Seriously: Afterlives Radio 4
Two women meet for the first time.
The tone is warm. They feel like they know each other. They share a particular history.
Both were born into the Children of God cult which began as an idealistic movement to change the world but became known for sexual exploitation, child abuse and paedophilia.
Petra Velzeboer and Dawn Watson grew up in cult missions.
Here were memories of being plucked from friends and everything you knew in the middle of the night and continually moving on.
The question in their hearts was: “Where is home”.
They talked about good people who were mentally manipulated to do bad things.
One talked of how, as a little girl, she was taught that she should serve men.
“It’s like you give your key and anyone can come into your home,” she said.
Petra Velzeboer left the Children of God suffering from alcohol addiction, with no formal education and no clear direction in life.
But she grabbed courage.
“I got an education, I got a masters degree, I studied at night while raising my kids, recovering from alcohol addiction and working full time,” she said.
Dawn Wilson grew up in cults across Brazil, she is also now a successful in business.
They talked about their memories of a past “with beauty and so much pain.”
“I can’t do the words sacrifice or joy - that you come last,” said one woman.
They talked about so-called “uncles” and the guru who died and who had had a sexual relationship with every woman in the community.
One shared a childhood memory of being taken away somewhere and, when she returned, her mother asked her what had happened, how she had changed.
One confessed that, after the cult, she made a secret deadline that she would kill herself within a year if she needed to. But that spurred her on to take risks.
The other said she became a prisoner of her own silence.
Both agreed that speaking out has helped them to heal.
