Mayors demand that the government develop stricter rules against cults

NL Times

July 11, 2025

Mayors demand that the government develop stricter rules against cults

The 14 mayors in the Twente region have issued an urgent letter to the national government, calling for stricter regulations on cults. Among other things, they want cult leaders and abuse to be dealt with more firmly and are calling for the establishment of a new reporting center.

“Municipalities are receiving signals about destructive cults, but current legislation offers insufficient tools to respond effectively,” they wrote to outgoing ministers David van Weel (Justice) and Daniëlle Jansen (Health).

Regional media outlets recently reported that there have been allegations of abuse for years at the Pater Pio Foundation, a controversial Christian group in Tubbergen. According to the mayors, such reports “underline the relevance and urgency of this issue.”

The Cabinet is working on a bill to tighten regulations on cults. The Twente officials are supportive but believe that municipalities should be given more leeway to act earlier when signs of wrongdoing emerge, in order to protect their residents.

At present, there is a lack of coordination in addressing abuses within cults and following up on reports, the mayors stated. According to them, the Public Prosecution Service, inspectorates, and police operate too much in isolation due to the absence of a clear point of contact.

They also fear that, because of the lack of strict regulations, the Netherlands could become a safe haven for cults. Nearby countries such as France and the United Kingdom already have stricter laws in place, and Belgium is also working on such legislation, the officials noted. 

Reporting by ANP

https://nltimes.nl/2025/07/11/mayors-demand-government-develop-stricter-rules-cults

Russia’s ‘Jesus Christ’ Arrested: How Ex-Traffic Cop Turned Messiah Built A Cult After Soviet Fall

Hindustan Times

July 9, 2025

The end of the USSR in 1991 was one of the most cataclysmic events in history, with its aftereffects still being felt three decades on. But there was one such moment triggered at the same time, that was unforeseen. It was the rise of a new religious order in a remote corner of Russia, powered by the 'spiritual awakening' of a man. Meet Sergei Torop, or as he is popularly known, the 'Vissarion'. In the 1990s, Torop claimed he was the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth. A new Church was established, Torop amassed thousands of followers but then came his fall from grace, he was subjected to thorough investigation leading to a severe directive from the Russian state.

In this episode of HT In-Depth, we look at the history of Sergei Torop's cult, from his 'divine revelation', to the establishment of his new 'Church', and the perceived end of his massive cult. Watch this video for full details on the Vissarion."

This Florida state park was home to a cult that believed the earth is hollow

MSN

July 9, 2025

"What started as a failed alchemy experiment became one of America's most unusual utopian communities. Cyrus Teed gathered followers who believed the Earth was hollow, practiced celibacy, and built a self-sufficient town in the Florida wilderness.

The Koreshans had their own bakery, power plant, and printing house before their leader's death ended their dream. Here's their story, preserved at Koreshan State Park where you can walk through their world."

" ... Electricity flowed from the Koreshan power plant years before reaching neighboring communities. The settlement generated power not only for themselves but sold surplus to nearby farmers.

Farm records from November 1901 through January 1902 document 250 workdays cultivating crops. Workers planted three acres of sugar cane yielding 370 gallons of syrup that season.

Hog sales brought $43.22 to community coffers in 1902. Financial records show meticulous accounting of all community businesses.

American Eagle newspaper, launched in 1906, gained regional readership beyond Koreshan membership. The publication evolved into a respected horticultural journal providing farming advice throughout Florida."

https://wheninyourstate.com/florida/this-florida-state-park-was-home-to-a-cult-that-believed-the-earth-is-hollow/

International Cultic Studies Association

International Cultic Studies Association 

Empowering Minds. Advancing Research. Supporting Recovery. 

Advancing education, research, and understanding of cultic influence since 1979. 

ICSA advances knowledge and fosters open dialogue on cultic influence through research and education with the aim of supporting survivor recovery and deepening public understanding.

