Generation Cult

Oct 27 2024 48 ep. 49 mins 267
Generation Cult Podcast artwork

An interview show about people who grew up in cults and how they adjusted to mainstream society after they left.

  Society & Culture  Science
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The Cult of Oregon with Jesse

Oct 27 2024 54 mins  
Jesse grew up in "the perfect church," or so he was told. The small, albeit pushy congregation his life centered around in the town of Oregon, IL seemed almost ideal as a small child. But then the immortal leader died. She didn't come back to life like she was supposed to. And the new leader liked restrictions. There were so many restrictions. Jesse found himself trapped in a cycl

Leaving Christian Science Pod with Hilary

Sep 29 2024 53 mins  
Most people have heard of Christian Science and passed by the reading rooms, but how much do you know about it? Hilary grew up as a radical reliant Christian Scientist, which meant her family avoided medical intervention in favor of prayer to try to cure ailments. She lived to talk about it, but others weren't so lucky. As an adult, Hilary became an atheist and started the Leavin

Sharing the Knowledge with Susan

Sep 03 2024 54 mins  
When Susan was 13, her stepdad brought her into what was then known as the Divine Light Mission, an organization led by Prem Rawat (aka Guru Maharaj Ji, aka The Boy Guru, aka Lord of the Universe, aka The Perfect Master. ... etc.) She became a believer and eventually moved into one of the ashrams while she was still a teen. By that time, Susan was grappling with a disturbing incide

3HO Reparations with Philip and Stacie

Jun 23 2024 48 mins  
Philip and Stacie wrote about a recent reparations program meant to address complaints made for decades against 3HO (Happy, Healthy, Holy Organization), led by the late Yogi Bhajan, who started Kundalini Yoga. Join us for a discussion with these two writers about the second generation of 3HO. The children of those who joined the organization felt like they were screaming into a vo

BONUS: *Season 2 Rebroadcast* No Horses in India with Narangkar

Jun 21 2024 54 mins  
We're rebroadcasting an episode from 2019 to remind you about a guest from Generation Cult's first episode of Season 2. Narangkar is an artist who grew up in 3HO (Healthy, Happy Holy Organization), which is connected to Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma. Narangkar and her two sisters navigated a troubling childhood during their time within the group that included neglect, child-swappi

The Farm and The Neon Sun with Kate

May 10 2024 43 mins  
Kate grew up in the secluded High View Church Farm where children worked and lived in militant conditions, rarely saw their families, and had little contact with the outside world. She left with only a couple of dollars in her pocket and no idea if that was a lot of money or not. Education was a lifeline but it's also pretty expensive. Kate lived in her car some of the time to sav

Rejecting Race Rhetoric with Amanda

Apr 30 2024 55 mins  
The church Amanda grew up in was started by a man known for his ejection from the KKK for being too militant. The tight and secretive community that revolved around the church valued white supremacy, male dominance, and obedience. Amanda had a lot of questions. A girl with questions wasn't valued in this community. Neither were women who wore pants or got educations. She did a lot

In God's Name Pod with Grace

Mar 27 2024 37 mins  
Yes, we are back! We're kicking off Season 4 with a conversation with Grace. She grew up in a little-known Christian fundamentalist group referred to as the Geftakys Assembly and, although her family left when she was young, she was impacted greatly by leadership's harsh rules regarding women and children. So greatly was Grace impacted that she dove into a years-long history/resear

We Love New Books: Forager with Michelle

Oct 20 2023 41 mins  
We're back with yet another special literary edition! For this bonus episode, we're celebrating the recent launch of the book "Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult." It's out now in bookstores and on Amazon. The author, Michelle, was raised in an end-times group that was started by her grandfather in the 1930s. As survivalists in an organization referred to as “The

Book Launch Edition: I See You Survivor with Liz

Aug 29 2023 48 mins  
Generation Cult is dropping back in with a bonus edition to celebrate today's launch of Liz Ianelli's new book called "I See You, Survivor: Life Inside (and Outside) the Totally F*cked-Up Troubled Teen Industry." In it, Liz details her years left at a program within the Troubled Teen Industry, a network of expensive residential programs, wilderness camps, and religious-affiliated e