The human race indeed going somewhere .. and woe to the traveler who doesn't pay attention to the journey of change we're all on. Pastor Rafael brings a sharp perspective upon the direction of the times, in contrast with the never changing standard of Scripture.
Underlying the hidden curricula enthusiastically and invisibly programmed throughout the entirety of the Xenos/Dwell cult's existence is it's foundational principle of shaming used to coerce, dominate and manipulate lives. The testimony of former Xenos member Aislynn Long is a textbook case documenting how, from Dennis McCallum's warped presumption on downward to the intimacy of a friend's interactions that the level of disgraceful maligning of those in this cult who are found "wanting" is an article of faith you won't find on their website .. but in the very fabric of the social life this cult. Her willingness to share how the "Ministry" of Xenos/Dwell almost destroyed her. We deeply appreciate her courage to find her voice here. WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT MAY CAUSE TRIGGERING. This is one of the most difficult interviews we've had to do because of how sensitive this subject is and we are warning you now: it involves graphic description of sexual abuse and violence committed by injustice. IF you are a cult survivor, this may cause triggering.
The definition according to Oxford Dictionaries of the word authoritarian (au·thor·i·tar·i·an) involves: favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom. For Annie, Xenos exhibited a high level of authoritarianism when she was involved from 1977 through 1985, having seen the cult's early Fish House days and has long realized that it's authoritarianism hasn't diminished one bit but gotten so much worse. Her penetrating observations of Xenos' presumption through the 1970's at its' inception that it alone can reveal divine truth to the world are not to be missed .. as she writes: "according to what I have learned about its practices since that time, Xenos continues in the same manner, perpetrating the same errors in judgment in overseeing its operations to this day."
Home is where one can be who they are and find refuge from a world devoted to misunderstanding them. So many hoped, like Amber, to find such a place in life after leaving her fundamentalist church background and meeting the love of her life whose own church seemed to be just that kind of sanctuary. She found out too quickly how it was instead the worst kind of prison .. without bars. The fiance of Colin, one of our past podcast participants shares her five year exile in the Xenos/Dwell cult and provides her own personal perspective on being an inmate there.
The truly diabolical manner in which the Xenos/Dwell cult of Columbus, Ohio creates a toxic religious system, compels its followers to shoulder it's crushing burdens of mind and soul and then lets them smother under it's mass isn't out of the inspiration of God but the deceptive power of exploitation. This episode brings ex-Xenos survivors and a professional therapist to explore how trauma is inflicted by the toxic culture of this group and offers a dialogue of hope for healing. WARNING: Explicit discussions of religious abuse may trigger cult survivors.