Our mission

ICSA fosters open dialogue and rigorous research on psychological manipulation and cultic influence. We provide education, support resources, and a safe space for survivors, families and professionals to advance understanding and challenge harmful ideologies. 


Our vision

ICSA envisions a world where knowledge and critical discourse empower individuals and communities to recognize and respond to coercive influence, creating safer societies and stronger protections for those affected by cultic involvement. 


OUR PILLARS

Knowledge, dialogue, and support

ICSA is not an activist or advocacy group but a unique non-profit organization grounded in three pillars: advancing knowledge, fostering open dialogue, and supporting recovery from cultic and coercive influence. Since 1979, it has contributed extensively to academic and recovery fields through its global network of contributors, numerous articles, books, and journals. ICSA connects survivors and families with educational resources, peer support groups, and counseling information, while facilitating collaboration across professional and lived-experience communities. 


At its core, ICSA believes that no understanding of cultic influence is complete without engaging with all perspectives, even those that may be controversial or challenging. ICSA’s mission is to create a space where all information, research and viewpoints can be examined, questioned, and debated openly—rather than censored or suppressed. This commitment to intellectual rigor ensures that harmful ideologies can be exposed and countered through critical discussion rather than thriving in obscurity.

Each year, ICSA brings together researchers, mental health professionals, service providers, survivors, and families at its annual conference—an inclusive space for learning, connection, and community-building. Additional regional events, webinars, and virtual gatherings further expand access to vital resources and shared knowledge, particularly for those affected by cultic dynamics.
With a global reputation, diverse board, and relationships with major organizations across multiple countries, ICSA serves as a leading hub for knowledge, dialogue, and support in the field.

https://internationalculticstudies.org/

‘Jesus of Siberia’ Cult Leader Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

The Moscow Times

June 30, 2025

A court in Novosibirsk on Monday sentenced a Siberian cult leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ to 12 years in prison for harming the mental and physical health of his followers.

Sergei Torop, a former traffic officer who calls himself “Vissarion,” founded the Church of the Last Testament in 1991 after what he described as a divine revelation. He attracted thousands of followers to remote settlements in Siberia, including a core group of about 300 living in isolation atop a hill they called the Abode of Dawn.

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Monday that Torop and two of his associates were found guilty of creating a religious organization that violated the civil rights of its members and caused bodily harm.

Prosecutors accused Torop of using psychological manipulation to exert control over and exploit followers for labor and money between 1991 and 2020.

His actions, they said, caused 16 people “moral harm,” left six with “serious health problems” and one with “moderate” harm.

news

Samara Region Police Open ‘Nazi Rehabilitation’ Probe After Teenagers Sing Ukrainian Song

Read more

Torop, 64, was arrested in a helicopter raid on his Krasnoyarsk region commune in 2020. His associates — Vadim Redkin and Vladimir Vedyornikov — were sentenced to 11 and 12 years in prison, respectively.

All three men denied wrongdoing. It was not immediately clear if they planned to appeal their sentences.

The court also awarded 45 million rubles ($572,000) in damages to the victims and state prosecutors.

Vissarion’s movement grew in popularity during the post-Soviet ideological vacuum of the 1990s and further isolated itself after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, shutting its communes to outsiders.

AFP contributed reporting.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/30/jesus-of-siberia-cult-leader-sentenced-to-12-years-in-prison-a89618

I'm not mad at them...but the Transcendental Meditation leadership is either ignorant or lying. Either way, they should probably stop.

June 30, 2025

" ... I believe that Dr. Tony Nader and, by extension and association, the board of trustees of both Maharishi International University (MIU) and the global Transcendental Meditation (TM) organization are acting either incompetently or dishonestly. I can’t be sure which, but I will demonstrate that it has to be one or the other."

" ... MIU encourages deep spiritual exploration, but we still have no full-time licensed, trauma-informed therapists and no modern crisis-response protocol.

