Latest / Voices for Voices® / Escaping the Cult: One Survivor's Warning | Ep 291

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Escaping the Cult: One Survivor's Warning | Ep 291 · Voices for Voices®

• 0:00
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast.
• 0:04
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: I'm your host.
• 0:06
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Founder of Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes.
• 0:09
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Thank you so much for joining us.
• 0:11
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• 0:26
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: It's really it's mind-blowing, it's humbling, and to know that we're having an impact and getting some excellent feedback and knowing that people as high up as you know, our president and President Trump is aware of Voices for Voices, with what we're doing, and it's really humbling to even have again a second or two of his time or his team's time to even know Voices for Voices is just incredible.
• 1:09
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: So this particular episode, we are going to do an audio call with our guest and we are going to dive into three areas.
• 1:21
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: First we're going to dive into as we have and will continue to do, we're going to talk about some difficult topics and so just to kind of give you a heads up that we're going to be going into that, you know tough subjects in this particular episode.
• 1:43
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: So first we're going to talk about cults, then we're going to be talking about brainwashing and then that's going to lead into our third pillar of this particular episode police misconduct, and so our guest is going to help weave all that together.
• 2:01
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Our guest coming to us via the phone is a prior guest and now current guest, David Solomon.
• 2:11
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: David, thank you so much for joining us on another episode of the show.
• 2:18
  David Solomon: Thank you for having me.
• 2:20
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: You're welcome.
• 2:20
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Can you get us started with why you felt it was important to come on and talk about these topics, starting with cults?
• 2:53
  David Solomon: going on in my town and I was actually a member of one of the churches.
• 2:55
  David Solomon: That was a cult and I got out Honestly, I thought I was the only one and I talked to someone yesterday and found out that they're up there and it really opened my eyes to talk about this a little bit for their sake.
• 3:11
  David Solomon: So I wanted to share a little bit about how dangerous cults can be and just try to open eyes with that in new ways, and so that's why I felt really just compelled to talk about it, because there's a lot of victims still out there that think they're the only ones.
• 3:40
  David Solomon: Can you start off just a broad definition, your understanding of what a cult is from a definition standpoint, and then jump in yeah, well, this particular type of cult likes to pull people in at a very young age, and they like to seclude you from your parent, and what that means.
• 4:08
  David Solomon: I'll tell you how I was brought in.
• 4:11
  David Solomon: I was in my youth, and they have all these big youth programs, and they attract the youth.
• 4:24
  David Solomon: They call them youth nights, wednesdays, saturdays, fridays and Thursdays, so like things are just you know happening, and the funny thing, though, is you won't find any parents there, except for maybe someone that's 20 years old, oh, and so they attract the youth that way, and they hook them, and then they get their social media information, and then they start to weave in a little bit at a time, basically every week, of their doctrine, and I'll give you an example.
• 5:20
  David Solomon: The first time I went, they gave me a flyer, and they were like you know what's your email, what's your phone number and where do you live, and it seems kind of interesting and like sort of harmless.
• 5:36
  David Solomon: And then they go oh yeah, we want to, you know, drive by and check in on you and fellowship with you, and you know, maybe you can get plugged in, and that in on you and fellowship with you, and you know, maybe you can get plugged in and that's harmless, and then it gets a little more unique.
• 5:51
  David Solomon: You know how about?
• 5:53
  David Solomon: You come for one of our studies and, oh, you're a homeschooler or you're in high school Well, we can help graduate you.
• 6:01
  David Solomon: Oh, I got friends in the school, cool, well, we can help graduate you.
• 6:01
  David Solomon: Oh, I got friends in the school.
• 6:06
  David Solomon: And it's a very attractive proposition when someone says I can graduate you, all you got to do is lead worship and you know, I can help you graduate, I'll make some calls, I can help you graduate, I'll make some calls.
• 6:32
  David Solomon: And I think that's one thing that really hooks people to this cult is education, and they have a lot of power with education.
• 6:42
  David Solomon: And then they start turning the child against the parent and say oh well, you know God is working in you, but your parent is spiritually unwell, and so I think we need to take custody of you.
• 7:05
  David Solomon: And so that's what we call phase two, and then phase three is then that they brainwash the person so bad they never want to see their parent again, and one major reason why they justify the parent needs to separate is they don't believe in sickness at all.
