IndoctriNation

Lamont Lindstrom is an Emeritus Professor and former Chair of Anthropology, at the University of Tulsa, where he also served as Associate Dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences. Lindstrom has taught courses in sociolinguistics and anthropology at Rhodes College, Memphis, the University of Papua New Guinea, and UC Berkeley. Lamont has long-term research interests in Vanuatu and other Melanesian countries and has written several books on these subjects, his latest book “Tanna Times: Islanders in the World” was published in 2021. He is also the author of the fascinating book about the phenomenon of Cargo Cults entitled, “Cargo Cult: Strange Stories of Desire from Melanesia and Beyond” Professor Lindstrom has had many visiting fellowships throughout his academic career including at the East-West Center in Honolulu, The Center for Pacific Islands Studies at The University of Hawaii, and The MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University. In this fascinating and educational conversation, Professor Lindstrom explains some of the common misconceptions of "Cargo Cults" and describes the cultural landscape of Pacific island communities throughout the 20th century up until today. Throughout the discussion, Rachel points out the commonalities and differences between "Cargo Cults" and modern religious movements through an anthropological lens provided by Lamont. Before You Go: Rachel explains the inherent vulnerability of isolated communities that seek meaning in nearly everything and warns of the dangers of magical thinking. You can download Lamont's book "Tanna Times" for free here: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/42982 All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Perry Bulwer, advocate for survivors of the Children of God cult, discusses his memoir shedding light on child abuse and trauma within the cult. Topics include emotions triggered by sharing stories, handling personal attacks, and expressing gratitude for support from second-generation members.

Eva Collins, an online business consultant with a background in spiritual and personal development, shares her journey of escaping an online business cult and advocating for ethical practices. She discusses her experience of speaking out against manipulation in cults and the issue of dependency on others for guidance. Eva also talks about encountering conspiracy theories during marketing training and the importance of having friends who share doubts in a cult-like group. She emphasizes the need for education and understanding to effectively help others.

Eric Skwarczynski is a versatile media professional with a passion for storytelling. Over the past 7 years, he has held various roles, including videographer, photographer, writer, and graphic designer, leading him to explore over 20 states and 13 countries. His mission revolves around shedding light on the significant issue of mental, physical, and sexual abuse within Independent Baptist Churches. Eric hosts the Preacher Boys podcast, which debuted in January 2020 and has garnered 3 million downloads to date. Content from the podcast has been showcased on Peacock and CBC, along with his accompanying YouTube channel, approaching 2 million views. Additionally, he has recently introduced a second YouTube channel, called “Film School’d”, where he features directors, actors, writers, and other experts from the film industry. He is part of a docuseries titled, “LET US PREY: A MINISTRY OF SCANDALS”, which recently premiered as a four-part event on Investigation Discovery. Following its premiere on ID, all four parts of “Let Us Prey” are now available to stream on HBO Max In this insightful conversation, Eric shares with Rachel his insights on the toxic culture of Independent Fundamentalist Baptists and details the isolating and life-changing catalyst that propelled him into the advocacy work he does now. Before You Go: Rachel expands on how authoritarian religious groups often use the idealism of genuine believers as a mechanism of control to manipulate their sense of purpose. You can find out more about the documentary "Let Us Prey" here: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/show/let-us-prey-a-ministry-of-scandals-investigation-discovery-atve-us Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/dCrsz6y44p4?si=HER4XPMJDNAIT98P You can find more info about Eric and his work at: https://www.preacherboyspodcast.com/ All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can listen to the full episode by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this special bonus episode, Rachel offers her thoughts on La Luz Del Mundo, the Mexican mega-church that teaches that it is the only true Christian church founded by Jesus Christ because it is led by Naasón Joaquín, whom it considers the only true servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ in this era. Joaquín, however, is now serving a 17-year prison sentence for crimes related to sexual abuse against children and is incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino. In this episode, Rachel offers an inside look at the heart-wrenching destruction that the church committed against it's most vulnerable followers, from her own experience in counseling the brave young women who came forward and testified against their monstrous former leader. Watch the trailer for UNVEILED: Surviving La Luz del Mundo — Exposing Sins Within a Megachurch: https://youtu.be/GYq0HghFeDM?si=yP3AyomMzWGjdVWC Watch the trailer for The Darkness Within La Luz del Mundo: https://youtu.be/GMBJ1Lle7ck?si=gnGLOC236Bco62zr Thanks to all of our supporters for making this episode possible. