Did anyone grow-up in a 'cult', too?

Question

I'm curious to know if anyone here has experience, or is experiencing growing up in a 'cult'?- ( Or what I like to call
'new beliefs.' )
Some people claim I was raised in a cult. I beg to differ.
But hey, everyone has their opinion. I respect that.
I was a member of The Family International, aka
'The Children of God'. Ever heard of it?
I honestly loved my childhood. - I wouldn't change hardly a thing. The group is Christian.
I'm no longer a Christian, nor a member of it. But still I respect what the organization is achieving in life.
My question for you is
( assuming of course you were in a cult/new religion )

1# What was it like for you?

2# When you saw what the news wrote about it, what did you think?

3# Which 'cult' or whatever you wanna call it, were you in?

By K...*sigh*
Do you even know what 'cult' means?

Actually it isn't really a cult. It's a missionary type organization which was very hippyish liberal-like in it's earlier days and just wanted to be revolutionary and love Jesus with their whole heart. Hence making those conservative Church goers hate them. You know those people that think if you don't believe exactly like them, then you're a 'cult'? Well since those types always claim that it is. *Rolls eyes*
I just say it some times to make them happy. :)
Today 'cult' is a very negative word. But in real life for real people, there's ying and yang to it.- Like everything else.

Thanks everyone for answering so far.

Answer 1

No, I was what I consider lucky - raised by parents who didn't force my beliefs in any direction. I was encouraged to explore different religions & many times went to church with both my Christian & Catholic friends & their families.

As it turns out I do not subscribe to any religion now, I have my own set of beliefs which do not fit into any "box".

I remember seeing news articles on "The Family" on television when I was about 15. In Australia one of the groups had a particularly cruel leader (Anne someone from memory) who drugged & abused the children. Someone actually took a hidden camera onto the property and filmed footage of child abuse (physical not sexual). I'm not saying this was the norm for The Family - it just so happened this woman was particularly nasty and for that reason I equate The Family with the negative recognition of the word "cult".

However, I am pleased that you loved your childhood. I am happy to discover that not all children raised by The Family are resentful, and that you are leading a full life as an adult.

Thank you for giving me another perspective.

Answer 2

I grew up in a Roman Catholic family and that really did feel like living in a cult with the way I was forced to dress up, not eat, and go to church every Saturday night and Sunday morning. Then from kindergarten until senior year of high school I had to go to catholic school. I was never allowed to believe anything else, explore other religions, and for years if I refused to go to church then I would be locked in my room and would get the whole bread and water dinner thing for the day.
To me I was in the cult of Christianity and somewhat resent it. It especially pissed me off how Christians are so often portrayed as good people when I know that so many of them aren't- religion doesn't affect how good or bad a person is.

I'm glad not to be catholic anymore. Then again, Catholicism isn't really a true cult... either way I hope that answered your question.

Answer 3

When you are with people you love, and who love you, and who are reasonable, and communicate, it doesn't matter what you belong to. IMO.

I grew up in the Catholic Church, but we went home during the week. That's technically a cult, and people dis it all the time. I don't like scandal, but it comes. You have to be a rock in the ocean rather than the flotsam upon the waves.

I'm not sure off the top of my head what "The Children of God" cult is.

My husband belonged to several cults while he was growing up (as a teenager mostly). Some of the experiences were very negative upon him. He is still suffering from guilt and anxiety over it, and a Buddhist monk told him if he continues, he may be soon diagnosed with bi-polar personality disorder. Since this monk is pretty good at what he does, I tend to take this seriously, and I believe that the cult helped him deal with unhappy family issues, but added another burden to him as well.

I am glad you had such a positive experience.

Answer 4

I was raised in the Mormon church. They are very controlling. Not so much now but in the 60's and 70's if you lived in Utah and wasn't LDS you were an outcast. I was baptized mormon in 1969 and that was the day I knew there was something wrong. I just didn't figure it out until I was 40 years old. They hated black people with a passion. They told me all other churches where a cult, when in fact they were the cult. I really didn't know what was wrong I just thought they were a bunch of hypocrites. But when I came to the truth and began a true relationship with Jesus Christ ( of the Bible ) it was like he turned a light switch on. It is all to plain now, and I think back on getting baptized for dead people and everybody allways praising Joesph Smith, it almost sickens me. They have no idea who Jesus Christ is. Its very sad knowing that all 4 of my grandparents died believing in Joesph Smith. They were all 4 wonderful people.

Answer 5

A cult is just a set of beliefs , an ideology set up by men.
By this definition, everyone grows up in a cult.
Buddha says :
"All your minds are enslaved by cults/ideologies/philosophical ideas. These ideologies are chains, are fetters to bind your mind. The mind cannot think further than ready made ideas. Free your mind, free yourself from every idea about spirituality/God. Be silent. Be observant. Open your mind , experience and so know the truth , first hand."

Answer 6

I was raised in this hippie community type thing.
I thought it was fun!! When I was eight my parents left to "get a real life." After getting their "real life" they got divorced and basically became different people as they had to learn to adapt to this dog eat dog world.

Once I was reading the papers and there was an article about how child abuse was wide spread and it was making fun of the group members.
Well excuse me if I get offend!!!
I still have many friends who are in the group and family members. I was one too, and I'm damn proud of it.
As for child abuse?! I never saw or experienced it.

But I guess some people get their only joy by reading slanted scandalous stories.

Answer 7

Not all atheist are bound together by those exact same things. Even in Christianity you have different sects, but atheists have a multitude of stances they can each take that they derive from their own personal intuition and knowledge. There is no defining order of an atheist to believe or not believe any particular thing, they are responsible for labeling themselves as they see fit. But it could be the fastest growing movement in the US, that would certainly be nice to not be a religious minority anymore.

Answer 8

My Mum was really into Sai Baba worship.

He's an avatar of... :-)

Got me involved in prayer. Appreciated it & still do, like you.

Wasn't too tough. When you're a kid, you tend not to discuss those things at school - or at least I found it that way.

Later I heard some defamatory stuff about Him.

"It's the fruit-bearing tree, that attracts the stones".

"Dogs bark, but the moon does not fall down".

:-)

Answer 9

The Military brat here

Answer 10

i was in this New Age cult. i don't really remember anything i was just born into it and then when i was three my mom left it.