During my first year, I served as Student Health Representative and personally witnessed the fallout of this gap. Three students were hospitalized for psychiatric emergencies. One of them had no way to get home from the psychiatric facility hours away—I had to drive them myself. Another student, struggling with suicidal ideation, was offered no professional follow-up, only vague encouragement to meditate more. These are not isolated incidents and are a small portion of the incidents that have happened on campus during my time here in relation to mental health.

We also cannot ignore that in 2004, an untreated student experiencing psychosis fatally stabbed Levi Butler in the dining hall after an earlier stabbing that same day had gone unreported. The university later admitted it had “done almost everything wrong.” More than twenty years later, what has actually changed?

During the meeting each of us got about ten minutes to speak, followed by a brief conversational exchange with Dr. Nader. After Andrade finished he appeared concerned, and responded with something to the effect of: “I have not heard of any of this, we will be sure to look into it more closely.” This response means that one of two things must be true: either he is somehow genuinely ignorant of these issues despite their deep historical prevalence at the university as well as the TM community at large, or he was lying. I’m usually suspicious of black-and-white dichotomies but in this case, logically speaking, it has to be one or the other—and to be honest I’m not sure which is more problematic.

In either case, it demonstrates an aspect of what I personally consider to be this organization’s biggest handcuff: authenticity. TM is without question—speaking both intellectually (i.e., on the back of scientific/academic research) and from my own personal experience—extremely powerful. It is by far the most powerful catalyst of personal growth I’ve ever encountered. More powerful than SSRIs, more powerful than therapy, more powerful than diet, exercise, and sunlight. This is not to say that these other modalities lack effectiveness, as they are certainly well-supported and undeniably helpful (with the exception of SSRIs which, as a former user, I’m happy to say are gradually being rejected by the psychiatric community due to their dangers seemingly outweighing the benefits)."

Read article: https://substack.com/home/post/p-165596253

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Wellness industry's dark side: Experts warn of dangers in RNZ podcast The Lodge

RNZ

June 28, 2025

The global wellness industry, valued at approximately $5 trillion, harbours a dangerous underbelly, according to a new RNZ podcast.

Unproven therapies and charismatic gurus can lead vulnerable individuals away from life-saving medical treatments, the investigation reveals.

"The Lodge", an eight-part series by journalist Phil Vine, examines the rise of wellness culture through the story of Aiping Wang.

Wang, a Chinese-born guru established a following first in Eastern Europe, then in New Zealand's remote Fiordland. She offered her followers the possibility of healing without medicine.

Several experts featured in the podcast warn that social media has supercharged problematic wellness claims, creating an environment where influencers can reach millions with unproven health advice.

"What's new is the rise of social media and many digital technologies that enable ordinary individuals to build a brand online and to reach a vast global audience," explains Dr Stephanie Baker from City University in London.

She's the author of Wellness Culture: How the Wellness Movement Has Been Used to Empower, Profit and Misinform.

The podcast explores how wellness movements often exploit legitimate distrust in conventional healthcare systems, what Dr Baker calls the "low trust society."

Dr Jon-Patrick Allem, Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences from Rutgers University, New Jersey, notes this dynamic in his research.

"The wellness industry is so appealing to people because there's a lot of problems with medicine," Allem explains. "There's a lot of problems with how one interacts with their physician, when they see their physician, what their physician is versed in to communicate."

The podcast documents real-world consequences through the stories of Wang's followers who rejected conventional treatment for conditions including: breast cancer, melanoma, and HIV after hoping for cures through "energy healing".

Allem highlights a particularly concerning wellness trend: "What I am seeing in the social media space is individuals claiming to have alternative ways to not just prevent a cancer diagnosis, but to cure a cancer diagnosis."

Dr Emily Yang from Western Sydney University, who has trained in traditional Chinese medicine, warns against using unproven therapies as substitutes for evidence-based treatments: "For example I would never claim Tai Chi can treat cancer," she says, advocating instead for complementary approaches alongside conventional medicine.