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Thenmozhi Soundararajan is a Dalit American artist, community organizer, technologist, and theorist. Currently, Thenmozhi is the Executive Director of Equality Labs, which she co-founded. Equality Labs is the largest Dalit civil rights organization working to empower caste-oppressed people in the US and globally. Through her work at Equality Labs, Thenmozhi has mobilized South Asian Americans towards dismantling eons-long systems of oppression, with the goal of ending caste apartheid, gender-based violence, white supremacy, and religious intolerance. Thenmozhi previously co-founded Third World Majority, an international media training organization and collective that supported people from disenfranchised groups in telling their own stories, in their own way. Her intersectional, cross-pollinating work—research, education, art, activism, and digital security—helps to create a more generous, global, expansive, and inclusive definition of South Asian identity, along with safe spaces from which to honor the stories of these communities. Thenmozhi’s work has been highly recognized by several prestigious organizations including The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The National Science Foundation, and many more. She is a frequent contributor on issues related to South Asia, caste, gender, and racial equity, as well interfaith issues and peacebuilding, and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Guardian, ABC, and NBC news. She was also an inaugural fellow of the Atlantic Foundation for Racial Equity and is a current fellow at Stanford Center for South Asian Studies. In this enlightening and informative conversation, Thenmozhi shares with Rachel her own personal experience of trauma from caste-based oppression, and explains the ways in which it inspired her activism and advocacy work. Throughout the discussion, Thenmozhi details the inherent religious abuse that accompanies caste discrimination and exclusion, and offers insights on overcoming it, both systematically and personally. Before you go: Rachel explains how oppressive systems dehumanize minority groups to create hierarchy and maintain authoritarian control. To learn more about Thenmozhi and her work visit her website at: http://dalitdiva.com/ Follow her on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/dalitdiva/ Purchase "The Trauma of Caste" here: https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/the-trauma-of-caste/ More info on Equality Labs here: https://www.equalitylabs.org/ All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Sarah Steel is the creator and host of the "Let's Talk About Sects" podcast, where she produces, and writes all of the episodes. And, today you can actually hear Rachel's guest appearance on that podcast by following the link in the show notes of this episode or just search for "Let's Talk About Sects" wherever you get your podcasts. In addition to podcasting, Sarah is also a filmmaker and writer with a keen interest in social sciences, culture, and psychology. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, Indiewire, and The Metro. She has also produced for ABC Radio National's Earshot program. Her debut book about cults, charisma, and coercive control, "Do As I Say", is out now and available in hardcopy, paperback, and e-book formats. In this unique episode, Sarah explains the common misconceptions people have about cults that she learned through creating her show. Together she and Rachel identify the ways both media and governments could lessen the damaging impact of cultic control in society. Before You Go: Rachel explains how cults use the guise of "equality" and "community" to lure in followers only to create a system of authority and intense peer pressure to achieve total conformity and control. Listen to Rachel's appearance on Let's Talk About Sects here: https://shows.acast.com/293c3043-0316-4f41-80cf-037ced3466c1/6549debbcce18a001211f401 You can find out more about Sarah and her podcast at: https://www.ltaspod.com/ Follow Sarah on IG at : https://www.instagram.com/letstalkaboutsects/ You can buy Sarah's book here: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760986131/do-as-i-say/ All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Returning guest, Erin Burchwell is a Columbus, Ohio-based florist, designer, and illustrator. She grew up as a faculty kid on the campus of Bob Jones University, an extremely conservative Christian college known for its strict rules and controversial beliefs. In 2014, Erin interviewed with GRACE, an independent ombudsman