Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 35
No birthday card arrived that spring. Instead, we received a letter that informed us he was
dropping out of college and traveling with a ―scriptural family‖ to witness for Jesus. He told
us he had already written his roommate in college and told him to give away all of his
material goods, because ―the Lord would provide.‖ He was writing from Salem, Oregon but
said not to look for him there because he was only passing through and we wouldn‘t find
him. He also told us that initially, he was going to keep the communication one way
because he didn‘t want us to confuse him. Our son hadn‘t been kidnapped in the literal
sense of the word, but they had captured his mind and his body followed. Not a typical
kidnapping, of a 6 foot 3 inch, 185 lb. 20 year old young man.
Our first reaction was one of shock and disbelief. This must be some kind of joke. What
could be going through his mind? We had always been a close and loving family, where
everything was open for discussion and the kids always had input into major family
decisions and generally got to make their own decisions after we discussed the options and
gave them our input. Our lives were certainly above average and our kids had always been
responsible and held down jobs to earn their own spending money and help with their
college expenses. We had jokingly been referred to as the ―Golden Couple‖ because of our
close family group and seemingly ideal lives.
After we reread the letter several times, we convinced ourselves that this was some type of
lark and as soon as our son realized what was going on he would be out of this little group
and back in our lives. He was just too bright, and our family was too close for this kind of
thing to happen to us.
Our reaction was like most other families that are affected by cults, and like many of those
families, we too were wrong. We received two more letters over the next month or so and
our desperation grew with each as we saw the ties being severed. The feelings of
helplessness and frustration were almost overwhelming because we couldn‘t talk to him or
get letters to him.
The postmarks on his letters gave us some initial rays of hope that were later lost when we
learned the group doesn‘t send mail from their current locations. Since our son was over
18, no laws had been broken so there was no official help from the traditional agencies,
local police, state police, FBI, etc. I understand that, and recognize that our problem was
not one they would get involved in. A 20 year old in America has about all the freedom he
can stand, and not contacting his parents does not constitute a crime.
We received few letters over the next five months, and our concern grew daily. We
considered the possibility he had been recruited by a cult, but our fears were about worse
things than cults: hitch-hikers being murdered, young boys being forced into white slavery,
and guys like Jeffrey Dahmer being accused of sexual abuse, murder, and cannibalism of
young men about our son‘s age.
My wife was much more attuned and sensitive to what was going on and started seeking
ways to learn more about this unexpected twist to our lives. I was in a fast paced, high-
pressure job and escaped by concentrating on those responsibilities. We were going to
retire from the Army that summer and enjoy some of those things we had been planning on
for our retirement years. By talking to friends, and ultimately being led to the former Cult
Awareness Network (CAN) in Chicago, IL, we slowly realized our son was probably in a cult.
As the father, it was harder for me to accept what was happening. I resented my son and
what he was doing to our family. I also figured that since he got himself into this mess, he
could get himself out. He was a bright kid and could surely see what was going on. Having
spent 24 years in the Army, it was much easier to deny that my son could join a cult than to
accept the possibility that he had.
No birthday card arrived that spring. Instead, we received a letter that informed us he was
dropping out of college and traveling with a ―scriptural family‖ to witness for Jesus. He told
us he had already written his roommate in college and told him to give away all of his
material goods, because ―the Lord would provide.‖ He was writing from Salem, Oregon but
said not to look for him there because he was only passing through and we wouldn‘t find
him. He also told us that initially, he was going to keep the communication one way
because he didn‘t want us to confuse him. Our son hadn‘t been kidnapped in the literal
sense of the word, but they had captured his mind and his body followed. Not a typical
kidnapping, of a 6 foot 3 inch, 185 lb. 20 year old young man.
Our first reaction was one of shock and disbelief. This must be some kind of joke. What
could be going through his mind? We had always been a close and loving family, where
everything was open for discussion and the kids always had input into major family
decisions and generally got to make their own decisions after we discussed the options and
gave them our input. Our lives were certainly above average and our kids had always been
responsible and held down jobs to earn their own spending money and help with their
college expenses. We had jokingly been referred to as the ―Golden Couple‖ because of our
close family group and seemingly ideal lives.
After we reread the letter several times, we convinced ourselves that this was some type of
lark and as soon as our son realized what was going on he would be out of this little group
and back in our lives. He was just too bright, and our family was too close for this kind of
thing to happen to us.
Our reaction was like most other families that are affected by cults, and like many of those
families, we too were wrong. We received two more letters over the next month or so and
our desperation grew with each as we saw the ties being severed. The feelings of
helplessness and frustration were almost overwhelming because we couldn‘t talk to him or
get letters to him.
The postmarks on his letters gave us some initial rays of hope that were later lost when we
learned the group doesn‘t send mail from their current locations. Since our son was over
18, no laws had been broken so there was no official help from the traditional agencies,
local police, state police, FBI, etc. I understand that, and recognize that our problem was
not one they would get involved in. A 20 year old in America has about all the freedom he
can stand, and not contacting his parents does not constitute a crime.
We received few letters over the next five months, and our concern grew daily. We
considered the possibility he had been recruited by a cult, but our fears were about worse
things than cults: hitch-hikers being murdered, young boys being forced into white slavery,
and guys like Jeffrey Dahmer being accused of sexual abuse, murder, and cannibalism of
young men about our son‘s age.
My wife was much more attuned and sensitive to what was going on and started seeking
ways to learn more about this unexpected twist to our lives. I was in a fast paced, high-
pressure job and escaped by concentrating on those responsibilities. We were going to
retire from the Army that summer and enjoy some of those things we had been planning on
for our retirement years. By talking to friends, and ultimately being led to the former Cult
Awareness Network (CAN) in Chicago, IL, we slowly realized our son was probably in a cult.
As the father, it was harder for me to accept what was happening. I resented my son and
what he was doing to our family. I also figured that since he got himself into this mess, he
could get himself out. He was a bright kid and could surely see what was going on. Having
spent 24 years in the Army, it was much easier to deny that my son could join a cult than to
accept the possibility that he had.
