A raw and honest look at life inside a cult.

The early 1970s were a turbulent time in the US. Anti-war protesters took to the streets, young people dropped out of university or jobs, and drug use spread. As if to offer the youth a way out of this societal storm, there arose a rebirth of Christianity, the Jesus People. The Children of God was at the cutting edge of this movement. Behind the curtain of this enigmatic group, our story unfolds.

Mary was only 16 when she was swept into the Children of God. The hugs, camaraderie, and sincerity of its members touched her deeply, and she fell in love with their ideology of living simply and freely for Jesus. She threw herself heart, mind, and soul into what she saw as a noble life of self-sacrifice, elated to be welcomed among the chosen. Her days were filled with studying and memorizing the Bible and the group’s teachings and sharing her newfound faith with others.

From that naive and well-meaning beginning, her world gradually transformed into a veritable house of horrors. But by then, she could not see the abuse, exploitation, and cruelty around her for what they were. Her sense of normal had been transformed. Determined to never go back on her initial commitment, she continued in denial, doing her best to be what she had been told the Lord wanted her to be.

Imagine the shock when, after 31 years, the curtain was finally lifted, and Mary’s eyes were opened. As the reality hit her, she became paralyzed by guilt for having been part of that abusive and exploitative group—then filled with remorse for the years she had lost and the family she had given up, all sacrificed on the altar of her misplaced idealism. But worst of all was the realization that she had raised her children, the people she loved most in the world, in that toxic atmosphere.

How Mary pulled herself out of the darkness of despair and rebuilt her life testifies to the power of education and the indomitable strength of the human spirit.