who reviewed the University’s mishandling of sexual assault reports. She and others chose to break their anonymity in the report when the school fired the GRACE team. Erin manages her own floral business specializing in events, décor and commissioned murals. Some of her work was recently featured online by Architectural Digest this year. She has illustrated three children’s picture books about Ohio and enjoys visiting schools and teaching students about publishing. Erin’s commitments extend well beyond her business. She is a dedicated volunteer teacher and fundraiser for many organizations including nursing homes, women’s prisons, after-school programs, and children’s museums. She lives with her husband, Jason, her daughter Gracie, and two dogs, Fred and Mose. In this engrossing second conversation, Erin goes into further detail about the coercion and control that the infamous Bob Jones University forces upon its students and faculty. She zeros in on the shockingly dangerous on-campus medical facility Barge Hospital, and offers up more details on the story of Bob Jones and the GRACE report on sexual abuse at the college. You can listen to Erin's previous appearance on the show here: https://soundcloud.com/indoctrinationshow/seeking-truth-grace-werin-burchwell Follow Erin on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/erin_burchwell/?hl=en Follow her shop at: www.instagram.com/thebloomshoppe/?hl=en Thanks to all of our Patreon supporters for making this episode possible! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Perry Bulwer was Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, where he joined the Children of God after dropping out of high school at age 16. He then spent the next two decades living in Children Of God communes across the world. In 1991, at the age of 36, he was finally able to escape the cult. Perry now advocates for second-generation cult survivors, and continues to shed light on the Children of God, a/k/a "The Family". He is the author of the new memoir "Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life In a Doomsday Cult", A unique first-hand account of a life spent in the Children of God, the millenarian doomsday cult under the sway of the charismatic leader, David Berg. In this engrossing and insightful conversation, Perry unpacks some of the indoctrination tactics he came to understand after leaving the cult. He goes on to share some important points about the history of this dangerous group and how his own experience ties in with it outlining how some of the horrors he witnessed became a catalyst for the courageous advocacy work he does today. Before You Go: Rachel explains how cultic groups can pervert morality and values to serve the leader's benefit and outlines the confusion it can cause when followers return to the outside world. You can find out more about Perry and his work at: www.perrybulwer.blogspot.com Follow Perry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094395042799 You can find out more about Perry and his work here: https://perry-bulwer.blogspot.com/ Check out Perry's blog on Religious based child abuse here: https://religiouschildabuse.blogspot.com/p/books-about-children-of-god-aka-family.html All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Chad Harris and Lindsey Williams both grew up under the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) cult in their Advanced Training Institute homeschool program. They were also both featured in the popular Amazon docuseries ShinyHappy People: Duggar Family Secrets. Chad left those teachings behind in his mid-twenties and went on a journey of deconstruction and learning that led him to become a vocal critic of Christian fundamentalism. He started telling his life story on TikTok in 2020. His goal is to see the IBLP shuttered once and for all, and those responsible for its harm brought to justice and accountability for their actions. Lindsey shares stories of her upbringing and how she has worked to heal from the indoctrination and conditioning that controlled so much of her life. Because of the ongoing abuse perpetrated by IBLP and its teachings, she continues to tell her story in order to show other survivors there's a community waiting to embrace them as they leave and thrive, in what she calls "real life". She now works as a professional makeup artist and hair stylist in New York and Los Angeles, which she has done for the past 15 years. Her work has appeared in major magazines, beauty campaigns, commercials, films, music videos, and even on the red carpet. Lindsey says her career is the lifeboat that carried her away from the cult upbringing and helped bring color and joy back into her life. Before You Go: Rachel reiterates how individual autonomy and independence threaten the control that cult leaders and manipulators seek through conformity and indoctrination. Make sure to follow Lindsey and Chad on Social Media! Lindsey: https://linktr.ee/Cultchronicles Chad: https://www.tiktok.com/@archradish Don't forget to check out Andrew's Surviving BJU Podcast: https://lnk.bio/survivingbjupod All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands