"Frick. That. Place": 45 Times Folks Realized They Might Be In A Cult

I guess most people consider JW a cult. I'm not sure that I do, but I think the most pivotal moment for me was actually when one of the traveling speakers at our congregation urged us not to just take their word for it. To investigate and find the truth and if we found something that was more truthful, to pursue that. I did. I'm an agnostic existentialist, with many other strongly held beliefs. None of them are compatible with JW. I wish I remembered who that guy was, because I feel like I owe him a lot. My whole belief system is based on the idea of doing as much research as possible, considering all points of view, and being open minded. Ultimately, I decide what I believe based on logic, evidence, practicality and personal preference in cases where there is no clear cut answer.

For me it was when, after almost a decade of being raised in and working for them, i got fired by them. The reason being I had watched a Chris Rock video, and this was reported by one Cult Leaders many spies he apparently had in each department(found this out after a lot of digging once i had become disillusioned). He decided it was proof that i was not pure in Christ and had to be removed from the "flock of christ".

The idea that something so innocent as a comedy youtube, could be a "greivious sin against God" as he put; struck me as beyond ludicrous and awakened a very cynical part of me. And so the journey of searching for truth began.

When I found out I'd been lied to about foundational aspects of the church. And that the founder married a 14 year old and secretly married tons of women without telling his first wife.

When I realized I was afraid of doing outside research on the religion (cult) I was raised in. I was afraid I'd be allowing Satan to control my mind. Once I did research it I realized that for so many years I thought I was thinking for myself but I was really just being controlled and told what to think and do. And then it further intensified the realization I was in a cult when my whole family turned their back on me and started shunning me because I stopped believing in their nonsense.

Just left the Jehovah’s Witness “Religion” this year. Honestly what really did it for me was the fact that my entire life all the speeches and sermons started sounding identical. Insisting that the end was coming. I was raised as one so i just thought that it would have happened by now. I talked to an older friend of mine who also used to be in the cult and asked him “hey dude when u were young did they say the end was coming”?
He answered that they’ve been preaching the same thing since the 60’s. I was denied of a regular childhood and they took away my teen years . I vowed when i left that I wouldn’t give that cult another day of my life ever again.
My mom and her family have been super understanding and still talk to me as if nothing happened even though they still attend regularly.

When I was 12 and stopped going to church bc I didn’t want to and they sent other 12 year olds to my house every Wednesday (for activity night) to try and get me to come back to the church. It continued through high school until I finally called an elder and told her to stop harassing me because I didn’t want to go to church and didn’t believe in a god.

That stopped them real quick. Also this was a Mormon church.

I was part of a “cult” church when I was invited soon after I started attending school at UF. Since I was looking for a church to attend, this worked out great

I was invited by a real nice guy and started attending every service, getting to know everyone and making great friends. The services seemed to be a bit extreme, a little too “fire and brimstone” but I decided to ignore that and focus on what I agree with.

I started getting a little uncomfortably when they tried to make me recruit people on the street, but I really felt uneasy when they said I shouldn’t hang out with my friends that followed other religions and even family members, because they’re not “good influences.”

Despite all of this I kept going mainly because of the people there. It wasn’t until my sociology class did a unit on cults and how they work, being nice and friendly and then trying to separate people from their friends and family so they won’t be persuaded to leave.

After that I decided to stop attending services, although I stayed in touch with some people. It’s a real shame because most of them are born again Christians and don’t know that a real church isn’t like that. They’re great people, just lead by the wrong person.

When I was told that proceeding in a ceremony and receiving a gift that was a religious rite of passage to adulthood would require me to take upon myself certain sacred obligations, and that I could not know them beforehand. I could either leave then in front of my family or essentially sign a blank check to swear any oath required of me later on.

When I realized ever since I was a kid I had been railroaded towards getting married and having more kids in the organization. Every thing I was every taught was how to be a good wife with sewing and quiet journaling and crafts with no encouragement for my dreams of being a scientist.

Once when I was ~14 I said to a leader that I didn't want kids and wanted to be a scientist, and I remember the exact words: "Well, when you decide you do want to have kids remember that that's the greatest calling you can have." When I got older I did some research and compared it to the "approved resources" I found a lot of lies and cover ups they taught and found the truth disgusting.

The Elders made me wear robes and told me my name was “Tanya” (I’m a guy btw).

When I saw the leader pimp slap one of the followers and cut up a piece of 'holy' art.

When I worked at Home Depot, the first line of one of the books the owners wrote was "Home Depot is not a cult.".

When the church spent more time talking about how we should bring people out to church than they actually talked about the gospel, I decided it was time to go.

So, I'm not sure if this counts, but my Father stopped going to The Creation Museum's church after he approached the Pastor and asked why he and my brother were not allowed to have communion. The Pastor told him "I understand your concern, but we feel that since we don't know how good of a Christian you are, you and your son shouldn't be allowed to partale in communion, as it may contaminate innocents with your sins." They also demanded a HUGE amount of tithe and insisted at the time that any church other than theirs may not always be true Christians and that going to churches other than theirs was wrong. They also insisted that people attending the church should also visit the Creation Museum, and if you questioned anything in the Museum it was sinful. They also told my dad and brother that unbaptised children shouldn't be near baptised children, presumably for the same contamination reason. We were just talking about it night before last and my father said "I swear to you that's a cult in the making, haven't been there since."

