My Own Personal Experiences
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would like to share with you my own personal experiences with one cult
in particular, The Church Of Bible Understanding (COBU, formerly known
as The Forever Family).
What can we say about the Church of Bible Understanding? First of all, for all of their faults, they are definitely serious about what they are in to. Since I've been out of contact with them for awhile, I decided to pay them a call. These guys are the masters of persuasion. They are very evasive of direct questions, seeking to turn the questions around so that the conversation focuses on yourself rather than them. Every attempt to carry on a conversation with them results in them attempting to convert you to their beliefs. They simply refuse to deal with anything else. They also prey on basal fears, such as death. They will say things like "…but you are going to die one day… are you prepared?" This approach hits to the base of many, which is why they're so effective. They have an air of reserved dogma about them that is nearly impossible to penetrate. It has been a long time since I've been involved with them -- 15 or so years. But they still manage to find all the right buttons to push. But since I know their modus operandi, I can slip past all of them. It all happened one blustery day in 1980, in front of The Gallery in downtown Philadelphia. Twelve of them standing in a line doing the "Art Show", a series of beautifully hand-drawn pictures based on a chapter out of the Christian bible, John 3. Being 18 and an atheist at the time, I decided to give them a chance to state their position. So I went down the line of their "Art Show", and at the end there was one of their "sisters", Shelly, waiting to talk to me. We spoke at length about the bible, Jesus, etc. Then a "brother" came over, Arnold, to converse (convert?) with me about "being born anew". Much more time passed as we discussed many issues which completely escapes me now. The next thing I knew was that we were praying together. After we prayed, I recall feeling "wonderful, like a big burden was lifted", and that convinced me, in my naiveté at the time, that I was "born anew". Now what really happened here? Was it that I was some sort of weak-minded kid? No. I really felt at the time that they "had the Truth". The COBU people comprises many from different cultures and backgrounds, in effect, every walk of life, all working together for their common goal. They are also non-traditionalists -- they believe in taking action, not sitting on their duffs every Sunday, which also drew me in. They also seemed intelligent and quick-witted. So, I got involved. I went to a few of their bible studies, at what was called the Lamb House at the time. I was so enchanted with seeing so many people my own age there, all motivated, smiling, and happy all the time with "Thank you Jesus" and "Praise God" punctuating every other sentence. It almost seemed like heaven itself. I got a chance to meet their fearless leader, Stewart Traill, which I discovered to my delight that he was a former physicist. Wow! You mean I don't have to throw out Science to believe in God? I was floored. Later, I moved in with them, and gave up 90% of my paycheck. Ouch. I quickly got over the discomfort of having less personal income as I got involved with all the many activities. Bible studies nearly every night. "Witnessing" -- convincing other people, usually teenagers, to be "born anew" -- on the weekends. Regimens such as reading the entire bible a chapter a day, every day, was the norm. Bibles here, bibles there… nothing was ever done without a Bible nearby. Sounds like utopia, doesn't it? Ahh, but the best is yet to come… Stewart Traill's children were living at the Lamb House at the time -- 2 boys and one girl, Donald, Sonny, and Eleanor, respectively. The kids' mother had been divorced, and Stewart remarried a younger woman from "the flock". Another cult member, Jimmy Grinder, abused the youngest of the children, Donald. You see, Jimmy beat Donald repeatedly for a number of consecutive days as "discipline" for something "wrong" Donald was alleged to have done (I believe he was 13 at the time). Stewart was much too busy running a cult to raise his own kids, so he afforded that task to certain other members. I did not discover the extent of the abuse until after I left, and saw it on a news show, complete with photos of poor Donald's buttocks - I had never seen anything so black-and-blue. Stewart did mention in passing what had occurred, and the fact that his kids were subsequently taken away and returned to their mother. Also, reports of child-abuse came in as well from the orphanage in Haiti, which is maintained by COBU. I left shortly after these events began taking place. |
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It would seem that COBU has its own "escape" recipe! |
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