Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 34
The Evolution of a Cult and a Support Group for the
Families of Its Members: The Jim Roberts Group and The
Roberts Group Parents Network
James Foster
Ronald Loomis
Joseph Szimhart
Larry Wilcox
Abstract
The Jim Roberts Group (JRG) is clearly one of the most unusual groups that
have come to the attention of cult researchers. The group has never been
given a name by its founder, who is elusive and paranoid and rarely interacts
with his followers. Despite enduring for over 30 years, the membership has
remained small, apparently never more then 100 at any time. Members are
nomadic and forsake all material things. They spend most of their time
reading the bible, praying and singing together, and recruiting new members.
There is no evidence of physical, sexual, or financial exploitation in the group.
Nevertheless, over the years many young people have had their personal
lives, their education, their careers, and their family relations severely
damaged by this group, in some cases for several decades. Many members
have suffered physiological and psychological damage, and a few have died.
In 1996, a small group of families who had loved ones in this cult created a
family support group, now called The Roberts Group Parents Network
(TRGPN). In just seven years, they have developed a system for locating cult
members and arranging surprise family visits. As a result, some 50 members
have left the cult. This paper presents the perspective of a typical family with
a loved one in this cult, a brief history of the JRG and of TRGPN, and a
description of the thought reform techniques used by this group.
Part I: Help, They’ve Stolen Our Son! (Larry Wilcox)
It started out as another typical day for one of America‘s average families. My wife and I
are just one step ahead of the Baby Boomer generation. We have three children, two girls
and one boy, and we own two cars, one foreign and one domestic. We are probably part of
the great middle-class that only receives attention during election years.
When I received the phone call at my office, my wife was crying and I could detect panic in
her voice. It was the 21st of March, 1991 and with her birthday being the 22nd, we were
expecting the usual birthday card from our son at college. He was spending his spring
break in Seattle instead of coming back East. He was a unique young man and the kind of
kid that most parents wished for. He was a good student in high school and had earned
almost straight A‘s during his first two years at the University of Idaho. He had never been
involved in drugs and only tested alcohol. He had earned the citizenship award as a
freshman at his high school in Texas and was elected a class officer every year. When we
moved to the North Shore of Chicago, he was selected to be a Rotary Exchange Student to
South Africa during his junior year from the prestigious Lake Forest High School, where he
was recognized by the students and teachers for his outgoing personality, gentle nature,
and respect for others regardless of their age or position in life. In his senior year he was
selected as ―friendliest.‖
The Evolution of a Cult and a Support Group for the
Families of Its Members: The Jim Roberts Group and The
Roberts Group Parents Network
James Foster
Ronald Loomis
Joseph Szimhart
Larry Wilcox
Abstract
The Jim Roberts Group (JRG) is clearly one of the most unusual groups that
have come to the attention of cult researchers. The group has never been
given a name by its founder, who is elusive and paranoid and rarely interacts
with his followers. Despite enduring for over 30 years, the membership has
remained small, apparently never more then 100 at any time. Members are
nomadic and forsake all material things. They spend most of their time
reading the bible, praying and singing together, and recruiting new members.
There is no evidence of physical, sexual, or financial exploitation in the group.
Nevertheless, over the years many young people have had their personal
lives, their education, their careers, and their family relations severely
damaged by this group, in some cases for several decades. Many members
have suffered physiological and psychological damage, and a few have died.
In 1996, a small group of families who had loved ones in this cult created a
family support group, now called The Roberts Group Parents Network
(TRGPN). In just seven years, they have developed a system for locating cult
members and arranging surprise family visits. As a result, some 50 members
have left the cult. This paper presents the perspective of a typical family with
a loved one in this cult, a brief history of the JRG and of TRGPN, and a
description of the thought reform techniques used by this group.
Part I: Help, They’ve Stolen Our Son! (Larry Wilcox)
It started out as another typical day for one of America‘s average families. My wife and I
are just one step ahead of the Baby Boomer generation. We have three children, two girls
and one boy, and we own two cars, one foreign and one domestic. We are probably part of
the great middle-class that only receives attention during election years.
When I received the phone call at my office, my wife was crying and I could detect panic in
her voice. It was the 21st of March, 1991 and with her birthday being the 22nd, we were
expecting the usual birthday card from our son at college. He was spending his spring
break in Seattle instead of coming back East. He was a unique young man and the kind of
kid that most parents wished for. He was a good student in high school and had earned
almost straight A‘s during his first two years at the University of Idaho. He had never been
involved in drugs and only tested alcohol. He had earned the citizenship award as a
freshman at his high school in Texas and was elected a class officer every year. When we
moved to the North Shore of Chicago, he was selected to be a Rotary Exchange Student to
South Africa during his junior year from the prestigious Lake Forest High School, where he
was recognized by the students and teachers for his outgoing personality, gentle nature,
and respect for others regardless of their age or position in life. In his senior year he was
selected as ―friendliest.‖
