I suppose in many ways, I'm working out my personal history and background in a certain kind of church I grew up in. One of the main characters in my fiction crime FBI Series, Josephine, did not grow up in a cult household, but the group she was kidnapped into held that abuse was acceptable. In the eleven years in the group from the age of 18 to 29 years old, she saw the trauma created mostly in the young and the women.

People who are born into cult groups think it is normal. The group she was in read King James bibles (KJV) and based their ideology on misinterpretation. While the Bible is a great historic book with values for living, the cult group twisted it for their purposes.

Some trusted members had public jobs and therefore needed to hide their lifestyle creating duplicity. Some children had four or five moms. In this group, the cult leader is "the one" and everyone in the group wants his approval. If he is abusive it is accepted. If he is psychologically and physically abusive, it is accepted.

The children learn how to become quiet so that they do not draw attention. They focus on reading, cleaning, or some acceptable skill or work so that no one notices they are smart and they can think. This creates observant and hyper vigilant kids with dissociative disorders, emotionally and mentally disconnected. It can be like PTSD. Some issues are triggered by church and reading of certain scripture.

There are followers in multiple states and "the one" travels to each state and holds meetings and has other homes, wives and families. There is a dysfunctional connectedness based on their beliefs.Followers can be gossipy which creates other terrible dynamics.

Doomsday, apocalyptic messages are recorded for all followers. People give their money to missions that aren't really happening. Images of "the one" are hung in households and 'worshipped' as authority. They believe they are the true Christian's and no one else will be in heaven.

But the character in my book, Josephine, doesn't buy into any of it. She had been enrolled in law school when she was kidnapped. She must hide her ability to out think them all. And she will be the reason the cult collapses in the end.

AuthorMelissaSaulnier.com