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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

AJ was sent to the Running River school in around 2007, to attend kindergarten when she was five or six years old. The school was headed up by longtime Divine Madness community member Nancy Monson, and founder Marc ‘Yo’ Tizer didn’t have a whole lot to do with it. AJ stayed in the school up until sixth grade, when a new teacher became concerned and shared with parents some of the things he had found out. As soon as AJ’s parents realised the serious deficits in her education, along with some other worrying details, they pulled her from Running River. The school shut down soon afterwards, around 2014.

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

Links:

• Running River — archived snapshot of the school website from 5 April 2005
• Inner Journey Wilderness Camps — archived snapshot of the 'Summer overnight camps for girls' website from 11 March 2022
• Inner Journeys Wilderness Camp for Girls — a new listing for the girls' camp, accessed after this episode was recorded

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.

Dr Tabitha Chapman is the founder of The Freedom Train Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides crucial services for individuals exiting cults or coercive environments. One initiative of the project is International Cult Awareness Month (ICAM) which just concluded its third annual instalment in August 2024 with a focus on policy and cults. In this episode, Tabitha shares some highlights of ICAM, thoughts on policy, and how we can all help to effect change.

Tabitha’s personal journey and struggle within NXIVM deeply influenced her resolve to create a support system for others facing similar situations. Her firsthand experience provided unique insights into the needs of victims of coercive control and cultic abuse. This drives the mission and services of The Freedom Train Project.

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

Links:

• The Freedom Train Project
• ICAM 2024 Webinars

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.