Austin's Buddafield Cult & Strong City Cult Just 2 out of 3000

I just watched National Geographic's "Inside a Cult" program that I posted about previously. I have such a deep compassion. For those in the Strong City cult. For those in the (evidently) 3000 other cults in America. Both for those still inside the groups and those that have escaped.

I found the program itself interesting. Several of the facts/insights presented did remind me of my own cult experience. The Buddha Field was a completely different cult. The Strong City cult was more of a Christian cult with roots in Seventh Day Adventists (like the David Koresh cult in Waco.) The Buddha Field was more Hindu/Buddhist/New Age/Psychological.

The documentary focused quite a bit on the leader (Wayne, or "Michael"... he evidently liked to change names also) having sex with its members (and how sex can be used as a means of control in groups) and the "end of the world" belief of group members. But really, what else are they going to focus on?

The sex card is often played by the media to show how a select group is "immoral" and deviant. So I understand most people in our society being distracted by that issue. The fact that one of the girls was 14 is a matter of legality to be sure... but other societies around the world mark "adulthood" and the beginning of sexual availability at a much younger age than America. It's a sensational aspect -- a way of showing "how devoted" people are. But when the normal morality of a cult member is superseded by the words of God Incarnate - that is indicative of a much larger problem than the fact that people are having sex.

The Doomsday/Armageddon belief is typical in some cults. The Buddha Field encouraged an immediacy to devotion by saying that this life was going to end and you didn't want to die in your mind... you wanted to be free... to free yourself from the wheel of karma so you didn't have to be reincarnated again. Feeling things for this world were futile... like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... a useless and wasted effort for something transient. It was said a number of times that "your house is on fire." It is burning down around you (meaning your death is fast approaching) and you need to take care of business quickly. But really, is that all that different from the fear tactics used in regular Christianity? Accept God and be forgiven for your sins before you die or you will burn in hell forever?

I think the program missed talking about the allure of such a group. It touched on it, by identifying the people that are susceptible as "seeking something more" but it neglected to show what such people find in a group like this. Love, acceptance, a kinder picture of the world than they have been shown previously in life. In the interviews on this site, you can hopefully see what each person was carrying with them that made them open, at a specific moment in their lives to what they may not have been open to at any other time.

I see myself.
In the slant of the program, I see myself before getting involved with the Buddha Field.
In the members in the group, I see myself in my longing for a "meaning of life" and for "something higher" and the lengths to which I was willing to go to gain that.
In exchanging emails with an ex-member of the group, I see myself.

I truly wish for the best possible resolution for all those involved. As usual, I see the best thing I can do in response, is to continue forsaking false prophets and those who would prey on the innocence and open hearts of others and to stand up for truth and love in my own life every chance I am given.

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Strong City Cult Escapee Finds After the Truth

An ex-member of the Strong City cult contacted me:

Dear Post-cult-compadre,

I'm impressed with your website. Thank you for taking the time to maintain it. I realize how much effort and time that it takes to keep meaningful and useful things online, in a manner that is easily accessible.

Being a Strong City escapee, your notes and those of the contributors on your site have special significance. The insights you all share are very helpful. They reflect experiences/thoughts/processes that are similar to my experience, and no doubt the experience of other former cult members, in general. This is extremely useful, for readers as well as posters, as we all work out the kinks that we worked into our lives. And I appreciate Dr. Datanah's remarks very much.

If you are interested, please take a look at a blog I have posted for keeping up with the Strong City version of the cultype. They are going through a particularly difficult time right now (kind of like what they have been going through constantly for a long time, only now the State is involved).

I was so impressed with your "Fortune Cookie For Angelo" that I'm using it on my personal page. Hope that's okay...Those quotes are right on the money...

Thank you so much for the email. A number of readers of this site have been deeply moved with compassion for those involved with the Strong City group since first reading about it. So few people can really understand what being in such a group is like (without experiencing it for themselves) or the trauma and healing that can result from choosing to leave. I'm glad to find out that this site might have helped in some way.

Also, it tickles me to death that you like the Fortune Cookies. One day someone was talking with me about the fortune cookies that Angelo used to give people at holiday functions (like Thanksgiving and Christmas.) And the idea of adding that fortune cookie to the site started as a way of poking fun at that in a playful way... but then, once I found the Lazarus Long and Solomon Short quotes, I really got into it for its own sake.

I've also taken this opportunity to update some of the external links in Elsewhere on the web to include the Strong City links.

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Strong City Cult: A Reader's Reaction

In response to my last post about the Strong City Cult (or, as they name themselves, the Lord Our Righteousness Church) and their leader, Michael Travesser, several people told me that watching the Strong City video that I linked to reminded them of our Buddha Field and Angelo. Seiva sent me an email after watching the video that I think expresses it well:

Well. that really creeped me out!!! The Strong City Cult video was disturbing on so many levels. The overall vibe of it was, well, depressing and made me throw up a little in my mouth. I felt dirty all day after watching it- it reminded me of Angelo and some of the members of the BF- not all, but enough of them, myself included in certain aspects. YYYUUUUKKKKKKKKK!!

