Three 'Children of God' share their stories with the world

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday August 08, 2007 18:55 by Karla Healion - - karla at frontendsynthetics dot com

Not Without My Sister: The amazing story of three brave sisters who grew up in a horrific cult.

Celeste, Kristina & Julianna look like three normal sisters, but theirs are lives which have been affected by the worst kind of abuse imaginable. Their story is now being shared in a book called 'Not Without my Sister'.

Three brave sisters- Celeste, Kristina & Julianna

Celeste, Kristina & Julianna grew up in the US-based 'Children of God' cult and were subjected to horrific abuse from the age of three. The same cult that River Phoenix claimed stole his virginity at just four, these incredible women were entrusted to an organisation which practised physical and mental torture, thought control, pornography, prostitution and horrific acts of sexual abuse on innocent children.

Known as 'Children of God' or 'The Family' this community forced these women into sexually abusive relationships with men old enouogh to be their grandparents, denied them formal schooling and beat them mercilessly.

Now Celeste, Kristina & Julianna are re-united and have come forward in telling their stories through an amazing book called 'Not Without My Sister', in hope to raise awareness and aid for brilliant asociations like Rise International (www.riseinternationalcic.org), a collective formed to support victims of cult abuse, and formed largely from 'Children of God' ex-members.

This book and its work will help the cause of organisations like Rise and let others who have suffered in similar ways know that they are not alone. These sisters have been brave enough to tell us all how they survived - and then escaped - a cult that has claimed the lives and innocence of thousands of its members.

Theirs is a horrific story of perversion and loss but, ultimately, it is an account of immense love and immeasurable bravery.