Book Recalls Author's Life in a Religious Cult Where She Was Raised
Knowledge of the false teachings taught and the psychological distress inflicted on members of the religious cult the Brethren have long circulated since the transgressions of one of its leaders was exposed almost 50 years ago. But one can never grasp the impact of the trauma unless it is heard from the former members themselves.
Author Rebecca Stott was born into the cult and recalled her experience as a little girl in her book "Days of Rain: a Daughter, a Father, a Cult." She revealed how her family lived under the restrictive rules of the sect which taught that everything in the world was evil.
Since its establishment 300 years ago, the Brethren had been known to be a reclusive group. By the time Stott was born in 1964, the secretive society was headed by John Taylor (JT) Junior who imposed more restrictive rules. For them, the devil controlled the world and its inhabitants, which was why they weren't allowed to associate with unbelievers.
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Their membership to the Brethren was supposed to shield them from evil. On the contrary, the little Stott was haunted in bed by Satan's image, and she often heard voices. She blamed the nightmares to the endless hours of indoctrination they had to attend every single day. "No wonder I heard voices," she wrote. "No wonder they never stopped," the author added.
In 1970, elders and members of the sect confronted JT Junior at a meeting in Aberdeen regarding his adulterous affair with a married female member. The leader appeared at the assembly drunk and declared the Bible was no longer necessary because his words were enough.
After that, 200 members left the cult including Stott's family. The few who remained wandered from place to place purportedly to raise funds and recruit new members. They practically became homeless people and "garbage eaters" who lived from charity and whatever food they could scrounge.
