Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. For over 15 years, the elusive Children of God cult leader, Moses David, commanded a fold of 19,, his teachings disseminated through pamphlets that combined quotes from the Holy Scriptures with theories that condoned arranged marriages, the use of sex to attract recruits and the separation of children from parents.
In her first book, Williams describes how, in , as a young hippie who burned to "live in the purity of Jesus' words," she joined the Christian fundamentalist cult River Phoenix had spent years in the cult as a child. Williams soon found herself pregnant, married and forced into "giving sex in order to tell a person about God's love.
A high-class prostitution ring evolved that funneled thousands of dollars a month into COG's Swiss bank accounts. David's request according to Williams that couples practice group sex, homosexuality and pedophilia prompted the author to leave the security of the COG family to protect her younger children. Williams's painstakingly candid story provokes striking insights and questions about disenchanted youth, misogyny and the psychological appeal of cult living, demonstrating that the best stories strive to tell the truth and let readers draw their own conclusions.
Author tour. Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc. Williams established a group called Safe Haven to assist former cult members after she left the Children of God, to whom she belonged for almost 18 years. This memoir was written to shed light on one idealistic woman's voyage into self-discovery, which for a time caused her to lose her "self.
The book chronicles her experiences and the duties the cult's leader, Mo, imposed on his followers, including activities such as multiple marriage partners and sex with strangers to spread the gospel as well as to raise funds for the Church. After hearing allegations of young child sexual abuse, Williams decamped. This book illuminates one person's struggle with spirituality and obsession but is not a thoroughgoing critique of either the Church of God or of cults in general.
