I think this is really important and it hit me personally, in a good way. One of the survivors of Remnant Fellowship talked about how she remembered the parties and the friends that she had, and how she missed some of the good times. She personally had to come to terms with the fact that it was okay to miss it in certain respects, but also still have peace with her decision to move on because it was unhealthy. I think that's something people don't think about when it comes to cults. They can be positive, happy environments, but with a very dark underbelly. But, people's experience of them may or may not reveal that dark underbelly. The reason people stay in cults is because of the relationships formed and the people that they love. There are experiences that are fun and enjoyable. They feel like they're a part of something. They feel like they belong. They feel cared for. They have a family. And so, her ability to acknowledge the good things, but still move on and still have peace with that part of herself that missed it stood out to me. I'm just really glad they brought that up. I think there was another person who addressed it saying, “Hey, I'm not stupid for being in this cult.” And it's not stupid. It's a welcoming, generally caring, loving environment… until you step out of line. I thought that was really impactful. And I think that speaks a lot to how cults really function.
To hear more from Kelley, and the other Woman Beings, about The Way Down, listen to our episode reviewing the HBO series here.