The podcast examines the psychological appeal of wellness gurus, with Baker noting that people often turn to such figures during tough times - an aspect she calls "situational vulnerability".

"It could be the situation involving the death of a loved one or possibly divorce. A moment when one feels less stable. They're often searching for answers, for meaning."

New Zealand cult expert Anke Richter identifies a clear warning sign in wellness practices: exclusivity. When practitioners insist their method is the only acceptable approach and discourage conventional medical treatment, it can have fatal consequences.

"There's a quiet death toll," Richter explains.

The podcast connects these modern wellness trends to the rise of figures such as Dr Joe Dispenza, who claims to cure cancer through "coherence healing" and has amassed 3.6 million Instagram followers.

Allem warns listeners to be sceptical of practitioners who make expansive claims: "The wellness industry, broadly defined, is so appealing to people because there's a lot of problems with medicine. But that doesn't mean that wellness practices should replace proven treatments."

Baker offers advice for those concerned about loved ones who may be falling under the influence of questionable wellness practitioners: "Don't cut them off. It's the worst thing you can do. Through maintaining a sense of common ground with these people, rather than just dismissing their belief system, you can help them see contradictions."

For consumers navigating the wellness landscape, experts recommend maintaining open communication with conventional healthcare providers and being wary of any practitioner who suggests abandoning proven medical treatments entirely.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/565374/wellness-industry-s-dark-side-experts-warn-of-dangers-in-rnz-podcast-the-lodge

Ex-2x2 Stories of Deconstruction

Beyond Religion with Meliesa Tigard

Beyond Religion

June 27, 2025

Meliesa takes us on a journey through her experience growing up in the 2x2s, and into her experience as a worker for a short time. Her experiences led her down a winding path from the 2x2 version of Christianity, to new age spirituality, and ultimately embracing the unknown.

Meliesa has written a book that allegorizes her 2x2 experience, which I highly recommend. "Little Mouse and the Purple Door" can be found on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/3AkeImr

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/27/2025 (Shunning, Jehovah's Witnesses, Norway, Book, MISA, 2x2)

Shunning, Jehovah's Witnesses, Norway, Book, MISA, 2X2

Stop Mandated Shunning: What next in Norway? An interview with Jan Frode Nilsen

" ... Jan Frode Nilsen [offers] an insightful update on the evolving situation in Norway. Jan shares why he remains optimistic that mandated shunning by Jehovah's Witnesses will eventually be consigned to history. He also offers thoughtful guidance on the journey from victim to survival—and ultimately, to thriving after leaving Jehovah's Witnesses."

Freedoms Embrace

"This is a true account about a couple who met and fell in love while being members of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. Jehovah's Witnesses. Both born into the religion in separate geographical areas. As children they grew up within this secretive and highly controlled environment. From babies they were repetitively taught that they, "were no part of the world". The world outside of their true religion was evil and controlled by Satan himself and it was imperative to remain vigilant from Satan and his demons as he looks to entice you from the Organisation and into his world that leads to total destruction.

Marc and Cora were both divorced. Marc had left the religion at 15 and joined the forces. Partly to escape his abusive alcoholic Jehovah's Witness father. Cora remained inside the religion and was eventually married at 20 to a man whose father was a Presiding Overseer within their congregation. A powerful senior position locally and closely connected to the policing and rigid controls at the behest of the hierarchy in London and the USA HeadQuarters.

Cora's divorce did not meet the religions scriptural requirements, this led the hierarchy to decree that she was no longer free to marry anyone else. To go against this decree and marry again would lead to a world of patriarchal judgments, punishment and eventual shunning from all she knew and loved. The risks were very high when she met Marc who moved into the congregation and was trying to repent and be accepted back within the fold. The very close observations placed on Marc because of his past were very real, surrounded in suspicion and mistrust of him. Cora too was under strict control and scrutiny by the elders of her congregation. Marc had a long way to go before being accepted back as a fully fledged Jehovah's Witness. The story goes on to tell how they eventually take risks to court each other, fall in love, then marry against the will of the whole community and the pain they experienced for three years as a result.

