Issue 183 – July 2025

S.M.A.R.T.
(Stop Mind control And Ritual abuse Today)
P. O Box 1295, Easthampton, MA 01027-1295 USA

E-mail: SMARTNEWS@aol.com
Home page: https://ritualabuse.us/ 

Issue 183 – July 2025

The purpose of this newsletter is to help stop secretive organizations and groups from abusing others and to help those who allege they have been abused by such organizations and groups. This newsletter is not a substitute for other ways of recovering from ritual abuse. Readers should use caution while reading this newsletter. If necessary, make sure other support systems are available during and after reading this newsletter.

Important:
The resources mentioned in this newsletter are for educational value only. Reading the books cited may or may not help your recovery process, so use caution when reading any book or contacting any resource mentioned in this newsletter. Some may have a religious or other agenda that may be separate from your own recovery process. Others may have valuable information on secretive organizations, but have triggers or be somewhat sympathetic to those organizations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the views expressed in this newsletter constitute expressions of opinion, and readers are cautioned to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions by consulting a variety of sources, including this newsletter. Resources listed, quoted and individual articles, etc. and their writers do not necessarily support all or any of the views mentioned in this newsletter. Also, the views, facts and opinions mentioned in this newsletter are solely the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of this newsletter or its editor.
Copyright 2025 – All rights reserved. No reproduction of any material without written permission from the editor and individual authors.

Information in this issue includes:
– SMART is celebrating our 30th anniversary.
– The 2025 Online Annual Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference August 16 – 17, 2025

– Self’s Stony Soil, a new book by Wendy Hoffman
– Survivorship Conference 2025 Online Presentations
– Dissociative Identities Attachment-based Approaches to Psychotherapy
– Trace the Rise and Fall of an American Cult in The Oracle’s Daughter – follows the story of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps
– ‘Murder cult leader’ behind alleged neo-Nazi plot to poison students at Brooklyn Jewish schools extradited to US following arrest in Moldova
– Survivors testify: MKs participated in sadistic sexual ‘rituals’ involving minors (Israel)
– Inside Cults: How Ordinary People Get Pulled In
– Rescuers alarmed by suspected ritual animal abuse
– Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault after New York retrial

SMART is celebrating our 30th anniversary this year. This is our 183rd newsletter. Our first issue (online https://ritualabuse.us/2008/10/issue-1-march-1995/ discussed the book Ritual Abuse What it is, Why it Happens and How to Help by Margaret Smith. It covered a thesis on Masonic Ritual Abuse called “Ritual Abuse, its Effects and the Process of Recovery Using Self Help Methods and Resources, and Focusing on the Spiritual Aspect of Damage and Recover.” Over the years, SMART expanded its scope to cover institutionalized abuse, clergy abuse, government mind control and sex trafficking issues. SMART has had yearly conferences since 1997. SMART has become one of the largest ritual abuse resource information providers on the Internet.

The 2025 Online Annual Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference August 16 – 17, 2025 – If you are interested in participating in our conference or getting on a mailing list, please write: smartnews@aol.com Internet conference information: http://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/
Videos, PowerPoints and transcripts from our 2024 conference https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/2024-conference/2024-conference-video-presentations-and-powerpoints

Speakers
Please use caution while reading this information. It may be triggering for survivors.
Self’s Stony Soil, by Wendy Hoffman
A novella, written in free style poetry and flash fiction, Self’s Stony Soil is about the sexual trafficking of children. They are packed tight into cages, taken by airplanes to other countries, abused by politicians, the wealthy, royalty, and known people in the world. It tells the story of a child’s only friend, a doll, and how much she needed it. A trafficked person had amnesia until late in life. Remembering began the healing of deep scars. She began to find her true self. This is her story and unfortunately the story of many more. It is also about memory and healing from these horrendous acts. Wendy will talk about how the book came about and read from some of its passages.