Not only was so much of it hauntingly familiar-the required zombie behavior to slavishly adore the leader, to the Leader being an eccentric control freak and the only source of affection and love, estranging members from loved ones and friends, reinforcing that self righteous 'holier- than- thou' attitude, isolating the members from society with all its various perspectives (healthy and unhealthy is often a matter of opinion.) that could give a member support to have their own"voice"- it was awful to see others being so grossly manipulated, as I now felt we were by Angelo.

And excuse me- God told him to sleep with his son's wife???? Oh! that sounds just like Angelo - "Having sex with the Master is the highest....." or" Never say no to the Master" Anyone with even the least bit of perception could see the son was torn up about it but could not really see his way clear to deal with it. How many of my brothers were subjected to this gross type of BS and how many sisters (or brothers) had their boyfriends or lovers destroyed or damaged by this- even if it were only one, that would be too many, but as we know now it was way more than that.

It definitely was an encapsulated example of everything exposed and addressed so far by your site.

Of course for the vast majority of us, it is the time for healing and moving on, being thankful for whatever growth occurred inside and setting our focus on rebuilding our lives. Easier for some than others but everyone has been through a huge transition, death if you will, and I send my love and support to each and every one of them. I love and respect most of the people who used to be in the Buddha field and hope everyone is doing well.

I have been surprised that I don't miss Angelo at all- hardly even ever think about him, only when I check in to read this site. But I often am reminded of my hearts' friends and how much I love and miss them.

It is my experience that each life has many incarnations within its span- I have already been through several- this has been the hardest but also the richest in lessons learned.

Moving away from Austin and starting this chapter of my life has been challenging and much more difficult than I expected it would be, but that is OK. I am continually delighted by what the universe presents me with, even the unpleasant difficult situations. Lots of opportunity to see who "I" really am, since no one knows me here to define or limit me. Having no "group mind" to check in with for approval or
even advice leaves much to be explored. It can either feel un-grounding or liberating. I choose liberating. And relying on that still place of inner peace to be my guide rather than someone or something on the outside- it is "good stuff". I can honestly say I choose to accept my time in the Buddha field as part of what makes me who I am now- I would not want to do it again in this life but I don't want to be bitter and distrustful the rest of my life . I am learning to exercise personal boundaries though- very important!!

It will be interesting to see what happens with other ex-members and what they end up doing with their next chapter.

I know that reminders like this can be disturbing, but I also know that once you're ready for that bucket of cold water to get thrown in your face, it can be very liberating to be reminded of what you have walked away from. Especially in something like this where you can take a look at our group, by looking at "yourself" in a different setting.

As an aside: Am I the only one that sees "LOR Church" and reads it as Lord of the Rings church?

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Strong City Cult - Inside a Cult

I found this article about a show on the National Geographic channel called "Inside a Cult" which looks to be part of a series called Inside. The description of the episode is:

Doomsday cult leader Michael Travesser prophesied that the world would end October 31, 2007 -- but what happened? Go inside Travesser's cult to meet its leader, its followers and the dynamics that shape cult behavior.

Unfortunately, it was on last night so we missed the premiere. But it looks like it repeats next Wednesday afternoon (Unbelievable how difficult they made finding that information on the National Geographic site. They need to rethink their schedule design for functionality.)

There were a couple of comments from Louis Marlowe's article about the show that were familiar:

- There is nothing creepier than the smugness of the true believer.
- With cults, it's always us and them.... To question authority is to damn the divine.
- Everything outside the community is suspect; only the spiritual leader can provide absolute truth.

I'm going to set my DVR to record this show. They only had 56 members in THEIR cult (and that wasn't meant to be "Ha! Fledgling, wanna-be, pretender cult!" I just find it interesting when people are able to use a small group of people in a unique situation to gain insight into much larger, more all-encompassing issues. )

To get the group's take (since we are about first-hand experiences here), you can visit their website.

Update: I found this video on Google Videos. No idea where it came from but it was posted on Jan. 3, 2008 so I don't think it's the National Geographic program. It looks like a documentary that was filmed by someone that found their way into the Strong City cult. Looks like they are a much more public cult than we were ('are' for those still in the group.)

Oh Good Lord. He even has the raised chair with "devotees at his feet" thing going on:


Of course, they aren't as "beautiful." And we would never have been allowed to go so gray, or dress so blah, and beards were discouraged... and where are their tans? It's obvious they are nowhere near as spiritual as we were. Seriously though, this image does make me want to watch that show more.

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