Over the last few months, I have run across several blogs written and sponsored by survivors from other cults. These cults may or may not be religious in nature. The religious cult survivor blogs do catch my eye more than others. Suppose we all have our interests spawned by our own circumstances. Anyway, the list of these types of blogs seems to be growing. It is only one of countless niche blogs that have been started over the last however many years. Most of this growth could be credited to the invention or provision of “free” blog hosts. In this post, I will review methods for finding such free blog hosts and finding cult survivor blogs, as well as listing a few of the blogs I have read and/or enjoy.

    Three of the more common free blog hosts would include wordpress.com, blog.com and blogger.com. A way to find more is to simply search “free blog hosts” in any search engine. The word “blog” is short for weblog– an online journal, usually in date order or chronological order. To blog is simply to write journal entries of personal experiences or other things of interest. Blogs usually center on a theme or topic. The subjects are as varied as the human race. I have a few other blogs around a central theme at wordpress.com. The presentation themes are varied. My main work is done here on this blog. One caution if you begin using a “free” blog host, read their rules of conduct on subject matter, usually included somewhere in the Terms of Use. Just a caution, as any blog that is hosted for “free” can be suspended without warning for violation of their Terms of Use.

    A quick way to find a blog written or sponsored by a cult survivor or former member of a cult is to search the term “ex-________”. The blank is filled in with whatever group you desire information about. For example, searching “Ex- Word of Faith” brings results for survivors of the Word of Faith movement started by Kenneth Hagin, Sr. By searching “ex-Word of Faith Fellowship” has some interesting results. You find a Facebook® page for ex-members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Actually, Facebook® gets the top two results. Is anyone shocked by that? Currently, this blog comes in 6^th in that search and Word of Faith Fellowship’s website address comes in 10^th. So, you must be cautious in your searches. You will find forums, blogs and some websites sponsored by the religious cult group itself-selling their message.

     This method seemed to work well for just about any religious cult group I tried. I ran searches for two other groups believed to be in Western North Carolina, The Way International and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Both came back with blogs or resources by ex-members in the top ten search results. Of course the larger the group the more chance you will happen upon a site that justifies the group and does not tell the experiences of ex-members. Searching larger groups like Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses or Scientology will bring back more forums and/or resources than the smaller groups like WOFF.

   Another method to find information on a group or a blog about a group or survivor of a group is to use Google Alerts®. This is a free web search service using key words or phrases. As mentioned in previous posts, I use this service to find material, blogs and news posts on key phrases related to either my business interests or my blog theme- religious cults. Several cult survivor blogs have been brought to my attention using this free service.  

    On the right side of this blog under “Links”, I have listed several sites that I enjoy reading and/or consider great resources on certain groups or as a help to former cult members.  The first one listed is “Cult Busters Galactica”. This is a forum discussing several cults, some not religious in nature. There is a wide range of opinions on many different cult groups. Next in the list is www.factnet.org . This is a resource with tons of information and help. Next, we list Flora Jessop’s site www.helpthechildbrides.com . This site is sponsored by Flora Jessop, author of “Church of Lies”, the book and website are excellent resources on polygamy and the FLDS. Without going through each one, I will encourage you to explore the links provided and this could lead you to other resources for your particular interest.

    One blogger I respect and admire is Prudence Welch. She came out of the cult in New Mexico called “Strong City”. He mother stayed in the group and eventually passed away with cancer. Read the true account of the struggles and strength of Prudence. http://www.travesser.info/index.html Be sure to view her “Helpful Links” page and select the National Geographic® link. Prudence and other survivors of “Strong City” were in a documentary about the cult, which was very moving.  

    In previous posts, I have posted about the work of Janis Hutchinson.  She does a lot of work with ex-Mormons. Here is the link to her site- http://www.janishutchinson.com/sevsedcult.html . Her site has recently been updated with some new material.

   Dr.  Marlene Winell is a “recovering fundamentalist” as well as a psychologist, educator, and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here is a piece from her website,  “The effects of authoritarian religious training can last a long time and run deep, seriously impacting your ability to enjoy life. Often people have intense feelings of confusion, grief, anxiety, and anger as they let go of a harmful religion. Full recovery can be difficult if the issues are not clear and you feel alone in the struggle. At the same time, you can feel enormous relief and liberation, especially if you have support.” Found here.. http://www.marlenewinell.net/page/recovery-harmful-religion I have not read all of her web content, but, she puts for a new term- RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome). I definitely will read more about that.

    As I am able, I follow the work of Rick Ross. His website has very helpful content, links and resources. It can be found here… http://www.rickross.com/

    This post could go on listing resources, blogs and forums, but, hopefully you have the tools to seek more resources besides the ones listed here. For those survivors that wish to begin a blog, I offer my help and experience gained over these last 18 months. For those that wish to write more than comments, I will review and edit a guest post for this blog. My inspiration for this blog began with Steven Hassan. He mentioned in a lecture that setting up a blog or website to share experiences was a good way to possibly help others out of the cult they are trapped in. His website is an amazing resource found here. http://www.freedomofmind.com/  

     Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog.  Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

    Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 223.