This is a story about Love, fear, control, punishment, endurance and learning to rely on each other. The story covers other characters whose names have all been changed, who tried their very best to cause as much harm as possible to Marc and Cora. They are both eventually disfellowshipped (banished) from the religion. No one is allowed to talk to them again, they are dead in the eyes of all Jehovah's Witnesses. From this point onwards they are determined to prove Cora was free to marry all along and so they go to every meeting at the Kingdom Hall with their two youngest children for three years while being shunned slandered and hated and without a single word being said to them in the Kingdom Hall (church). The story eventually vindicates their marital position, where more lies are exposed about how the elders held back vital information from the couple. After three long enduring years they are reinstated and everyone loves them again. But for Marc and Cora they are totally burnt with the experience and plan their resignation from the religion for good. Leaving behind family and their childhood indoctrination. After much intensive research of the religion that had controlled their lives for so long they decided to become activists and are known worldwide for their work in supporting other JWs who are in trouble with the organisation. The work has led to many true friends being made around the world and in some cases led to suicide prevention."

ExMISA: Bivolaru is hidden behind the panties of "sacred eroticism"

LAURA MCCONNELL: Doesn't she know the baby is teething?

" ... I've written and spoken on violence within Truth 2x2 and fundamentalist (mainly rural) communities for a while now, predominantly in women's magazines. Every time I've published a piece; I've carefully crafted around disclosing too much of my own story. Underpinning my writing on violence in these communities is a very real, lived experience.

If you've been around here awhile, you'll know I was trying to protect my own family. I know the experiences the women in my family survived. I have a deep respect and understanding that their lives were difficult. I have never wanted to cause more harm or distress by naming what they've done to contribute to violence.

However, this piece is to say: I'm done. I want to talk specifics about the violence.

I grew up surrounded by violence, coercion and abuse. Some of it was perpetrated by women. That is a difficult and extremely nuanced conversation in a culture where men perpetrate the majority of violence, and where the manosphere likes to accuse women of equal levels of violence as a deflection technique. I want to be clear here – my talking about women who abuse should not be used to deflect from the very real issue of men's use of violence.

What I'm writing on here is nuanced – these women are abusing in the context of high control, high demand, cult communities. These communities allow (encourage in my opinion) women to use violence on their children.

Violence and abuse by the women in my family still flares up in my life. Often after I've had something published in mainstream media, one or more of them will reach out in email or via DM's on social media, with paragraphs of vitriolic hate mail. Right now there is content galore to flare them up – a Decult documentary released which includes me. A Victorian inquiry into cults and fringe groups, which I'm playing an active part in. They can find information about me and my work unsolicited in their social media feeds, and it's quite upsetting for them, it seems.

What they could do is be proud when this information about me crosses their paths. They could think 'How amazing is it that one of OUR OWN is breaking intergenerational cycles?'

Instead they lash out."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

Pathways to Freedom

Robert Crompton

Pathways to Freedom offers a helping hand to former Jehovah's Witnesses who can too easily become stuck in the transit zone between the Watchtower and new life. How do you let go of the baggage that weighs you down all along the way? How do you start to make new friends when you've always had it drummed into you that you could trust nobody outside the Witnesses? How do you stop the constantly nagging doubts about whether you did the right thing to break free? Pathways to Freedom is here to help.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pathways-Freedom-Watchtower-New-Life/dp/B08VRN2YWL

Thy Will Be Done

WCCO: Moore Report, Thy Will Be Done January 3, 1980

Produced in 1979 and aired January 3, 1980, Dave Moore hosts a documentary on the rise and controversies of religious cults in Minnesota and across the United States.

