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Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years in a Sex Cult
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Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years in a Sex Cult
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by Miriam Williams
Sales Rank : 175687
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Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial June 2, 1999
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0688170129
ISBN-13: 978-0688170127
Product Dimensions:
9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
For over 15 years, the elusive Children of God cult leader, Moses David, commanded a fold of 19,000, his teachings disseminated through pamphlets that combined quotes from the Holy Scriptures with theories that condoned arranged marriages, the use of sex to attract recruits and the separation of children from parents. In her first book, Williams describes how, in 1971, as a young hippie who burned to "live in the purity of Jesus' words," she joined the Christian fundamentalist cult (River Phoenix had spent years in the cult as a child). Williams soon found herself pregnant, married and forced into "giving sex in order to tell a person about God's love." Over the years, Williams says, commune life shifted from prayer, panhandling and street evangelism to hardcore crime, as David became more tyrannical. A high-class prostitution ring evolved that funneled thousands of dollars a month into COG's Swiss bank accounts. David's request (according to Williams) that couples practice group sex, homosexuality and pedophilia prompted the author to leave the security of the COG family to protect her younger children. Williams's painstakingly candid story provokes striking insights and questions about disenchanted youth, misogyny and the psychological appeal of cult living, demonstrating that the best stories strive to tell the truth and let readers draw their own conclusions. 16 pages of b&w photos, not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Williams established a group called Safe Haven to assist former cult members after she left the Children of God, to whom she belonged for almost 18 years. This memoir was written to shed light on one idealistic woman's voyage into self-discovery, which for a time caused her to lose her "self." Born in 1953 into a fundamentalist Christian family, Williams found God when she was 12 at a Bible camp but was troubled about her calling until her first year in college, when she viewed a film entitled The Ultimate Trip and became convinced that the Children of God held the answers she was seeking. The book chronicles her experiences and the duties the cult's leader, Mo, imposed on his followers, including activities such as multiple marriage partners and sex with strangers to spread the gospel as well as to raise funds for the Church. After hearing allegations of young child sexual abuse, Williams decamped. This book illuminates one person's struggle with spirituality and obsession but is not a thoroughgoing critique of either the Church of God or of cults in general. Good popular reading but not an essential purchase.ALeo Kriz, West Des Moines P.L.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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