International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020 83
mystery and emotional intimacy was a
nonentity. There was only marriage and
obedience. The night before a young woman
got married, female elders would divulge the
strict rules of marriage: Sex was for men to
enjoy, only appropriate in the missionary
position because that was considered a
position that would afford his wife the least
amount of pleasure, and only allowed to
married couples once a week on “family
night.” Married couples were not allowed to
show much public affection beyond holding
hands or “dry kissing.” Any kind of pleasure
in sex would be shameful for a woman to feel.
Only men were allowed to receive oral sex,
which women were expected to give. Later,
Sarah would explain that she grew up
expecting to be raped, with her mother and
other women normalizing unwanted sexual
encounters and making clear that
nonconsensual sex was normal—something
for which young girls should be prepared.
In other cults, women are blamed for their
own rape. When the daughter of Susan
Alamo of the Alamo Christian Ministries cult
was raped by the leader, Susan screamed
pejorative names at her daughter, accusing
her of “ ‘trying to steal her man’ ” (Schriver,
2018, p. 8).
In some cults, celibacy is the explicit policy,
but this often applies only to the members.
Hypocritically, leaders may take multiple
sexual partners either openly (as in the case
of the polygamous groups) or secretively (as
in the case of Swami Muktananda, head of
Siddha Yoga) (Kent, 2012). Female targets
are often seduced by being told they were
specially chosen for the privilege of
consorting with the leader these sexual
practices are often billed as another, higher,
level of spiritual practice, designed to reach
enlightenment or salvation more quickly. In
5 This testimony given at the Congressional hearings on Waco by
Kiri Jewell has been questioned by Thibodeau, who was there at the
the case of David Koresh’s harem, the young
girls were told they would be marrying Jesus
Christ, and they were groomed from
childhood for that honor.
David Koresh, leader of the Branch
Davidians of Waco, Texas, claimed “all adult
women in the group as his sexual property
he engaged in the physical abuse of children
and the sexual abuse of young girls” (Kaplan,
2001, p. 496). His third wife, Michele, was
the younger sister of his legal wife Rachel
she was just 12 years old when he raped her
(Breault &King, 1993). He broke up
marriages and created a harem after claiming
to have received a message from God
commanding him to form a new race of the
“House of David.” Girls as young as age 10
years became his “wives” (ABC News, 2003
Bunting &Willman, 1995), and mothers
groomed their daughters to be the “Brides of
Christ” (Breault &King, 1993). One Waco
survivor, Kiri Jewell, testified before
Congress that her mother took her to a hotel
where Koresh was waiting (ABC News, 2003),4
5 considering it an honor for her daughter to be so
chosen. By cooperating, these “spiritual wives”
proved their worthiness to enjoy eternal
salvation. This type of grooming is not unique to
the well-known cults. In a small Bible-based
group in Santa Ana, California, all the women
and young girls are expected to massage the feet
of the leader, essentially preparing them to be his
future sexual partners.
Leaders generally have no regard for legal
marriages, often taking the wife of another
member as another sexual conquest. If the
husband complains, he is shamed by being
told he is “selfish” (ex-member, personal
communication, August 27, 2011). The
dilution or dissolution of the “married”
couple serves the leader’s need for total
control because to the extent that any member
is attached to another, she is not attached to
time. However, even he admits that Koresh favored girls aged 11–
13 years.
mystery and emotional intimacy was a
nonentity. There was only marriage and
obedience. The night before a young woman
got married, female elders would divulge the
strict rules of marriage: Sex was for men to
enjoy, only appropriate in the missionary
position because that was considered a
position that would afford his wife the least
amount of pleasure, and only allowed to
married couples once a week on “family
night.” Married couples were not allowed to
show much public affection beyond holding
hands or “dry kissing.” Any kind of pleasure
in sex would be shameful for a woman to feel.
Only men were allowed to receive oral sex,
which women were expected to give. Later,
Sarah would explain that she grew up
expecting to be raped, with her mother and
other women normalizing unwanted sexual
encounters and making clear that
nonconsensual sex was normal—something
for which young girls should be prepared.
In other cults, women are blamed for their
own rape. When the daughter of Susan
Alamo of the Alamo Christian Ministries cult
was raped by the leader, Susan screamed
pejorative names at her daughter, accusing
her of “ ‘trying to steal her man’ ” (Schriver,
2018, p. 8).
In some cults, celibacy is the explicit policy,
but this often applies only to the members.
Hypocritically, leaders may take multiple
sexual partners either openly (as in the case
of the polygamous groups) or secretively (as
in the case of Swami Muktananda, head of
Siddha Yoga) (Kent, 2012). Female targets
are often seduced by being told they were
specially chosen for the privilege of
consorting with the leader these sexual
practices are often billed as another, higher,
level of spiritual practice, designed to reach
enlightenment or salvation more quickly. In
5 This testimony given at the Congressional hearings on Waco by
Kiri Jewell has been questioned by Thibodeau, who was there at the
the case of David Koresh’s harem, the young
girls were told they would be marrying Jesus
Christ, and they were groomed from
childhood for that honor.
David Koresh, leader of the Branch
Davidians of Waco, Texas, claimed “all adult
women in the group as his sexual property
he engaged in the physical abuse of children
and the sexual abuse of young girls” (Kaplan,
2001, p. 496). His third wife, Michele, was
the younger sister of his legal wife Rachel
she was just 12 years old when he raped her
(Breault &King, 1993). He broke up
marriages and created a harem after claiming
to have received a message from God
commanding him to form a new race of the
“House of David.” Girls as young as age 10
years became his “wives” (ABC News, 2003
Bunting &Willman, 1995), and mothers
groomed their daughters to be the “Brides of
Christ” (Breault &King, 1993). One Waco
survivor, Kiri Jewell, testified before
Congress that her mother took her to a hotel
where Koresh was waiting (ABC News, 2003),4
5 considering it an honor for her daughter to be so
chosen. By cooperating, these “spiritual wives”
proved their worthiness to enjoy eternal
salvation. This type of grooming is not unique to
the well-known cults. In a small Bible-based
group in Santa Ana, California, all the women
and young girls are expected to massage the feet
of the leader, essentially preparing them to be his
future sexual partners.
Leaders generally have no regard for legal
marriages, often taking the wife of another
member as another sexual conquest. If the
husband complains, he is shamed by being
told he is “selfish” (ex-member, personal
communication, August 27, 2011). The
dilution or dissolution of the “married”
couple serves the leader’s need for total
control because to the extent that any member
is attached to another, she is not attached to
time. However, even he admits that Koresh favored girls aged 11–
13 years.
