Rose McGowan Escaped From Cult During Childhood
The deep and dark actress who plays a starring role as a witch in the new film “Conan the Barbarian,” Rose McGowan, has gained Hollywood notoriety for strong roles in films such as “Scream” and “Grindhouse."
However, in the recent issue of People magazine, McGowan revealed part of her vulnerable side sharing with the magazine a piece of dark history that may have had a role in shaping her into the actress that she has become.
As a child, Rose grew up in Italy until the age of nine and part of her upbringing in the country consisted of her being raised in a cult. The sect that was previously known as Children of God, has been described as a “polygamous cult that blended free-love attitudes with Christian proselytizing.”
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McGowan's father ran the Italian chapter of the group.
According to McGowan, the group was proselytizing inappropriately by blending “free-love” attitudes with conversion. Some of that involved women going to bars to recruit members in an act that is known as “flirty fishing,” and men having the ability to take on multiple wives and sexual partners.
McGowan says her family left the cult when she was 9-years-old once her father was asked to draw cartoon literature that advocated inappropriate child-adult relations.
She told People of her experience, “As strong as I like to think I’ve always been, I’m sure I could have been broken. I know I got out by the skin of my teeth. “
In the decades that Rose has not been a member, the group has renamed themselves as The Family International and have offices all over the world from India to Taiwan with members in over 90 countries.
The group states on its website that, “The Family International (TFI), formerly known as the Children of God, is an international Christian community committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe.”
The website maintains that the group has changed its methods and structure while maintaining its original core message of Christianity.
The website also states that the group has “undergone much change and progress throughout its 42-year history.”
Reports have surfaced that the group has also renounced the recounted advocacy of sexual-sharing.
