Maria Esguerra escaped the Children of God at the age of 22 with her two children who have disabilities. Maria’s firsthand experience drives her passion to support fellow survivors of cults and institutions, advocating for specialised understanding, interventions and access to governmental schemes such as Redress. Maria has actively engaged in media and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people escaping coercive environments. She founded a support group for second and multi-generational survivors (also referred to as SGAs or MGAs) from all cults. It addresses the devastating impacts from these groups, including abuse, denial of basic rights and forced labour. Maria is also a psychologist and the founder of Assessable.

Links:

• Maria Esguerra — Linktree
• Maria Esguerra — Director at Assessable
• Decult profile — Maria's information at the recent Decult Conference
• I lived under the so-called 'law of love' and it was terrifying – cult survivor — by Ryan Boswell, 1News, 17 October 2024
• CIFS Australia — Cult Information & Family Support
• The Olive Leaf Network
• Escaping Utopia — by Janja Lalich & Karla McLaren, Routledge, 2017
• The Strange Situation Experiment — more about Mary Ainsworth's work on attachment theory
• Erikson's stages of psychosocial development — more about Erik Erikson's work
• Make it Meaningful: How to find purpose in life and work — by Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Simon & Schuster, 2023
• Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth — by Gillie Jenkinson, Routledge, 2023
• Stop Religious Coercion Australia — Advocacy group started by a former Geelong Revival Centre member
• Writing to Reckon — Gerette Buglion's workshops, retreats, journal, and more

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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Gerette Buglion holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education, and earned her ‘Master's Degree’ in cult awareness education from the school of life. She emerged from her 18-year cult odyssey in 2014 at age 52, and asked herself, "How did I, an educated, caring mother, wife, and business owner become that lost and for that long?" Gerette then set to work studying cultic dynamics, while reclaiming her autonomy with the help of a supportive family, therapy, and countless hours immersed in nature and writing.

Gerette's memoir An Everyday Cult was published in 2021, and followed by her second book, Writing to Reckon Journal – for Survivors of Spiritual, Religious, and Cultic Abuse. She is the founder of Living Cult Free, a nonprofit supporting the creative expression of survivor stories and empowering advocacy through education.

Links:

• Gerette Buglion — Gerette's website
• An Everyday Cult — by Gerette Buglion, 2021
• Writing to Reckon Journal — by Gerette Buglion, 2023 (PDF version for US$5 here)
• Writing to Reckon — Gerette's workshops, retreats, journal, and more
• Living Cult Free — 501c3 nonprofit empowering and educating cult survivors and advocates
• Living Cult Free: the podcast
• Dr Dan Siegel — executive director of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA
• Gentle Souls Revolution — Esther Friedman's website
• Faith Jones — author of I Own Me and Sex Cult Nun
• Beth Matanaer — Finding the Path Within You (or as Beth says, "You are your own expert")

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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Ewan Whyte's feature essay, ‘The Cult That Raised Me’ – about the United States based Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College – includes the introduction, “When I was 11, my parents sent me to Grenville Christian College, a prestigious Anglican boarding school in Brockville. It turned out to be a perverse fundamentalist cult that brainwashed, abused and terrorized students. For decades, the school tried to intimidate us into silence. It didn’t work.”

Ewan Whyte is a writer, art and cultural critic. He has written for the Globe & Mail and the Literary Review of Canada. He is the author of Desire Lines: Essays on Art Poetry & Culture, Shifting Paradigms: Essays on Art and Culture and Entrainment, a book of poetry, and a translation of the rude ancient Roman poet Catullus. His feature essay 'The Cult that Raised Me' was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Ewan's upcoming book, Mothers of Invention: Essays on the Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College, will be released in June and is available for preorder now. In advance of its release, Ewan shared some of his research and thoughts about these two organisations.

