If the Cult was so Bad, Why Didn’t You Just Leave?

This is a question I’ve been asked several times. Allow me to answer it here.

At age 16, I had been searching for a way to make my life meaningful — a cause to devote myself to that would help others. When I met the friendly, happy hippies of the then Children of God, I felt my hopes had been answered. I could live like Jesus’ disciples lived in the Biblical Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Perfect! I had found my place!