IndoctriNation

When Claudine began to feel that she no longer believed the teachings, she realized that part of Mormon testimony was to avoid "anti-Mormon" literature. Passing up their guilt, Claudine and her husband uncovered original documents and their church's history.

Rachel helps Claudine unpack this and other techniques including attributing critical thinking to sin or negative energy. The church has also made several changes to homophobic policies and demanding practices to accommodate its members, which the two discuss. Ultimately Claudine's family chose to leave the Latter Day Saints feeling that there was a lack of transparency and intense social pressures built into their testimonies.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: The FLDS, or Former Latter Day Saints, are a cultic offshoot of Mormonism made popular by Warren Jeffs. Rachel shares her story of being asked to come to Texas and offer assistance after the raid on the FLDS compound was carried out, and offers her feedback on how the survivors were helped to assimilate in society. View a copy of the letter Rachel received from the commissioner's office in Texas as a Patreon subscriber!

Visit Claudine's website, for post Mormon mental health resources:

https://www.postmormonmentalhealth.com/

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After her grandmother passed away, Claudine found peace in her new reality through her faith in Mormonism. Her oldest son, Ian, didn't find the same comfort and began distancing himself from her. When Claudine finally got him to open up, the two went on a journey to better understand their doctrine.

Active in the church for 27 years after growing up without associating with a denomination, the sudden loss left Claudine searching for answers. She attended a Mormon funeral and later when missionaries came to her door, she related to the way they processed loss.

Claudine's faith was put to the ultimate test when Ian became depressed. Together they began researching areas of the church's history that they had not fully examined before. Eventually they left Mormonism over several contradictory "translation issues" and discrepancies between the teachings on polygamy and the way that it was practiced.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: What could be a problem with a belief system that offers itself as the only sanctuary? Rachel reminds us that people tend to hide important parts of themselves in order to remain part of a community.

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CW: physical & sexual abuse

Left without help from her family and friends, Megan had only her workplace to depend on. In part two, Rachel and Megan talk about how her financial and emotional dependence was taken advantage of by a couple running a popular Chicago theater company.

Simultaneously targeted at home and work, Megan found the courage to leave behind an abusive husband and eventually her employers, offering false promises of refuge. Jeremy, the director, and his wife demonstrated obsessive behavior and dangled Megan's income and physical safety as leverage for her to continue her work in company operations.

She tried several times to quit the company, but the owners would stalk and harass her. After her escape and the timely Me Too movement, Megan was able to join forces with five other survivors and many witnesses to bring attention to the actions of Jeremy and his wife.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: Rachel dives into 'breaking points'. What is it that causes someone to realize it is time to leave?

Read more about Dream theater company here:

https://www.clydefitchreport.com/2018/02/menekseoglu-dream-theatre/

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CW: Domestic and sexual violence

Megan spent ten years in Chicago's off-Loop DIY theatre scene as an actor, playwright, costume designer and choreographer. Rachel and Megan speak candidly about the lack of safeguards in the entertainment industry while walking through how she was pitted against other actresses by an invasive director.

Jeremy, the director, urged his actors to form a deep kinship with the characters he wrote for the troop's performances. Many of these profound characters struggled with abuse, and were written based on the traumas of the company members themselves. Megan found herself constantly pitted against other actresses to compete for the role of "both the girlfriend and the star".

Stay tuned, Before You Go: Rachel provides examples of ways manipulators get you to disclose private information so they can use it against you later.

Today Megan performs as a dancer and student of circus and aerial arts. She is a fierce advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, particularly those in the LGBTQ community and the performing arts.

Read about Megan's performances here:

"thoroughly captivating and heartbreakingly sincere," - Hollywood Fringe

https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/2148?review_id=11269&tab=reviews

"flawless," - Chicago Reader

https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/anna-in-the-darkness/Event?oid=7822992

"a quietly powerful tour de force” - New City Stage

https://www.newcitystage.com/2012/10/19/review-anna-in-the-darknessdream-theatre-company/

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Nitai Joseph was a part of a Hare Krishna offshoot sect called Audarya, led by Swami Tripurari in California. He currently studies the power of coercive control across contexts, and has found a scholarly way to understand his experience.

Nitai currently works at nonprofits serving victims of coercive subjugation. Through his studies, he has been able to more fully understand cult dynamics. He speaks about threat responses, and how they can grow to be maladaptive even after the threat has been removed, if left unaddressed. The long term effects of betrayal trauma are discussed, as well as how to empower yourself to fully see the reality of your situation.

Nitai assisted the leader of the cult and had knowledge of the cult's operations, which led him to part with his position. The cult's crimes included human trafficking, illegal contracting, and racketeering.

Nitai started his studies at Columbia University and now studies at the University of Salford.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: Rachel emphasizes the importance of taking the time to understand and treat your trauma so you don't go through life protecting yourself rather than connecting with life and fully connecting with others.

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Teddy Hose is a motion graphics artist and writer who grew up in the Unification Church, also known as the “Moonies”. He expands on the militaristic themes of the church, including gun violence and physical abuse.

While its membership and businesses run worldwide, the Unification Church doctrine bases itself on parental abandonment, paranoia around sex and the outside world, and prioritizing loyalty toward the super wealthy and violent Moon family. Teddy provides shocking details about the Moonies and their problematic history, while also explaining why the cult was appealing to his parents and others.

Teddy now lives in San Francisco as an artist and writer. His cult experience and research have become a topic in his stand up comedy, cartooning, and editorials. Teddy has also spoken on the topic in Vice, The Huffington Post, and A&E's Cults and Extreme Belief.

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Teddy Hose is a motion graphics artist and writer who grew up in the Unification Church of self-proclaimed messiah, Sun Myung Moon—or the “Moonies”.

While its membership and businesses run worldwide, Teddy’s family lived on church properties near the Moon family estate in Tarrytown, New York until he was 13. Life around the Moons was a mix of summer camps, banquets, and close bonds in an international community. These pleasant memories came along with parental abandonment, paranoia around sex and the outside world, and prioritizing loyalty toward the super wealthy, sometimes violence from the Moon family. Teddy now lives in San Francisco as an artist and writer. His cult experience and research have become a topic in his stand up comedy, cartooning, and editorials. Teddy has also spoken on the topic in Vice, The Huffington Post, and A&E's Cults and Extreme Belief.

He feels compelled to tell his story by what he has witnessed politically. Emotional and physical manipulation employed in the church polarized its members and prioritized them based on sexual obligations. Next week, hear more about the militaristic themes and influence of Unification Church doctrine.

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Samantha Manewitz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and educator, and AASECT certified social worker currently based in Massachusetts. Rachel and Samantha discuss harm reduction and the processes of restorative and transformative justice.

Optimistically, survivors forming the pods believe that change is possible for their perpetrators. She elaborates on the transformative justice 'pods' that were created by survivors of the Franklin Veaux scandal as well as how they operate. Diving into the systems that are responsible for enforcing justice, the conversation comes to include Scientology's justice systems and use of gaslighting.

Hear more about Franklin Veaux from Eve Rickert's two part episode:

https://soundcloud.com/indoctrinationshow/eve-pt-2 (Part 2)

Learn more about Samantha's site, "Safety Beyond Safewords" here: https://www.beyondsafewords.com/

Stay tuned, Before You Go: "Do as I Say, Not as I Do" as a catchphrase among narcissists. Rachel calls out institutional betrayal of survivors and the effect of neglecting to create consequences for abuse.

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Brie Loskota, from the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture, explains 'capacity building' and how it empowers young leaders to advocate for themselves, for their communities, and for community peace building.

Brie is a writer widely published and interviewed, with significant roles in many notable religious, public and governmental institutions, and she is the Director of the Safe Communities Institute at USC.

Her work includes studying how people use their beliefs to make decisions. Commenting on the productivity of the political environment, Brie addresses how perfectionism has prevented progress. And that a lack of empathy for the "other" or cancellation of someone who doesn't meet personal ideals is a narcissistic outlook.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: Rachel talks about Brie's quote "The biggest force against us is our own indifference". And she also explains 'compassion fatigue' and becoming overwhelmed by the feeling that you are unable to make a difference.

More on the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture:

This department studies, documents, and helps communities understand the changes that shape religious cultures in Southern California and across the globe. Their goal is to engage scholars and build inclusive communities.

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Listen in on a discussion with cult expert Mike Kropveld from Quebec, and his organization InfoCult. Quebec has cults too. They just operate in French! Beginning as an effort to rescue a friend from the Unification Church, the knowledge and attention he has gathered over the 40 years of his program continue to spread awareness and resources to their community and to the rest of the world-- including possibly the most unique collection of cultic literature in all of North America.

Stay tuned, Before You Go: Rachel speaks about sharing information and creating a network to tackle large social issues. Keeping an open mind and interest will build nuanced understanding of issues we may not have been exposed to, and a safer world for all.

Learn more about InfoCult at infocult.org,

or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/infocult.infosecte.org

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