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

Links:

• Mothers of Invention: Essays on the Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College — by Ewan Whyte, Wolsak & Wynn, 2025
• The Cult That Raised Me — by Ewan Whyte, Toronto Life, 5 January 2021
• I-Team: Former Members Of Cape Religious Group Allege Emotional Abuse, 'People Don't Realize The Mind Control' — WBZ News, 4 November 2021
• Aaron Bushnell: Friends struggle to comprehend US airman's Gaza protest death — by Kayla Epstein & Angelica Casas, BBC News, 3 March 2024

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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When asked about the Hare Krishnas, most people will conjure images of dancing, chanting people with colourful robes and joyful dispositions. Members of the general public, whom Hare Krishnas refer to as 'karmis', may have encountered devotees through their vegetarian food offerings at music festivals or city restaurants. Their anti-LGBTQI+ and patriarchal beliefs, as well as the darker aspects of their history – including horrifying stories of abuse, and even murders – come as a surprise to many.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

Links:

• Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA — by Ramai Swami, 27 September 2021
• Authoritarian Culture and Child Abuse in ISKCON — by Nori J. Muster, Cultic Studies Review, 3(1), 2004
• Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON complaint — Plaintiffs’ original petition in the Dallas lawsuit, Surrealist.org, filed 25 October 2001
• How I Once Was a Hare Krishna… — by Christopher Fici, Medium, 7 January 2023
• Holy Cow, Swami — documentary by Jacob Young, 1996
• History — ISKCON Child Protection Office, accessed January 2025
• Child Abuse in the Hare Krishna Movement: 1971-1986 — by E. Burke Rochford, Jr. with Jennifer Heinlein, ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol. 6, #1, June 1998
• Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON Timeline — Surrealist.org (Nori Muster’s website), accessed January 2025
• Tortured Souls — by Mark Donald, Dallas Observer, 6 December 2001
• Dial Om for Murder — by John Hubner & Lindsey Gruson, Rolling Stone, Issue 497, 1987
• Religion: Control Stressed at Krishna Children’s School — by Eleanor Blau, The New York Times, 25 November 1973
• Why ISKCON Needs to be on Guard Against “Cultic Behavior” — by Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON News, 26 July 2024
• The Krishna Cult — by Paul Ford, Mad After Krishna, 1994

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When asked about the Hare Krishnas, most people will conjure images of dancing, chanting people with colourful robes and joyful dispositions. Members of the general public, whom Hare Krishnas refer to as 'karmis', may have encountered devotees through their vegetarian food offerings at music festivals or city restaurants. Their anti-LGBTQI+ and patriarchal beliefs, as well as the darker aspects of their history – including horrifying stories of abuse, and even murders – come as a surprise to many.

Part 2 is already available to Patreon supporters, and will be released on the main feed on Wednesday 19 February. Full research sources listed here.

Links:

• Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA — by Ramai Swami, 27 September 2021
• Authoritarian Culture and Child Abuse in ISKCON — by Nori J. Muster, Cultic Studies Review, 3(1), 2004
• Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON complaint — Plaintiffs’ original petition in the Dallas lawsuit, Surrealist.org, filed 25 October 2001
• How I Once Was a Hare Krishna… — by Christopher Fici, Medium, 7 January 2023
• Holy Cow, Swami — documentary by Jacob Young, 1996
• History — ISKCON Child Protection Office, accessed January 2025
• Child Abuse in the Hare Krishna Movement: 1971-1986 — by E. Burke Rochford, Jr. with Jennifer Heinlein, ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol. 6, #1, June 1998
• Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON Timeline — Surrealist.org (Nori Muster’s website), accessed January 2025
• Tortured Souls — by Mark Donald, Dallas Observer, 6 December 2001
• Dial Om for Murder — by John Hubner & Lindsey Gruson, Rolling Stone, Issue 497, 1987
• Religion: Control Stressed at Krishna Children’s School — by Eleanor Blau, The New York Times, 25 November 1973
• Why ISKCON Needs to be on Guard Against “Cultic Behavior” — by Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON News, 26 July 2024
• The Krishna Cult — by Paul Ford, Mad After Krishna, 1994

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let’s Talk About Sects did a deep dive episode about the Two by Twos, also known as The Truth, in October 2020. In the years since we recorded, huge numbers of followers in the USA in particular have left as more and more allegations of child sexual abuse have been made against workers, and the FBI is currently investigating the organisation.