Also, my cousin was involved in the Mars Hill church in Seattle. He was involved with a girl for over two years, planning on marrying her, etc. Eventually, they decided to sleep together. This is outrageously frowned upon at Mars Hill, and afterward the girl went to the Mars Hill pastor and told him that she and my cousin had had relations out of wedlock. Cue Mars Hill pastor bringing my cousin to the front of the church in front of the entire church body and publically humilating him, telling him he'd go to hell, etc. The girl was forbidden from ever even being in the same room as my cousin, and has refused to speak to him since. My cousin tried to defend himself, and they started publically and privately harassing him, people even going so far as to harass him in public places like coffee shops and grocery stores. Eventually Mars Hill did a public apology to my cousin, and my cousin left the country entirely and now lives in Australia as a raging athiest and racist dating a girl nobody in our entire family likes. Our Aunt and Uncle who he had been staying with in Seattle at the time are prominent figures in Seattle, and while my aunt is Buddhist my Uncle occasionally visits Mars Hill. They tried to get the pastor to apologize more appropriately and he refused, telling my Uncle it didn't matter anymore because my cousin made his choice. Couple years later Pastle and his wife had a "Sleep In" or whatever where they spent all day in bed on the roof of the church to display how a truly loving couple should be, and my aunt and uncle were pretty pissed. I swear up and down Mars Hill is a cult and that Pastor is the crappiest person in Seattle. I can guarantee God disapproves of him.

I realized I was in a cult earlier this year.

Everything seemed ok until the cult started to force people out of their homes. I wasn't one of them, but I noticed businesses we're getting shut down.

The whole town was getting weird. Vehicles, shops and farms all converted into "outposts". I couldn't buy or drive anywhere without the higher members stopping me everytime. They would intimidate you with guns.

Eventually the National Guard came in and stopped them. Just another day in Montana.

When I heard that slim fit men’s suits and yoga pants and spanx are from the devil and part of the gay agenda. (Ex Jehovah’s Witness).

There are so many things. I had mentally checked out years before this moment. I was actually standing around in the back of the Kingdom Hall when they played the video and just happened to actually be listening and it made me ask myself W*F was I still doing with this group? Never returned.

Not really a cult (maybe I’m still indoctrinated?) but had cultish behaviour, realised I need to leave when a guy was spouting bs like avoid interacting with atheists at all costs especially white people (I’m brown), I thought, hey my white friends are actually nice what the hell is this guy talking about and left.

When my then husband hit me, and the people who were always so supportive said I can't divorce him. He hit me one time, I went to 'my people' for advice. Their answers made me look up the business. It was a deep rabbit hole.



Amway, back then called Qixstar, is a huge cult. One you are really in, not just selling stuff, you are in the midst of one of the biggest cult in the USA.

No TV, no interent, no music, CDs outside from Christian music and business CDs. Women can't be with a man alone, only "side hugs", only skirts. The business has its own language, the sleep depravatin is crazy. You have to ask for advice about anything. Want to buy a toaster, have to ask your spline. What will they tell you? Put the bread in the oven, spend the money for a toaster on more products. Def. ask them if you want a baby, want to marry, etc. I could go on and on.

Most people don't know that about Amway. Once you go deep into it...I had a feeling from the start, but was new in the USA, my husband got deployed right away, and he said: Hey, my business partners will take care of you while I am gone. I question just about everything at the start, but got sucked into the way they have answered for all those smart questions. Plus, not being allowed to go on the internet, to look stuff up..hey, I was told the business won't grow if I do. So I was in the dark for quite some time.



I did learn a lot though, being in it Goal setting, being concentrated on one thing, not allowing anything else to take your mind, eyes off your goal. Also, the books you are "allowed" to read have taught me lot. Plus, I was never really comfy with other women. In the business, you can kind of only hang out with your fellow women, so I had to learn that and that widened my own circle later in life.

It was when lots of things checked off at this model that you can look up (forgot the name) when I hightailed it out of there. Pretty rough, leaving my then husband, and the structure of the business, in anew country. But I made it!

When the high lama snapped a crying toddler on the side of the head to get him to shut up, then demanded that children be kept out of earshot, a thousand yards away. Great compassion my butt.

(Not to mention he got drunk every night while he taught. Not to mention he said Westerners lacked the discernment to judge and choose their own teachers.).

Parents joined the Jehovah's Witlesses for a few years when I was a kid.

One Saturday, I stayed the night at a friends house and went to church with them on Sunday. Minister at my friends' church talked about "The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit". I was confused...

Next Sunday at the Kingdom Hall I asked our minister about it after services. He said "I don't know what you're talking about."

Even at 11 years old, I knew he was lying. If he'd simply said "That's a concept that we don't believe in", I wouldn't have lost respect in him, nor would have decided that everything coming out of his mouth was suspect... but I did.

Spent decades as an agnostic as a result.