Christian and quasi-Christian cults and sects Books

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Book Synopsis'For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text' - Louis Theroux'Such a moving, redemptive, clear-eyed account of religious indoctrination' - Pandora Sykes'A nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry' New York Times'Unfolds like a suspense novel . . . A brave, unsettling, and fascinating memoir about the damage done by religious fundamentalism' NPRA Radio Four Book of the Week Pick for June 2021As featured on the BBC documentaries, 'The Most Hated Family in America' and 'Surviving America's Most Hated Family'It was an upbringing in many ways normal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night.Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'.In November 2012, at the age of twenty-six, she left the church, her family, and her life behind.Unfollow is a story about the rarest thing of all: a person changing their mind. It is a fascinating insight into a closed world of extreme belief, a biography of a complex family, and a hope-inspiring memoir of a young woman finding the courage to find compassion for others, as well as herself.---More praise for Unfollow'A beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption' - Nick Hornby'A modern-day parable for how we should speak and listen to each other' - Dolly Alderton'Her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring' - Jon Ronson'A gripping story, beautifully told . . . It takes real talent to produce a book like this. Its message could not be more urgent' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewMegan Phelps-Roper is a beautiful writer, and her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring. I met Megan shortly after she left her church. She said, 'I want to do good, but I don't know how.' With Unfollow she's figured out how. -- Jon RonsonUnfollow is a book that speaks eloquently to our divided times: the tale of a young girl born into a family whose name is a byword for bigotry and how she grew into a compassionate young woman, leaving her family behind and forging an entirely new understanding of the world and her place in it. Full of insight, thoughtfulness and vivid detail, it is also the debut of a gifted new writer. For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text, a testament to the fact that there is no-one immune to childhood indoctrination, but also to the ever-present possibility of profound change. -- Louis TherouxMegan Phelps-Roper has guts - maybe more guts than can comfortably be contained within one adult human. First, as a member of the scary Westboro Baptist Church, she had the guts to get into the faces of people she disapproved of, gays and Jews and less fiery Christians, and tell them why God hated them. Then - and this is where you and I come in - she had the guts to listen and to think, and to decide that everything she had built her life upon was wrong. This is a beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption. -- Nick HornbyRarely do you come across someone with the courage and clarity of Megan Phelps-Roper. From her story, we can learn things sorely needed in our age: empathy, openness, and how we can best build bridges across divided lines. -- Chris Anderson, Head of TEDMegan Phelps-Roper is one of the most inspiring women I have ever met. If you want to see how a girl raised on religious fanaticism and sectarian hatred can be cured by the power of honest reasoning, read this book. -- Sam HarrisMegan Phelps-Roper finds a way to tell the story of the girl she was raised to be from the perspective of the woman she became, without rewriting history or losing touch with the earnestness that made everything in her world seem ok, if not downright righteous. Despite a fundamental transformation of epic proportions, Megan's core, her soul, remains the same throughout: kind, passionate, and open. Her process is wildly brave and incredibly thoughtful and this book gives us the incomparable insight into a world we all, and yet, none of us, know. This book will leave you holding your heart. -- Sarah SilvermanMegan's story embodies the power of patience, listening, and empathy in this time of extreme intolerance and hatred of one's ideological enemies. It is, quite simply, exactly what the world needs right now. -- Mark DuplassExcellent . . . Phelps-Roper's intelligence and compassion shine throughout with electric prose . . . For anyone interested in the power of rhetoric, belief, and family, Phelps-Roper's powerful, empathetic memoir will be a must-read. * Publishers Weekly *Eloquent and entirely candid . . . A heartfelt and richly detailed memoir. * Kirkus *A gripping story, beautifully told, and one offering an extraordinary insight into the minds and thoughts of rational, bright, generally decent people who have been brainwashed into believing crazy, cruel things. Phelps-Roper's years of voracious reading were not wasted. In clear, readable prose, she moves between remembered scenes, vivid descriptions and reflection to paint a fascinating portrait of the family she loved and had to leave . . . It takes real guts to do what she has done. It takes real talent to produce a book like this. Its message could not be more urgent. * Sunday Times *Unfolds like a suspense novel . . . A brave, unsettling, and fascinating memoir about the damage done by religious fundamentalism. * NPR *A nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry. * New York Times *A must-read for anyone who loved Tara Westover's Educated and is ultimately a book about hope and compassion. * Red *'Offers an important lesson in our current, angry political climate. Phelps-Roper's story is instructive and captivating in itself, but it also contains a critical message about communication and understanding for an era in which they are increasingly scarce. Listening and persuading have become rare skills, and they are needed now more than ever. If the spokeswoman raised on the picket lines of the most hated family and church in America can be persuaded to leave bigotry and everything she's ever known behind and make amends with those she once tormented, what excuse can there be for our age of competitive pettiness?' * Washington Examiner *Unfollow is an exceptional book: a loving portrait of a fanatical organisation. * The Times *This is her wise, heart-rending account of loving and leaving 'America's most hated family'to live on the 'outside', damnation be damned. * Saga Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text' - Louis Theroux'A moving, redemptive, clear-eyed account of religious indoctrination' - Pandora Sykes'A nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry' New York TimesAs featured on the BBC documentaries, 'The Most Hated Family in America' and 'Surviving America's Most Hated Family'It was an upbringing in many ways normal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night.Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'.In November 2012, at the age of twenty-six, she left the church, her family, and her life behind.---More praise for Unfollow'A beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption' - Nick Hornby'A modern-day parable for how we should speak and listen to each other' - Dolly Alderton'Her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring' - Jon Ronson'A gripping story, beautifully told . . . It takes real talent to produce a book like this. Its message could not be more urgent' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewMegan Phelps-Roper is a beautiful writer, and her journey - from Westboro to becoming one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, humanistic writers around - is exceptional and inspiring. I met Megan shortly after she left her church. She said, 'I want to do good, but I don't know how.' With Unfollow she's figured out how.Megan Phelps-Roper has guts - maybe more guts than can comfortably be contained within one adult human. First, as a member of the scary Westboro Baptist Church, she had the guts to get into the faces of people she disapproved of, gays and Jews and less fiery Christians, and tell them why God hated them. Then - and this is where you and I come in - she had the guts to listen and to think, and to decide that everything she had built her life upon was wrong. This is a beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption.Unfollow is a book that speaks eloquently to our divided times: the tale of a young girl born into a family whose name is a byword for bigotry and how she grew into a compassionate young woman, leaving her family behind and forging an entirely new understanding of the world and her place in it. Full of insight, thoughtfulness and vivid detail, it is also the debut of a gifted new writer. For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text, a testament to the fact that there is no-one immune to childhood indoctrination, but also to the ever-present possibility of profound change.Megan Phelps-Roper is one of the most inspiring women I have ever met. If you want to see how a girl raised on religious fanaticism and sectarian hatred can be cured by the power of honest reasoning, read this book.Megan Phelps-Roper finds a way to tell the story of the girl she was raised to be from the perspective of the woman she became, without rewriting history or losing touch with the earnestness that made everything in her world seem ok, if not downright righteous. Despite a fundamental transformation of epic proportions, Megan's core, her soul, remains the same throughout: kind, passionate, and open. Her process is wildly brave and incredibly thoughtful and this book gives us the incomparable insight into a world we all, and yet, none of us, know. This book will leave you holding your heart.Rarely do you come across someone with the courage and clarity of Megan Phelps-Roper. From her story, we can learn things sorely needed in our age: empathy, openness, and how we can best build bridges across divided lines.

