down. later the pastor started his forest community. we found a former cult member. we agreed to hide her identity for her own safety. she escaped the forest last year. why did you move your whole home and all your children and move into the forest? the pastor used to call me she says. he was calling me telling me, my daughter, you are being left behind and when the arc is closed it, will be too late. so i decided to go. when the covid pandemic hit, she says many saw it as evidence that the prophesies were real. mckenzie charged her family $80 for a piece of land in galilee. there were seven other bible -named areas. in december trips for food and water suddenly stopped says this village elder.
you must reject yourself. you much reach a point of ending your life, he says, for the sake of jesus. his anti-government stance got him arrested and detained but never prosecuted. in 2019, the church was closed down. they said the pastor started his forest community. we found a former cult member. we agreed to hide her identity for her own safety. she escaped the forest last year. why did you move your whole home and all of your children and move into the forest. reporter: the pastor used to call me, she says, he was calling me, telling me, my daughter, you are being left behind. and when the ark is closed, it will be too late. so, i decided to go. when the covid pandemic hit, she said many saw it as evidence that the prophesies were real. mackenzie charged her family $80 for a piece of land in galilee.
this is the church where pastor mackenzie had a huge following in his sermons. he amplified his message online. he preached a doomsday prophesy for at least a decade, calling on the faithful to reject modern society, pull children from school, avoid hospitals. he demanded total devotion. you must deny yourself. you must reject yourself. you much reach a point of ending your life, he says, for the sake of jesus. his anti-government stance got him arrested and detained but never prosecuted. in 2019, the church was closed down. they said the pastor started his forest community. we found a former cult member. in melendi. we agreed to hide her identity for her own safety. she escaped the forest last year. why did you move your whole home and all of your children and move into the forest? reporter: the pastor used to
we sometimes used an analogy of star trek. most everybody hopefully has seen some kind of star trek show. you know, we ve been in seclusion for 18 years, and our description of this material is probably lacking. and if you could help us know where your areas are that we ve left unclear, then we can help fill them in. knowledge never ends. the only thing that ends is the human civilization, cause that s a dead-end street. it was designed not to work. members are not often intellectually deprived, sociologically deprived, but oftentimes very intelligent people. what would make an intelligent person then essentially give up their life to somebody else? well, as a former cult member and a licensed mental health counselor who s been working for 20 years, i can tell you that i ve counseled literally thousands of people who are very bright, educated.
deaths of more than 100 people. what exactly happened deaths of more than 100 people. what exactly happened in this deaf culture? it looks like he persuaded other people to starve themselves to death in order to get to heaven what exactly happened in this death cult? . , . what exactly happened in this death cult? ., , ., , cult? that is what has been reported- cult? that is what has been reported- i cult? that is what has been reported. i was cult? that is what has been reported. i was there - cult? that is what has been reported. i was there for. cult? that is what has been | reported. i was there for the cult? that is what has been - reported. i was there for the last week and spoke to one former cult member and he said whatever was happening is that children were the first to die because even the kenya red cross reports 400 people are still missing, more than 200 children. according to the reports we have had and the prosecution has had is that people who were holed up i