• 7:38
  David Solomon: They believe that sickness is of the devil.
• 7:40
  David Solomon: Um, they, but, like my, when she had cancer, they believed that she was doing something wrong and she didn't have enough faith, so God was punishing her for doing something evil and wicked.
• 7:57
  David Solomon: And that wasn't the case, and so you know that's a dangerous moment for sure, and so it takes a long time for people to realize they're in a cult once they're in their educational system and once they think they're doing something really cool and go into youth group, but then their mom or their dad gets sick and they can't see their mom or dad anymore and church comes first, and pretty soon it creates that bridge where they use the Bible to say that church comes first before your parent, and there are kids that have taken their lives because they don't want to choose.
• 8:50
  David Solomon: Don't want to choose.
• 8:57
  David Solomon: The church that I am speaking about is called Followers of Christ in Oregon City.
• 9:09
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: And you've been given permission to talk about this, correct?
• 9:12
  David Solomon: I have.
• 9:12
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Okay, continue, and you've been given permission to talk about this, correct?
• 9:15
  David Solomon: I have Okay continue.
• 9:21
  David Solomon: The Followers of Christ is called the Baby Killing Cult, according to KATUcom, chicago Times, new York Times, kgwcom and KOIN6.com and CultEducationcom.
• 9:41
  David Solomon: So we're going to read this to give you a little overview.
• 9:50
  David Solomon: So the followers of Christ is named one of the most dangerous cults in the United States and is nicknamed the baby killing cult because multiple criminal allegations and investigations have been made about the church.
• 10:02
  David Solomon: Because they do not believe in doctors and they do not believe in sickness.
• 10:07
  David Solomon: They believe that faith heals everything and if you don't have enough faith, then you don't deserve to be healed, and so this was a very dangerous moment for someone like me that was caught up in it and others.
• 10:29
  David Solomon: We didn't know that it was a cult, it was youth group.
• 10:39
  David Solomon: It was, uh, it was youth group and nothing more.
• 10:47
  David Solomon: So it starts out as that that wednesday or t and they give you pizza or whatever.
• 10:56
  David Solomon: You know I couldn't have pizza, but other kids did and they give you free video games, right, they give you access to anything you want on Wednesday and Tuesday.
• 11:09
  David Solomon: That's video games or hanging out.
• 11:12
  David Solomon: They encourage running around the church and you know they go crazy on their youth nights.
• 11:20
  David Solomon: I mean, we're throwing eggs at each other and eating spiders and snakes and it's like an extreme youth group.
• 11:32
  David Solomon: It's like an extreme youth group and it sounds fun until the next week.
• 11:41
  David Solomon: You know the youth leader, they call them the circle youth.
• 11:50
  David Solomon: They go to you and they go oh, okay, well, you know you were here last week.
• 12:01
  David Solomon: How about we connect with you at your home?
• 12:03
  David Solomon: Well, I just came once.
• 12:08
  David Solomon: Oh, that's okay, I'll just stop by.
• 12:10
  David Solomon: I'd love to meet your parent.
• 12:11
  David Solomon: Oh, okay, and you know, your parent doesn't have to drop you off, I can personally pick you up and make sure that you're here on time every day.
• 12:17
  David Solomon: And so they get that commitment out of you really quick.
• 12:23
  David Solomon: And it happens so quickly.
• 12:27
  David Solomon: You don't know that you're in a cult until four weeks later when you're going every day.
• 12:32
  David Solomon: Four weeks later, when you're going every day, and then your parent is saying, well, I need you here to do chores, and your youth leader is saying, well, I need him here to do the Bible or her.
• 12:53
  David Solomon: And that is a very dangerous moment because when you do that, you cross lines.
• 13:07
  David Solomon: So that's why they're called this great cult, because they don't let their members go to doctors and they get you into membership within four weeks of joining that youth group and you're required to uh, to give tithe.
• 13:26
  David Solomon: What that means doesn't necessarily mean money, it means your time.
• 13:31
  David Solomon: Take me, for instance.
• 13:34
  David Solomon: I became worship leader and I did the offering and I did the music, and those were just three of the things they did.
• 13:48
  David Solomon: I I taught Sunday school a few times, and so that's what they do to lure people in, and they've been guilty of letting a baby die because they would not let the baby see a doctor, nor the parent, and they've been found guilty of not letting other members see doctors because that's what they believe, and so it's a very dangerous moment.