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Book SynopsisAt a new age festival in Byron Bay, Australia, German journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman – a survivor of the Centrepoint cult – who will change the course of her life and career. Over the next ten years, Anke pursued a labyrinthine investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people, asking what the line is between tribe and cult, participant and perpetrator, seduction and sexual abuse. From the emotional and criminal carnage of Centrepoint in Auckland, New Zealand, to an anti-cult conference in Manchester, the infamous Osho’s ashram in India, the tantric Agama Yoga school in remote Thailand and culminating in a visit to Gloriavale on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Anke uncovers a disturbing pattern of violence and suffering. Cult Trip is a powerful exploration of what really goes on inside the groups we call cults, and how to reckon with their aftermath.Trade Review‘Bringing together information from around the globe, Anke Richter pinpoints the internal struggles of those coming out of cults, and the debilitating harm that lingers afterwards’ -- Rachel Bernstein, cult specialist and educator‘Wild stuff. Anke Richter is one of my favourite writers, blurring the line between participant and reporter’ -- David Farrier, journalist behind Dark Tourist and Tickled‘Thorough and compassionate . . . Cult Trip is a brittle, sensitive book’ -- Steve Braunias'What a book and what a writer! Cult Trip is an incredibly immersive, intense and necessary reading experience put together with doggedness and skill. The stories are heart-rending, told with bravery and care.' * Noelle McCarthy, author of Grand *A ‘powerful must read’ * Style *‘Cult Trip is incredibly painful and powerful - an eye opener, a tour de force and a call for justice. Those voices of survivors can’t be silenced. Thanks to Anke Richter’s courage and compassion, they will be heard.’ * Janja Lalich, author of Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships *

