Former cult members shared their profound realizations regarding their cult involvement in a Reddit thread. They expressed common themes, such as manipulation by leadership and the impact of questioning beliefs. One user described how the new pastor's leadership, rooted in deceit and selfish motives like establishing multi-level marketing schemes, led to doubts about their community. Another shared a challenging conversation with church elders that led to deeper philosophical questions about obedience and faith. These narratives highlight the emotional toll and struggles associated with cult involvement and the difficulties families face in leaving.
I had been asking a lot of questions. I ended up being pulled aside by several deacons who wanted to talk to me about my questions. They were kind and nice, but eventually, I had a one-on-one with one of the church elders. We had a really interesting conversation on theology, frameworks of thought, and ideology. Even philosophy. At one point, when we started addressing the questions I had, he asked me if I knew what the first sin was. I gave the usual catechism answer of disobedience. He praised my answer and corrected me. He said the first sin was when they questioned God, as it led to the notion that they might know better. That led to disobedience.
When the main pastor died, his son-in-law took over. He was not a pastor. He was a businessman. It later came out that he was very crooked. He'd already been in prison, which all the adults in the church claimed was a setup by the government. He used the church to set up more MLMs, selling everything from vitamins to green tea to his shitty photography. My brother and I pretty much stopped being a part of it after college, but we couldn't convince our parents to leave. Their whole social life was with other members.
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