Wendy Hoffman has published four memoirs: The Enslaved Queen, White Witch in a Black Robe, A Brain of My Own and After Amnesia. The Enslaved Queen has been translated and published in Germany. Her book of poetry, Forceps, was also published along with a book of essays, From the Trenches, co-authored with Dr. Alison Miller. Her second poetry book Belonging was nominated for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. The Theft, a novel, is forthcoming. She does consultations for therapists working in the field of dissociative disorders and presentations internationally.

“Masonic Themes and Trauma in the Novels of William Golding (1911–1993)” Lynn Brunet (PhD)
The English novelist William Golding is the author of Lord of the Flies (1954), a book that was studied by school children around the English-speaking world; his oeuvre of a further twelve novels cemented his reputation to the extent that he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983. But he was also an author who struggled with terrifying but inexplicable childhood experiences, so much so that they haunted his dreams right throughout his life. This talk will look at one of his novels, The Spire (1964), set in the Middle Ages with the building of a new spire on a cathedral, but where the foundations are completely inadequate to support it. Through a stream-of-consciousness technique, the novel shows the gradual psychological disintegration of the protagonist, the Dean whose lofty project this is. This talk will demonstrate that Golding has encoded into this novel multiple features of the Masonic Royal Arch rite. He also appears to be making connections between the Royal Arch rite and his own traumatic childhood memories. From this perspective The Spire can be seen to be a critique of the Church of England’s close connection with Freemasonry. His disdain for this link is summed up with his description of The Spire as “this great finger sticking up”.

Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. Her research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary Western art and literature. In particular, it traces the connection between Masonic and other fraternal initiation rites and complex trauma in the work of so-called ‘tortured’ artists and writers.

Recovery from Extreme Abuse – Randy Noblitt
This presentation is about some of the ways people recover from extreme abuse. Some survivors seek therapy, but others do not. Psychotherapy is expensive and not always available to all abuse survivors. Graduate schools and other training programs typically do not teach their students about extreme abuse.
My best teachers were the survivors who were seeking psychological treatment from me, and who were willing and able to communicate what they had been through, and how these traumas had happened. I have also learned from survivors who have not participated in trauma-informed therapy, and how some have made progress using other resources. Many have told their stories in books, other publications, or though internet postings.

Randy Noblitt is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University in Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas and New Mexico.

Thirty Years of Publishing and Advocacy – Neil Brick
Neil Brick will discuss how and why he created the SMART Newsletter. He will talk about how the newsletter and the field of ritual abuse have changed over the years. He will discuss the importance of advocacy and public education. Ideas for the future growth of the field will be discussed.
Neil Brick is a survivor of ritualistic abuse. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse, trauma and ritualistic abuse crimes. His child abuse and ritualistic abuse newsletter S.M.A.R.T. https://ritualabuse.us has been published for over 30 years. http://neilbrick.com

Dissociative Identities Attachment-based Approaches to Psychotherapy Edited By Sue Richardson, Melanie Goodwin, Emma Jack, Michele Jowett Copyright 2025
ISBN 9781032696652 Routledge Dissociative Identities draws on expertise from practitioners and survivors to explore therapeutic approaches to dissociation resulting from complex trauma. The contributors provide a vivid insight into what it is like for therapist and survivor to be alongside one another in the therapy room. They highlight the challenges of work with the fragmented internal worlds of those who have survived attachment trauma and explore together what approaches can promote healing and repair.
Dissociative identity is reframed from being a disorder to an essential survival skill, and the book includes an open recognition from the perspective of both therapist and survivor of relational challenges, pitfalls, and their impact on the healing process.
https://www.routledge.com/Dissociative-Identities-Attachment-based-Approaches-to-Psychotherapy/Richardson-Goodwin-Jack-Jowett/p/book/9781032696652?srsltid=AfmBOopKWHbnyXeQ2bgW7E4aVMcNPc4BCeHl-C-jcfBks5UFEkh3Tsx1