Digitized by TCMediaNow a 501c3 dedicated to preserving Twin Cities film and video.

https://youtu.be/kA1Y34QBpek?si=Q6oASpPqv5ln64CB

How I became a brainwashed cult bride

ABC Conversations Podcast

June 27, 2025

"Liz Cameron was 18 years old when a stranger approached her in a book shop. It was the beginning of her induction into a cult, and it was an experience Liz barely survived.

The process of brainwashing happened gradually, first came the love-bombing and the allure of finding a new purpose in life. Then came the isolation from friends and family, along with sleep deprivation, overwork and sexual manipulation.

Liz was one of the many women chosen to become a kind of bride for the leader of an infamous Korean religious group.

It wasn’t until she became critically ill, that her family were able to get the help she needed to escape and to begin the process of being deprogrammed."

Liz Cameron’s memoir is called Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed and how I broke free.

https://youtu.be/sJcivQsVLNU?si=5tNZIJynj7Wzb7cl 

CE Course Title: "Working with Cult Survivors: A Basic Certification Course for Mental Health Clinicians"

CE Course Title: "Working with Cult Survivors: A Basic Certification Course for Mental Health Clinicians"

Time: Self-Paced (8 hours)

Location: Online

Instructors: Dr. Janja Lalich and Natalie Fabert, Ph.D.

Overarching CE Goals: This course will help therapists attain the foundational knowledge, awareness, and skills needed to work with self-identified cult survivors.

Learning Objectives:  At the end of this CE course, students will be able to: 

    1.    Describe why specialized knowledge is essential when supporting clients with lived experience in cultic environments.

    2.    Evaluate key socio-historical and contextual factors that shape contemporary discourse and public understanding of cults.

    3.    Describe the defining characteristics of cults, including the four core structural dimensions that distinguish them from other groups.

    4.    Investigate the individual and group-level influences that contribute to cult involvement.

    5.    Explain theories of cult member retention and radicalization, focusing on social psychological mechanisms.

    6.    Identify the biopsychosocial impacts of cultic abuse, and asses the hierarchical needs of cult survivors. 

    7.    Implement evidence-based strategies to build trust, ensure psychological safety, and foster collaborative engagement in therapeutic work with cult survivors.

8.    Develop trauma-informed treatment planning strategies tailored to the complex clinical needs of cult survivors.

Target Audience & Instructional Level: Introductory; Mental Health Care Clinicians 

CE Credits: 8 hours

Cost: $250 for CE-seeking participants

The Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Presented by Janja Lalich, PhD., internationally recognized expert on Cults and Coercion, and Natalie Fabert, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, with guest appearances from other experts in the field, including: 

Rachel Bernstein, LMFT 

Dr. Jamie Marich 

Daniel Shaw - author, Traumatic Narcissism 

Khristina Berger 

Melanie Friedman

https://lalichcenterce.thinkific.com/courses/lalichcenterCE

Escaping the Kingston Group: Lu Ann’s Fight for Freedom & Hope After Polygamy

Hope After Polygamy: Escaping the Kingston Group: Lu Ann’s Fight for Freedom & Hope After Polygamy

"At just 15 years old, Lu Ann Cooper was forced to marry her first cousin within the Kingston Group—also known as “The Order.” Trapped in a system of control, secrecy, and abuse, Luann felt suicide was her only way out. Leaving wasn’t even an option—until one day, it was.