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Book SynopsisWhat spiritual or esoteric practices took place within the mysterious and often controversial Knights Templar? Whilst little is known about this aspect of the Order's history, speculation and wild rumours continue to persist. Having taken the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the members of the Templar Order were required to live the life of other monastic orders. However, their remarkable rise to a successful elite community - followed by the insidious machinations and slander that led to their spectacular fall and destruction - suggests that they were involved in something more significant than straightforward medieval religious practices. There have been many theories as to whether their 'secret' involved material wealth and special treasure. But could it have been connected to a science of initiation - the knowledge, experience and understanding of spiritual dimensions that can enlighten the pupil on an esoteric path? In The Templar Spirit Margaret Jonas penetrates these questions, examining some of the various claims and revealing something of the esoteric practices and beliefs of the Order, including influences from other religious traditions. She presents her own research into the meaning of the mysterious 'head' that the Templars were accused of worshipping, and examines the historical figures that lent their wisdom and guidance to the founding of the Order.

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Book SynopsisThe beginnings of the Templar Order are shrouded in mystery. Very little is known about its foundation, inner workings or its rapid growth. This lack of knowledge can lead to all sorts of speculation and, sometimes, bizarre theories. This book - developed from a conference held on the theme at Emerson College, England - offers new, well-grounded perspectives that utilize both esoteric and exoteric sources. From varying points-of-view, the contributors tackle key questions relating to the forming of the Order and its aims and intentions. They explore the Knights Templar's spiritual and historical background, as well as the Order's significance at the present time and its continuing impulse in the future. With its broad scope, this stimulating anthology encourages independent, open-minded enquiry and research. Featuring contributions by: Peter Tradowsky, Gil McHattie, Horst Biehl, Margaret Jonas, Rolf Speckner, Sylvia Francke, Simon Cade-Williams, Jaap van der Haar, Alfred Kon, David Lenker, Peter Snow, Christine Gruwez, Frans Lutters, Walter Johannes Stein and Siegfried Rudel.

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Book SynopsisThis is a novel based on a true story. Racheli is a regular American modern Orthodox girl. After her marriage, idealism brings her and her husband to Israel where they begin to build a family. Spiritual searchers, the couple falls prey to a cult. Over a period of six years, Racheli and her husband lose the ability to make their own decisions or protect their children. As a result, Racheli receives a five-year prison sentence. Eighteen months into her prison sentence, Racheli begins to understand where everything went wrong. From here, her healing begins. Upon her release, Racheli marries a prisoner who still has time to serve. With his help, she is able to rebuild herself into a vivacious, mentally and emotionally healthy woman who learns to live with the irreversible consequences of her mistakes and nourish the children and grandchildren with whom she has contact. The book was written to give hope to anyone who feels that they have fallen into a place from which they cannot escape. It shows that you can rebuild yourself and fashion a core of inner strength that will make you into a person you never dreamed you?d be.Give Me a Second Chance sheds light on the dark shadows in this world in the hopes of giving strength to those still in their own personal darkness. The book encourages readers to give a second chance to those who have fallen.

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