EXCLUSIVE: Woman born into Family International cult - whose members included Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan- tells how she was taught sex was sharing God s love with others but was beaten and spent hours locked in a closet
Sharen Seitz, 33, of Boulder, Colorado, was born into The Family International cult - formerly known as The Children of God
She recalled being beaten as a child and spending hours locked in a closet where she was forced to memorize Bible passages as a punishment
She also went a long time not knowing who her parents were because she was taught to believe all her fellow cult members were her relatives, she says
Recruited: Middle class progressives, civil rights activists
Peak following: 5,000+
Death toll: 918
Creepy fact: Some of Jones’ followers, including children, were forced to confess to made-up crimes and were beaten.
Reverend Jim Jones started his own congregation known as the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ. He proclaimed to have a vision of a nuclear attack and when it would occur, causing him to move his church from Indianapolis to San Francisco. There, Jones’ ideologies of social activism were welcomed. His church became popular, attracting people of all kinds, evening gaining the support of politicians like George Moscone, Harvey Milk and Jerry Brown.
Child sex cult the Children of God was at the height of its influence in the early 1970s - with actors Rose McGowan and River Phoenix both born into the group - and for a brief 18 months, followers were able to preach their message from a manor house in the British countryside.
With a population of less than 1,000 people, Hollingbourne, just a few miles from Maidstone, boasts more than 70 listed buildings, and can trace its roots back as far as the Domesday Book.
Among the historic sites is Grade 1 listed Hollingbourne Manor, a 16th century mansion boasting six bedrooms, three bathrooms and three reception rooms on the corner of a country lane.