It was never Abbi and Mike Prussack's intention to become involved in advocacy work, but once the couple became aware of the extent of the abuse and how it was concealed, there didn’t seem to be an option other than putting the real truth out into the world and attempting to create some transparency where there was none before. Abbi and Mike have been releasing information that the Two by Twos have kept hidden for decades, and Abbi co-founded a not-for-profit called Voices for the Truth to help provide education and resources to victim-survivors of the organisation.

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

Links:

• Voices for the Truth — victim-survivor-led NFP co-founded by Abbi
• Seeking Victim Information in 2x2 Investigation — FBI page with links to form to submit tips
• Voices for the Truth RAINN Hotline: 928-756-8654 (US only)
• Ex-2x2 Support Group on Facebook — this group membership is limited to ex-members or those who are in the process of leaving
• Ex-2x2 Support Group on YouTube
• 2x2 Church Updates — current events page
• Our 2x2 Story — Mike & Abbi's TikTok
• Kyle Hanks' YouTube — channel discussing many aspects of 2x2 life
• Timeline of events and publicly named perpetrators since the release of the Dean Bruer letter
• Bridges and Balm — Survivor care organisation with funding available internationally to help with therapeutic care
• Preserving the Truth — by Cherie Kropp-Ehrig, Clarion Call Publishing, 2022 (also on Amazon)
• Telling the Truth — Cherie Kropp-Ehrig's informational website

With thanks to The Finance and Property Survival Guide, presenting partner of Let's Talk About Sects.

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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Richard Baker's Pray Harder podcast for LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep series delves into the world of the Geelong Revival Centre, which Richard describes as “one of Australia’s most extreme” Pentecostal churches. The GRC has the same roots as the Revival Fellowship, and its pastor was a man named Noel Hollins who died in April 2024 after 65 years in leadership. Pray Harder shares some shocking stories of a number of former members, and it’s a vital listen.

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to The Finance and Property Survival Guide, presenting partner of Let's Talk About Sects.

Links:

• Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder podcast
• Stop Religious Coercion Australia — Facebook page
• Southern Ocean Media — Richard Baker's production company

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com).

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Melbourne you might have picked up a book or a comic from a Jesus Christian outside Flinders Street Station, or you could have seen their religious graffiti messages along Sydney’s railway lines. But while they portray themselves as an altruistic Christian community living life by faith and rejecting the money motivation of work, former members have been shunned and demonised, and parents tell heartbreaking stories of losing their relationship with their child after they have joined the Jesus Christians.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to The Finance and Property Survival Guide, presenting partner of Let's Talk About Sects.

Links:

• JC History 1981 - 1996 — Jesus Christians official website, accessed December 2024
• Australians find godliness in latrines and sewers of Madras — by Tim McGirk, The Independent, 25 June 1994
• Kidneys for Jesus — Jon Ronson’s 2003 documentary
• Comments on Kidneys for Jesus — The Jesus Christians’ response to Jon Ronson’s documentary, accessed December 2024
• Blood sacrifice and Blood sacrifice (part two) — by Jon Ronson, The Guardian, 6 April 2002
• Kicked Out — by Alan, Making it Real, June 2013
• Why did we leave the Jesus Christians, led by Dave McKay? — by Sue, Making it Real, undated
• The Rise and Fall of the Jesus Christians — by Ross, Making it Real, 2013
• Australian Christian group fights claim it was linked to leader of Kenya starvation massacre doomsday cult — by Elle Hardy, The Guardian, 28 November 2023
• The Guardian's Shakahola Article by Elle Hardy | The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly — the Jesus Christians’ commentary on The Guardian article, undated

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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The media coverage of the Jesus Christians tends to outweigh their size. Most people who have heard of them recognise the name ‘The Kidney Cult’, derived from an initiative where numerous members have donated one of their kidneys to a stranger. What may be surprising is that the person who first suggested that name was the Jesus Christians’ founder himself, Dave Mckay.