Self’s Stony Soil: Trafficked Children: An Autobiographical Novella in Verse (Robert D Reed Publishers) by Wendy Hoffman is now available.
Written in free-style poetry, a novella, Self’s Stony Soil reveals the horrors of sex trafficking. A child is trafficked. Taken by airplanes to other countries, she was packed tight into cages, abused by politicians, the wealthy, royalty, and known people in the world. She has amnesia until late in life. That begins the healing of these deep scars. She begins to find her true self. This is her story.
“Self’s Stony Soil speaks to the lifelong consequences to victims of sex trafficking and their efforts to reclaim their humanity and autonomy. Sex trafficking robs the individual of free will. It is demoralizing and soul-crushing. But Self’s Stony Soil reveals even the fragility of a damaged life can reveal hidden strength and the perseverance to overcome the nightmare of sex trafficking and lead to growth, healing, and peace.” James Randall Noblitt and Pamela Perskin Noblitt, Editors/Authors of RITUAL ABUSE in the TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: Psychological, Forensic, Social, and Political Considerations. https://rdrpublishers.com/collections/frontpage/products/selfs-stony-soil-trafficked-children-an-autobiographical-novella-in-verse

Wendy Hoffman has published additional books, The Enslaved Queen (Karnac Books, 2014, new edition by Aeon Books, 2019), White Witch in a Black Robe (Karnac Books, 2016, new edition by Aeon Books, 2019) and A Brain of My Own (Aeon Books, 2020, Karnac Books 2023). The Enslaved Queen has been translated and published in Germany (Asanger-Verlag, 2021). Her book of poetry, Forceps, was published (Karnac books, 2016) along with a book of essays, From the Trenches, written with Dr. Alison Miller (Karnac Books, 2018). Her fourth memoir, After Amnesia, is published on the SmartNews and Survivorship websites (2022). https://www.karnacbooks.com/Author.asp?AID=20191 Additional information about her work is at: https://ritualabuse.us/smart/wendy-hoffman/

The Survivorship Trafficking and Extreme Abuse Online Conference 2025 Presentations are online at: https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-trafficking-and-extreme-abuse-online-conference-2025-presentations/

Presentations included “Progress made against Ritual Abuse in Scotland since 1980” by Laurie Matthew. Dr. Laurie Matthew OBE is the founder and Manager of Eighteen And Under an award winning charity providing confidential support services to young people who have been abused. She is a founding member of MAIRSINN (formerly the Ritual Abuse Network Forum – RANS). https://www.mairsinn.org.uk/ https://www.18u.org.uk

“Researching, Writing and Publishing about Masonic Ritual Abuse – What are the issues?” by Lynn Brunet. Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian whose research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary western art and literature. It traces the connection between Masonic and other fraternal initiation rites and complex trauma in the work of so-called ‘tortured’ artists and writers.
“People Who Identify as Plural” by Randy Noblitt PhD. This presentation discusses the variety of circumstances where people may have the experience of multiple identities or selves. Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979.

“Successful Investigations of Extreme Abuse Cases – The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Family Courts” by Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz. Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist based in London. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. His PhD dissertation was on enhancing the validity and utility of ability testing.

“Ritualistic Abuse Survivors Difficulties Obtaining Services” by Neil Brick. Ritualistic abuse survivors have struggled to obtain adequate mental health and social support services for over twenty years. Neil Brick is a survivor of ritualistic abuse. His child abuse and ritualistic abuse newsletter S.M.A.R.T. http://ritualabuse.us has been published for 30 years. http://neilbrick.com
Ritual Abuse Evidence https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-evidence/
Child Abuse Wiki – Ritual Abuse http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Ritual_Abuse

