NXIVM, FLDS, Australia
CBC Listen: Allison after NXIVM from Uncover
That's Life: Escaping a cult: How Briell rebuilt her life.
Catholic Weekly: Monica Doumit: The cult is in the eye of the beholder
CBC Listen: Allison after NXIVM from Uncover
"You think you know the NXIVM story. The secretive self-help empire. The sex cult headlines. The downfall of its leader, Keith Raniere. But the most famous woman at the centre of the story has remained largely silent. Allison, after NXIVM, tells the story of Allison Mack: a former Smallville actress, high-ranking NXIVM member, and convicted felon. With exclusive access following her release from prison, this series traces her astonishing path from Smallville fame to NXIVM's inner circle — and her effort to rebuild a life in the wreckage. Through raw interviews and revealing conversations with those who knew her before, during, and after NXIVM, this season dives deep into the gray zones of influence, accountability, and redemption. Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, mysterious disappearances to wrongful imprisonment. Each season features a new host who is deeply connected to the story and committed to uncovering the truth. With over 30 seasons to choose from, Uncover represents the best in true crime."
• Born into a radical religious sect, 18-year-old Briell was isolated entirely from the outside world
• Growing up, she was taught that it was normal for men to be married to at least three women
• Then came the day when she was forced to wed the cult leader, who already had 64 wives
Briell, now 39, tells her story in her own words.
Catholic Weekly: Monica Doumit: The cult is in the eye of the beholder
" ... Attention is increasingly focused on a slight variation of the former: the debate isn't about whether we should have a state-imposed religion, but rather whether there are some religious beliefs and practices that the State should intervene and prohibit.
We had our first taste of this with the prohibitions on so-called conversion practices, which, in addition to outlawing harmful practices like electroshock therapy, have also banned consensual prayer in some cases.
The result is that a person who wants to abide by their religious beliefs on sexual ethics is banned by the State from seeking prayer or counsel from a spiritual leader to do so, with the threat of the religious leader being imprisoned if they try to help.
Now we have the Victorian inquiry into cults, the parliamentary hearings on which you will read about in this week's edition of The Catholic Weekly. While purportedly aimed at ensuring no one is coerced into religious practice, the terms of reference are so broad that they capture even mainstream Christian teaching.
The potential outcome of this inquiry would be laws that would prohibit certain religious beliefs or practices, and that's where we get into very dangerous territory.
For example, those who allege a religious group is a cult will often talk about hierarchical structures, male-only leadership, traditional sexual ethics and a demand for modest dress.
But an orthodox view of all the major religions would reveal similar complaints, would it not?
Should millennia-old leadership structures or teachings on sexual morality now be seen as indicative of a cult, simply because the last 50 years has seen many in our society throw away these norms?
Even more basic teachings are under the spotlight.
As one of the witnesses at the inquiry noted, talk about sin and its eternal consequences could be judged as coercive, especially if a religious leader is bold enough to warn people that certain activities done in rejection of God and his plan for us could send them to hell.
While some members of the parliamentary committee would consider such language to be archaic and even harmful, and would readily seek to see such teachings banned, we need to be very careful here.
Even though Catholics are the largest religious grouping in the country by far and feel safe from the "cult" label, the bigger principle at play is the extent to which the State should be allowed to prohibit religious belief or practice because they know better than the believers themselves about what might harm them."
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