In this powerful interview, Lu Ann opens up about her heartbreaking experience as a child bride, the emotional and psychological toll of life inside the Kingston cult, and what gave her the courage to finally escape. Today, Lu Ann is not only a survivor—she's a leader. She co-founded Hope After Polygamy, a nonprofit that provides scholarships and support to others leaving polygamous groups."

https://youtu.be/hAuCpm6kTFI?si=vU88Fh5cFqZ6uQ72 

David Lynch and Transcendental Meditation - IndoctriNation Podcast

IndoctriNation Podcast

June 26, 2025

In this captivating episode, Rachel sits down with Claire Hoffman, journalist and author of the memoir Greetings from Utopia Park, to explore the enigmatic life of Aimee Semple McPherson, a pioneering female evangelist whose influence still resonates today. Claire delves into McPherson's rise to fame, her charismatic preaching style, and the scandal surrounding her mysterious disappearance in 1926 Los Angeles, which captivated the nation. Rachel and Claire discuss the complexities of power and belief, examining how McPherson's passionate drive to spread her gospel often clashed with societal expectations of women in her time.

As they unpack the themes of celebrity culture, the addictive nature of transcendent experiences, and the challenges faced by women in religious leadership, Claire highlights the duality of McPherson's legacy—both as a groundbreaking figure and a tragic example of the pressures that come with fame. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersections of religion, gender, and the human experience.

The IndoctriNation Podcast is a weekly show covering cults, manipulators, & systems of control. Hosted by Rachel Bernstein LMFT, Cult Specialist.

Featured in The New York Times

https://youtube.com/shorts/LYGRe_CfKI8?si=xvz28--LpDCwZvUe

Grand Marais trial over North Shore land sale renews questions about breakaway Mormon sect leader

Elissa Wall testified Wednesday that Seth Jeffs used his brother Warren’s money to buy land — money that is owed to her from a $10 million judgment.

Christa Lawler

The Minnesota Star Tribune

June 25, 2025

GRAND MARAIS, MINN. – Elissa Wall hasn’t seen a cent of the more than $10 million dollars she’s owed from a lawsuit against self-described prophet and polygamous cult leader Warren Jeffs.

He doesn’t have a bank account, she testified Wednesday afternoon.

Wall is trying to collect money from a land sale conducted, on paper, by his brother Seth Jeffs and his Montana-based Emerald Industries LLC. She’s convinced that Seth Jeffs used Warren Jeffs’ money to buy 40 acres here in 2018, property that he sold in 2023 for $130,000.

“I’m here to recover the money given to Seth Jeffs,” she told the Cook County jury.

According to court documents, Seth Jeffs claims he used his own money to buy the land. He’s expected to testify on Thursday.

Warren Jeffs is also named in the lawsuit, but he’s currently in a Texas prison where he is serving a life sentence for child sexual assault. He’s still in the leadership role he inherited with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, according to Wall.

The fundamentalist sect broke away from Mormonism after the latter moved away from polygamy.

Wall testified that the church has shell organizations it funnels its money through. Warren Jeffs is skilled in bookkeeping and tax laws and he’s at the top of the hierarchy. Money is never in his name, she said.

Seth Jeffs, she claims, has benefited from the financial arrangement.

Wall’s attorney, Richard Furlong, shared with the jury financial logs discovered by Wall that showed payments to Seth Jeffs from October 2008 through August 2018. Some come from trust, some are listed as cash. Most are about $1,000; the largest is $62,000.

Warren Jeffs’ name isn’t on any of the payments, noted Seth Jeffs’ attorney, William Paul.

Still, Wall is convinced that the money is divvied up by Warren Jeffs, who told his brother to start Emerald Industries as a way to hide his money. She maintains ties to the church as an advocate for those who have left the church or are looking to sever connections.

Wall testified that her knowledge of the inner financial workings come from years of experience.

“Seth Jeffs doesn’t owe you money, does he?” Paul asked her.

Much of his cross examination relied on reading from court documents and pressing Wall on specifics: the dates of financial transactions between the Jeffs brothers, the names of Warren Jeffs’ agents who funnel his money.

About $60,000 from the Seth Jeffs’ property sale has been frozen by the bank, according to his attorney.

Asked how much money she was hoping to get from Seth Jeffs, Walls said she didn’t know.

