The House of Yahweh: My Side of the Story is a 2012 book by Kay Hawkins, ex-wife of Yisrayl Hawkins, founder of the House of Yahweh. The two were married 14 years and the book is based on her experiences with the sect, and more specifically, the man who founded it. [1]
Kay Hawkins was forced to leave the House of Yahweh when her then husband (and leader of the organization) excommunicated her. She waited 17 years before publishing her story, which the Abilene Reporter News describes as being less of a scathing tell all book, and more of a character study of Yisrayl himself. [1] In her own words, she wanted to "tell everybody, one of these days, exactly what happened." [2] The book describes the beginnings of the House of Yehweh, and the changes that took place in both Yisrayl Hawkins and the organization over time. She claims "The scriptures in the editions of the bible that he now publishes have been rewritten, cleverly twisted to fit his own personal doctrines." [3]
The International Cultic Studies Association describes the book as a treasure trove of primary sources on the legal problems the sect has faced, and "contributes to our understanding of psychological patterns of cult leaders and the people who surround them." [4]
The Branch Davidians are a Christian sect founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General Association of Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, established by Victor Houteff in 1935. They have often been described as a doomsday cult.
Warren Steed Jeffs is an American cult leader who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault following two convictions in 2011. He is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous cult based in Arizona. The FLDS Church was founded in the early-20th century when its founders deemed the renunciation of polygamy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be apostate. The LDS Church disavows any relation between it and the FLDS Church, although there are significant historical ties.
Cult is a lay term for a group perceived as requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant outside the norms of society. Such groups are typically perceived as being led by a charismatic leader who tightly controls its members. It is in some contexts a pejorative term, also used for new religious movements and other social groups which are defined by their unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or their common interest in a particular person, object, or goal. This sense of the term is weakly defined – having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia – and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.
Lisa Pulitzer is an American author and journalist. Pulitzer is a former correspondent for The New York Times newspaper. She is the author/ghostwriter of more than fifteen non-fiction books. In addition to her own books, Pulitzer has written a number of memoirs including several about young women who have escaped fundamentalist religion including Jenna Miscavige Hill, the former Scientologist, Lauren Drain, the ex-member of Westboro Baptist Church, and Elissa Wall, who wrote about her experiences after leaving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Pulitzer left journalism in 1998 while pregnant with her first child to concentrate on writing books and has had numerous publications on The New York Times Best Seller list.
David Miscavige is an American Scientologist who is serving as the second and current leader of the Church of Scientology. His official title within the organization is Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center. RTC is a corporation that controls the trademarks and copyrights of Dianetics and Scientology. He is also referred to within the Scientology organization as "DM," "COB" and "Captain of the Sea Org."
Yahweh ben Yahweh was an American religious leader, black separatist and black supremacist and founder of the Nation of Yahweh, a new religious movement headquartered in Florida that, at its peak, had thousands of black American devotees. He preached that Jesus was black and that "white devils" temporarily rule over black people, and was accused of teaching hate. Yahweh was indicted on three counts of federal racketeering and extortion charges, of which he was found not guilty. However, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
The Nation of Yahweh is predominantly a Black Hebrew Israelite religious movement which was founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. Its goal is to move African Americans, who it believes are the original Israelites, to Israel. The group accepts Yahweh ben Yahweh as the Son of God. In this way, its beliefs are unique and distinct from those of other Black Hebrew Israelite groups.
Richard P. Rodriguez was an American member of a religious cult called The Family, formerly known as the Children of God (COG), who murdered one of his childhood sexual abusers, Angela M. Smith, and then died by suicide.
The School of Philosophy and Economic Science (SPES), also operating under the names the School of Philosophy and the School of Practical Philosophy and legally named the School of Economic Science (SES), is a worldwide organisation based in London. It offers non-academic courses for adults, ranging from an introductory series called Practical Philosophy to more advanced classes. Its teachings are principally influenced by Advaita Vedanta, an orthodox philosophical system of Hinduism. It has a guru, Sri Vasudevananda Saraswati, who used the title Shankaracharya until 2017. The organisation has been the subject of controversy, especially historical child abuse that it confirmed was criminal. It has a dress code and advocates a conservative lifestyle, with traditional gender roles and sexual mores. It has been described as a cult, sect or new religious movement.
Ervil Morrell LeBaron was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents, both within his own sect and in rival polygamous groups, using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the murders. He was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died there in 1981.
Nansook Hong, is the author of the autobiography, In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, published in 1998 by Little, Brown and Company. It gave her account of her life up to that time, including her marriage to Hyo Jin Moon, the first son of Unification Church founder and leader Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hakja Han Moon.
The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning, is a monotheistic new religious movement which was established in China in 1991. Government sources estimate the group has three to four million members.
The House of Yahweh (HOY) is a religious group based in Eula, Texas. The assembly has been controversial and is referred to as a cult by former members.
NXIVM was a cult led by Keith Raniere. NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential development, and served as a front organization for criminal activity by Raniere and his close associates. Following Raniere's multiple convictions in 2019 for racketeering and sex offences, the Department of Justice seized ownership of NXIVM-related entities and their intellectual property through asset forfeiture.
Simon Howe is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Lee Hartney. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 13 October 1993. Hartney received the role the day after he had auditioned for it. Simon is introduced as a new petrol pump attendant working in the local petrol station. Writers first portrayed him as being mild-mannered before revealing his true manipulative persona.
Moon Over Manifest is a 2010 children's novel written by American Clare Vanderpool. The book was awarded the 2011 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature, the Spur Award for best Western juvenile fiction, and was named a Kansas Notable Book. The story follows a young and adventurous girl named Abilene who is sent to Manifest, Kansas by her father in the summer of 1936. The author's note at the end of the book states the fictional town of Manifest, Kansas, is based on the real town of Frontenac, Kansas.
Keith Allen Raniere is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of racketeering activity, including human trafficking, sex offenses and fraud. Raniere co-founded NXIVM, a purported self-help multi-level marketing company offering personal development seminars and headquartered in Albany, New York. Operating from 1998 to 2018, NXIVM had 700 members at its height, including celebrities and the wealthy. Within NXIVM, Raniere was referred to as "Vanguard".
Joshua Andrew Dolezal is an American academic and writer. He was a full professor of English studies at Central College, focusing on American literature, creative nonfiction, medical humanities, sustainability and social justice issues. He is the brother of Rachel Dolezal and wrote a book about their upbringing in "a strict, cult-like Pentecostal family."
Michael the Black Man, also known as Michael Symonette and Mikael Israel, is an American political figure from Miami, Florida. An outspoken supporter of former US president Donald Trump, he is known for appearances at Trump's rallies before and after the 2016 election, and he often sits behind Trump holding a "Blacks for Trump" sign at these rallies.
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