• 14:19
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, can you go on about that.
• 14:22
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: You're not the only one and how important that is for anyone that has or is currently being affected or impacted for them to understand, as somebody who went through it with that experience.
• 14:42
  David Solomon: Yeah.
• 14:42
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah.
• 14:45
  David Solomon: So they do what's called brainwashing and they're really good at it.
• 14:48
  David Solomon: And brainwashing means that they will brainwash you to think that your parent is bad and they're not.
• 15:11
  David Solomon: And for someone that's going through it, your parent is who raised you, remember where you come from.
• 15:16
  David Solomon: They are not your parent and that anything that is is uh is slightly evil is evil.
• 15:28
  David Solomon: So if someone's trying to tear you from your parent your parents loving on you, and saying I'm horrified at this, this isn't right, you should listen to them.
• 15:38
  David Solomon: Don't listen to someone that's only known you four weeks, when someone's known you your whole life and to the brainwashing.
• 15:51
  David Solomon: Remember who you are and where you come from, because they don't.
• 15:58
  David Solomon: They don't know where you come from.
• 16:01
  David Solomon: They want you to come from where they are, but that is not where you come from.
• 16:07
  David Solomon: Brainwashing is so heavy in their techniques to use on numbers.
• 16:21
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: How did you learn about this?
• 16:24
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: How did you become aware that you had been one of these children?
• 16:33
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, how did I learn it?
• 16:39
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: No, I mean, as we're having our conversation on this episode, how did you learn that?
• 16:47
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: That's what happened?
• 16:50
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: To be able to know, to talk about this, I guess.
• 16:54
  David Solomon: Well, my mom went through it.
• 16:56
  David Solomon: But just recently I connected with someone else who has gone through it and we had a very long talk about brainwash and it really shocked me how many victims there are out there of this.
• 17:21
  David Solomon: And it all goes back to these.
• 17:28
  David Solomon: People twist the bible.
• 17:29
  David Solomon: I'll give you an example.
• 17:35
  David Solomon: They say that they're sinless.
• 17:40
  David Solomon: Well, saying you're sinless is calling God a liar Right there, Because Jesus died for our sins.
• 17:54
  David Solomon: That's the first verse that tears up their entire philosophy.
• 18:03
  David Solomon: But they believe in the extreme of what's called faith healing.
• 18:14
  David Solomon: So let's see One of the verses that a majority of verses they use is by his stripes, we are healed.
• 18:34
  David Solomon: I don't know if you've heard that.
• 18:39
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Can you say that again you were breaking up March?
• 18:42
  David Solomon: 16, 17, and 18.
• 18:44
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: You were breaking up.
• 18:44
  David Solomon: Laying hands oh.
• 18:46
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yep.
• 18:47
  David Solomon: March 16, 17, and 18.
• 18:50
  David Solomon: Laying hands on the sick.
• 18:52
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Okay.
• 18:54
  David Solomon: So they really believe that, that, and so they twist that.
• 18:58
  David Solomon: But they don't understand the context of that verse, and so they'll manipulate the bible.
• 19:04
  David Solomon: Um, one of their favorite verses is in second corinthians, where it talks about how we're not to sin, and another verse is Jesus paid the price for us in every way, and they interpret that as every illness.
• 19:30
  David Solomon: By his stripes we are healed, and if you don't have his stripes, you don't have enough faith.
• 19:37
  David Solomon: So they go as far as to not believe in disabilities.
• 19:42
  David Solomon: They believe that's demonic.
• 19:43
  David Solomon: Oh, and so that's why they've been in criminal investigations.
• 19:52
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, can you, as we continue, if you're able to, can you share what?
• 20:02
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: How?
• 20:04
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Police departments around the state?
• 20:11
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: So you mentioned the state.
• 20:13
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: So you mentioned the church.
• 20:14
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Can you mention the state?
• 20:16
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: And then also, if you're able to talk about the retreat, the once a year.
• 20:25
  David Solomon: Yeah, so with this in particular church, they have a strong relationship with police departments.
• 20:37
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: We're talking about the state of Oregon, so I just want to make sure our viewers and our listeners know that.
• 20:43
  David Solomon: Yep, the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City Correct Okay continueers of Christ Church in Oregon.
• 20:47
  David Solomon: City Correct.
• 20:47
  David Solomon: Okay, continue On Malala Avenue.