“We have to determine how much,” she said. “We are here to collect that judgment.”

She said its hard to quantify how much money has passed from brother to brother. Maybe thousands, maybe millions.

Warren Jeffs has never faced Wall in a courtroom, not now and not when she won the sizable judgment against him in 2017. Wall, who was born into a polygamous family and married off to a first cousin when she was 14, sued Warren Jeffs and the church for damages in 2005.

The case meandered through the Utah court system for more than a decade. In the early parts, Jeffs was on the lam and listed on the FBI’s most wanted list.

He was captured during a routine traffic stop in Las Vegas in 2006.

Seth Jeffs, too, has had legal troubles. He pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud in 2016. Before that, he was convicted of hiding Warren Jeffs from authorities in 2006.

Seth Jeffs’ purchase of the land here in 2018 set off alarms in the community.

After leaving the church, Wall wrote the New York Times’ bestselling memoir “Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs.”

https://www.startribune.com/grand-marais-trial-over-north-shore-land-sale-gets-into-the-inner-workings-of-warren-jeffs-cult/601378691

Freedoms Embrace

Freedoms Embrace

Marc Latham

This is a true account about a couple who met and fell in love while being members of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both born into the religion in separate geographical areas. As children they grew up within this secretive and highly controlled environment. From babies they were repetitively taught that they, “were no part of the world”. The world outside of their true religion was evil and controlled by Satan himself and it was imperative to remain vigilant from Satan and his demons as he looks to entice you from the Organisation and into his world that leads to total destruction.

Marc and Cora were both divorced. Marc had left the religion at 15 and joined the forces. Partly to escape his abusive alcoholic Jehovah’s Witness father. Cora remained inside the religion and was eventually married at 20 to a man who’s father was a Presiding Overseer within their congregation. A powerful senior position locally and closely connected to the policing and rigid controls at the behest of the hierarchy in London and the USA Head Quarters.

Cora’s divorce did not meet the religions scriptural requirements, this led the hierarchy to decree that she was no longer free to marry anyone else. To go against this decree and marry again would lead to a world of patriarchal judgments, punishment and eventual shunning from all she knew and loved. The risks were very high when she met Marc who moved into the congregation and was trying to repent and be accepted back within the fold. The very close observations placed on Marc because of his past were very real surrounded in suspicion and mistrust of him. Cora to was under strict control and scrutiny by the elders of her congregation. Marc had a long way to go before being accepted back as a fully fledged Jehovah’s Witness. The story goes onto tell how they eventually take risks to court each other, fall in love, then marry against the will of the whole community and the pain they experienced for three years as a result.

This is a story about Love, fear, control, punishment, endurance and learning to rely on each other. The story covers other characters whose names have all been changed, that tried their very best to cause as much harm as possible to Marc and Cora. They are both eventually disfellowshipped (banished) from the religion. No one is allowed to talk to them again, they are dead in the eyes of all Jehovah’s Witnesses. From this point onwards they are determined to prove Cora was free to marry all along and so they go to every meeting at the Kingdom Hall with their two youngest children for three years while being shunned slandered and hated and without a single word being said to them in the Kingdom Hall (church). The story eventually vindicates their marital position, where more lies are exposed about how the elders held back vital information from the couple. After three long enduring years they are reinstated and everyone loves them again. But for Marc and Cora they are totally burnt with the experience and plan their resignation from the religion for good. Leaving behind family and their childhood indoctrination. After much intensive research of the religion that had controlled their lives for so long they decided to become activists and are known world wide for their work in supporting other JWs who are in trouble with the organisation. The work has led to many true friends being made around the world and in some cases led to suicide prevention.

The couple survived deep emotional trauma by trusting in each other and learning to deal with the attrition of defamation, slander and the threat of financial ruin while also doing research and navigating their way out of the psychological control the cult had put them into from birth.

https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Your-Freedom-Winning-Strategies/dp/B0CSBTPFWX/