness.

Eleven-year-old Ava O’Brien has always been quiet, observant, and just a little different. But when she tells her parents about a day at school that ended in horror, they’re left shaken and uncertain. Ava’s story is chilling: classmates blindfolded and led into a hidden basement, masked figures performing unthinkable rituals, and a darkness so suffocating that it still haunts her dreams. Her details are vivid, her fear palpable—too vivid to dismiss as fantasy. Teddy and Barbara O’Brien want to believe it’s all in their daughter’s mind. But as cracks form in the facade of their...

When she was 18 years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger - a man 32 years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn's heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church.

❝This is a must-read. Star Wisdom is a great experience in the discovery of higher consciousness. Read on to learn of the real truths about life and death, God and man, and religion and spirituality.❞ – Randolph Winters, author of The Pleiadian Mission This book is for those who want to grow spiritually—to find deep happiness and freedom of spirit. Pleiadian Spirituality is for those willing to take complete responsibility for their own lives, for those who have seen through the false promises of religions, cults, and gurus and yet are still seeking greater spiritual development. ...

Book One of the Hellcat Saga The town burned with holy purpose. But the thing they tried to drive out had already taken root. A broken ritual. A dying girl. And in her place — an orange cat that cannot die. Mayor Waylon Geddes never asked for what followed. He simply stumbled upon the stray. But the creature — ancient and watching — had already chosen him. Now Waylon’s losing time. The town is slipping into madness. And the pastor’s sermons have turned into holy fire. As Sweetwater prepares for a war it cannot win, the god behind those golden eyes watches — vast, silent, and ...

The Cult of Trump is an accessible and in-depth analysis of the president, showing that under the right circumstances, even sane, rational, well-adjusted people can be persuaded to believe the most outrageous ideas. Hassan’s audiobook is essential listening for anyone wanting to understand the Trump phenomenon and looking for a way forward.

The shocking and subversive memoir of a 12-year-NXIVM-member-turned-whistleblower, and her inspiring true story of abuse, escape, and redemption. "Master, would you brand me? It would be an honor." Scarred follows actress Sarah Edmondson's account of her recruitment into the NXIVM cult, founded by Keith Raniere. It narrates in detail the 12 years she spent within the organization, during which she enrolled over 2,000 members, chronicling her breaking point and her harrowing fight to get out, help others, and heal.

One-on-one with Satan. A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene."

Behind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult The Children of God, also known as The Family, as the daughter of high-ranking members. Her great-grandmother donated land for one of The Family’s first communes in Texas. Her mother, at thirteen, was forced to marry the leader and served as his secretary for many years. Beholden to The Family’s strict rules, Daniella suffers physical, emotional, and sexual abuse—masked as godly discipline and divine love—and is forbidden from getting a traditional education.

This three book interracial romance collection contains three full length love stories between black women and their hunky white men (be they dirty bikers or mysterious billionaires). 1. In His World 2. A World Apart 3. Ride In The Dark In His World: We both had dark, secret demons. But our love was what connected us, kept us fighting, and kept us alive. I knew I had outgrown my small, religious town, my strict parents, and my hypocritical boyfriend. They had always taught me the world was full of evil and racist white folks who would tear me down, but I was ready to venture out and stand ...

Four years after his father died a hero's death fighting a fire, Tim Ginocchetti was behind bars for killing his mother. How one tragedy led to another is a true story that puts a horrifying twist on the familiar one of bullied gay teens. In this case, the bully was the teen's own mother, and instead of harming himself he killed her in a momentary but irreversible explosion of rage.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies. Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board. Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a ...

A street preacher decked out in denim robes and running shoes, Julius is a source of inspiration for a community that knows nothing of his scandalous origins. But when a nearby mental hospital releases its patients to run amok in his neighborhood, his trusted if bedraggled flock turns expectantly to Julius to find out what's going on.

When you think of spiritual predators, perhaps you envision the common archetype of the guru or cult leader who brainwashes all of their followers. Or perhaps you imagine the male spiritual teacher who has sex with all of his female students. But this book is about SO much more. Spiritual abuse can encompass many other nuances, including various types of emotional and verbal abuse as well as strange and unusual supernatural interference. The big question is this: Why are spiritual teachers BEYOND REPROACH? In today’s popular spiritual culture, we are not allowed to evaluate or scrutinize ...

In this book, The Queering of the American Child, Logan Lancing and James Lindsay explain what Queer Theory is, where it comes from, how it got into schools, and what it's doing to children nationwide. The cult of Queer Theory preys on children, and it must be understood if we are ever to stop the madness.

There are two issues which confront those who have a heart to share the gospel with the Jehovah's Witnesses: 1) Not knowing what drives their commitment; and 2) Frustration. The end result: both parties arguing by debating scripture. Regardless what is said, the gospel message falls on a hardened heart and deaf ears. In this book, you will learn why the Witnesses are so committed to their beliefs. You will also learn from the personal experiences of an ex-Jehovah's Witnesses how the Witnesses think, why they depend upon the Watchtower, and why leaving the Watchtower organization can be ...

Many have heard of NXIVM and its creator, Keith Raniere, the unassuming Albany man now prosecuted for ensnaring tens of thousands of people in the US, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere to do his bidding and pay millions of dollars to participate in his self-improvement methodology. But where did Keith Raniere begin? Enter Toni Natalie, Keith's Patient Zero, the first one indoctrinated into Raniere's methodology and the first one to escape.

In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that, one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property - complete with boathouse and swimming pool - and the price were too good to pass up. This is the shocking true story of an American dream that turned into a nightmare beyond imagining for the Lutz family, who were forced to flee their new home in terror.

Written by a cult survivor and renowned expert on cults and totalitarianism, Terror, Love and Brainwashing draws on the author's 25 years of study and research to explain how almost anyone, given the right set of circumstances, can be radically manipulated to engage in otherwise incomprehensible and often dangerous acts.