• 20:49
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Thank you.
• 20:53
  David Solomon: You're welcome and they have a strong relationship.
• 20:55
  David Solomon: Let me make that a little bit more clear and clarify that.
• 21:00
  David Solomon: So they go as far as to throw a banquet for police departments all over the state and they partner with other people to do it and they make sure that they have those relationships so that their crimes are covered and that's why they're not caught.
• 21:24
  David Solomon: And so then they get officers to go to the church or offer them membership and money and different things, and so there's a lot of police misconduct going on.
• 21:41
  David Solomon: If you Google Oregon City police misconduct, there's a lot going on.
• 21:55
  David Solomon: I was amazed at how much is going on because of this church alone, and this is the church where everything in my life went down.
• 22:21
  David Solomon: Now, the other thing is they also have a strong relationship with social services.
• 22:28
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Okay, that's important.
• 22:31
  David Solomon: And so they like to alter social security numbers and or change identities.
• 22:42
  David Solomon: They're very big on it.
• 22:46
  David Solomon: They have relationships with the public school system to the point where they can pull kids out or expel them if they try to escape, and so they have a lot of power also over scholarships and colleges.
• 23:05
  David Solomon: I know that from experience because a friend of mine got threatened if he left they would pull his career, because he got into OSU and they would pull his career.
• 23:21
  David Solomon: He was on the Oregon Ducks.
• 23:22
  David Solomon: So they have a lot of power that way and they like to utilize those services.
• 23:41
  David Solomon: You know, one of the head firemen goes to the church, one of the head paramedics a hospital, even though they don't believe in sickness.
• 23:49
  David Solomon: They got a hospital person there, a nurse and an ambulance worker, which is hilarious, and so that kind of goes to show you just how twisted they are, if that makes sense.
• 24:19
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, and you're not saying these things lightly.
• 24:22
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: I mean, we understand the gravity of the terminology that's being used, so that's also important for viewers and listeners.
• 24:42
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: These terms aren't being thrown around just willy-nilly or whatever we want to think.
• 24:45
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: We understand how serious what we're talking about is in the terms that, yeah, it sounds extreme, but if it actually is occurring, it still can sound extreme.
• 25:04
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: It still can sound extreme, but again, if it's occurring which you've been given the authority to talk about this, so that brings just that.
• 25:24
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: It's fact finding, it's having conversations and more conversations, and more conversations.
• 25:33
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: That's right.
• 25:35
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: We've got about a minute and a half if you want to close us out.
• 25:40
  David Solomon: I would just encourage people to look at where you come from and really, as a Christian, look at where you come from and really, as a Christian, look at the Word, because they can brainwash you all you want, but the truth will always show and the Word doesn't their words.
• 25:59
  David Solomon: Do Remember the devil can always quote Scripture, but he doesn't know it.
• 26:16
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Any last thoughts before we?
• 26:22
  David Solomon: I would just say use caution and if you are in that place, get out.
• 26:28
  David Solomon: Don't be afraid.
• 26:29
  David Solomon: There is light at the end of the tunnel and there is hope.
• 26:40
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Great.
• 26:40
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Well, thank you for sharing so intimately about.
• 26:48
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: You know the topics of cults and brainwashing and misconduct and things you went through and finding that you're not alone and that others should know that they're also not alone, that by you speaking and and uh, you know, being a guest, that this is a a form of a light for somebody who, a form of a light for somebody who may have been waiting for this time, been waiting for somebody to say something, and I think that's powerful.
• 27:44
  David Solomon: You know what you've done and what you're doing.
• 27:46
  David Solomon: I appreciate that.
• 27:47
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: I hope it can help someone absolutely.
• 27:49
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: And again, our viewers, our listeners, all of you, thank you for being with us, sticking with us.
• 27:56
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Again, some hard topics, difficult terms, some things that may sound extreme.
• 28:07
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: However, it does.
• 28:10
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: Again, from David being given authority to talk about these topics, it shows that, while there are good people, there's also people that may not be who we thought that they were.
• 28:34
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: And, to David's point, if you see something, say something, you're not alone, and we'd love to have you on the show so you can be another guiding light for others that have been, unfortunately, victims at the hands of this.
• 28:57
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: So please be a voice for you or somebody in need, and we'll see you on the next episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast.
• 29:08
  Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes: God bless.