May 1, 2924
"Othniel Chisi had just arrived in Melbourne from Zimbabwe and was seeking a sense of belonging when he inadvertently fell into an organisation he now believes is a cult. He later learned he was the ideal prey for the organisation, and that he needed to escape.
Nobody actively seeks out a cult. Instead, they look for a group of like-minded people, a sense of belonging and a purpose.
It took me three years to realise that I was a prisoner, that I had fallen prey to a gradual process of coercive persuasion and influence.
One day I woke up and realised I was ensnared in the clutches of a destructive, manipulative and extremist group.
It all started in 2019, shortly after I arrived in Melbourne from Zimbabwe at 19 to study sports science.
I was full of hope and ambition; I saw Australia as my chance to make something of myself. My family saw the move as an investment in my future.
I had a deep passion for football, having represented my national team at the under-20 level back home, and was excited about the possibilities that lay ahead.
Alongside my sporting ambitions, my Christian upbringing also played a central role in my life. I wanted to find a church community in Melbourne.
One day, I met a friendly and bubbly young woman at my university and we spoke about the Bible. She told me she had a mentor who could answer all my questions and we should meet her.
She waited three hours for me to finish my class, and then we met her mentor, who just happened to be in the area.
I agreed to join them for a Bible study session and before long, we were meeting two times each week, then three times, before I agreed to join a bigger class with over 200 people.
I now know that this is where the deeper and unorthodox teachings of the group are fed to new recruits.
I had no idea that half the class were recruiters from this organisation, masquerading as first-timers, while reporting back on our interactions to the leaders.
It was a gradual process of indoctrination, with the group's true intentions becoming clearer over time. But by then it was too late to turn back.
Physically, I had free will, but my mind had already been channelled into believing what I had been told.
At this point, I still didn't know the name of the group; if we asked, our question was brushed aside, or we were told they were missionaries with a common purpose to share the gospel.
As the months passed, I became increasingly invested in the group's teachings and started to distance myself from my previous pursuits, including football and university.
The sense of belonging and purpose filled
a void I never knew I had in my life."
No comments:
Post a Comment