Part 2 is already available to Patreon supporters, and will be released on the main feed on Wednesday 25 December. Happy holidays all!

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to The Finance and Property Survival Guide, presenting partner of Let's Talk About Sects.

Links:

• JC History 1981 - 1996 — Jesus Christians official website, accessed December 2024
• Australians find godliness in latrines and sewers of Madras — by Tim McGirk, The Independent, 25 June 1994
• Kidneys for Jesus — Jon Ronson’s 2003 documentary
• Comments on Kidneys for Jesus — The Jesus Christians’ response to Jon Ronson’s documentary, accessed December 2024
• Blood sacrifice and Blood sacrifice (part two) — by Jon Ronson, The Guardian, 6 April 2002
• Why did we leave the Jesus Christians, led by Dave McKay? — by Sue, Making it Real, undated
• The Rise and Fall of the Jesus Christians — by Ross, Making it Real, 2013
• Australian Christian group fights claim it was linked to leader of Kenya starvation massacre doomsday cult — by Elle Hardy, The Guardian, 28 November 2023
• The Guardian's Shakahola Article by Elle Hardy | The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly — the Jesus Christians’ commentary on The Guardian article, undated

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah moderated a panel discussion at the recent Decult conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, entitled 'A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting'. The panel featured MISA survivor Bec Sonkkila, documentary filmmaker Natalie Malcon, RNZ investigative reporter Anusha Bradley, and media law Professor Ursula Cheer. This bonus episode is a recording of the session, courtesy of Decult, and you can access a package of recordings from the entire conference at decult.net/tickets.

Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.

Links:

• Decult conference — online session recording package available from the Decult website
• Tantric yoga guru Gregorian Bivolaru charged with human trafficking — AAP article in The Guardian for further reading about MISA, 29 November 2023

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com).

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Revival Fellowship is a Pentecostal Australian sect that believes in Bible Numerics, a thoroughly debunked theory about numerical patterns found within the Bible. It also teaches British Israelism, generally considered to be unscientific and ahistorical and by some as a justification for racism. The Fellowship would say its teachings are in line with 'complementarianism', though women have no place in the hierarchy or leadership of the organisation. Over the years since it formed from a schism with Revival Centres International in the 1990s, the offshoot (as well as the RCI itself) has faced numerous accusations from former members that it operates as a cult.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

Links:

• Heart of Fire: The Story of Australian Pentecostalism — by Barry Chant, House of Tabor, 1984
• The British-Israel Myth - Christian Identity and the Lost Tribes of Israel — by Nick Greer, 2004
• Revival Stories & Document Archive — “a historical document archive and collection of stories of members and former members of the Revival Centres groups of churches”, accessed October 2024
• An Open Letter from Paul Longfield (son of Lloyd Longfield) — 27 November 1988 letter and undated letter
• Forum for ex-members of Revival Churches — accessed September/October 2024
• Revival On the Air Today — Revival Fellowships podcast featuring interviews with John & Janet Kuhlmann in 2019
• Leaving a Revival Church Is Hard, but It’s Worth It — by Mark Darbyshire, Medium, 20 July 2022
• The link between gender inequality and violence against women — Our Watch, accessed October 2024
• Letter to the Adelaide Revival Fellowship — by Jean and Frank O’Flaherty, 20 January 1998
• Ivan Panin and Friends — Australian National University webpage that includes links to Panin’s Panic, the program created by Brendan McKay in 1997
• Papua New Guinean revivalist churches push dangerous campaign for 'faith-healing' of AIDS — by Liam Cochrane, ABC News, 22 July 2014

Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.

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