Survivors testify: MKs participated in sadistic sexual ‘rituals’ involving minors
‘Doctors, educators, police officers, and past and present members of the Knesset were involved in these abuses,’ survivor says. Jerusalem Post/Israel News
By ELIAV BREUER JUNE 3, 2025 (Warning: The following contains sensitive material, reader discretion is advised.) Several women on Tuesday testified in the Knesset about sexual abuse they suffered as minors as part of religious ritual ceremonies. The testimonies came during a joint meeting of the Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, chaired by MK Pnina Tameno-Shete (National Unity), and the Special Committee on Young Israelis, chaired by MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats).
The joint meeting was organized in the wake of an investigative report published on April 2 by Israel Hayom journalist Noam Barkan. Yael Ariel, one of the abuse survivors, shared: “I experienced ritual abuse over many years until my late teens and was forced to harm other children. I chose to speak out and make my voice heard. I received threats after revealing my story. From age five to age 20, I was harmed in these ceremonies.”

According to Ariel, she received testimonies from several women who claimed that doctors, educators, police officers, and past and present members of the Knesset were involved in these abuses. “I filed a complaint with the police that was closed after a few months, and I know of other cases that were closed. Speaking out today in the Knesset is a historic moment,” she said.
Another survivor, Yael Shitrit, testified: “You have no idea what ritual abuse is. The human brain cannot comprehend it. You can’t imagine what it means to program a three-year-old girl through rape and sadism so they can do whatever they want without anyone knowing. “Their trafficking of me happened all over the country. They moved me from ceremony to ceremony. Naked men stood in a circle. My therapist, her husband, and her son harmed me, and there were dozens of other girls and boys who harmed me.
“There were ceremonies and rituals meant to make me forget,” Shitrit continued. “The police have known about this for a year, but they don’t have the tools to deal with it.
The people who will fall are very, very senior figures. These people run communities and government agencies. They threaten us. I have children I need to protect. Something needs to be set up that can deal with this. They tried to make us like them – the people who caused us endless pain,” Shitrit said. “Your role is to make this stop in Safed, Jerusalem, Jaljulya, or anywhere else,” she declared.

DR. NAAMA GOLDBERG, head of an NGO called Lo Omdot MeNegged (Hebrew for “Not Standing Idly By”), which assists prostitution survivors, explained that the depictions are sometimes so gruesome that they are hard to believe, but this incredulity serves the abusers, who convince victims not to complain by arguing that they will not be believed.
“Several years ago, I received descriptions of sadistic abuse of children,” Goldberg said. “The accounts sounded absurd. [But] the testimonies kept coming and would not let up. They described gang rape by men, and sometimes by women. The abuse was filmed, and drugs were used. There were ritual practices and symbolism. “I presented the police with written testimonies from five women. To this day, no one has contacted me. Since the report, additional testimonies have surfaced,” Goldberg said….
MKs who attended the meeting were visibly shaken by some of the testimonies, with one calling it a “watershed moment” and another calling the revelations “titanic.” Tameno-Shete said, “Reality shows us that the police are not strong in handling sexual offenses. No one wants to talk about brutal rape and children being raped. There are unimaginable cases of monstrosity here.”
Two other survivors spoke at the meeting on condition of anonymity. One testified that a cousin trafficked her beginning at age 11. “At 14, he took me to sadistic clubs. I endured torture and starvation at the hands of well-known and prominent individuals. I suffered harm in endless ways.

“There were public events, and there were internal ceremonies where I was tied to a tall post with handcuffs. Around me, there were other handcuffed victims with rituals of drinking menstrual blood and the slaughter of cats and other animals. They told me no one would believe me if I spoke out.”
She continued that she filed a complaint with the police five years ago. “The prosecution closed the case due to lack of evidence, so I appealed, and it was accepted. I came to testify while on pregnancy bed rest, but the case was closed again due to lack of evidence. “They said I was imagining things. I presented a recorded testimony from someone who admitted to harming me, but she was never summoned for questioning. Treat this as terrorism.” https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-856407

Rescuers alarmed by suspected ritual animal abuse across tri-state parks & beaches – A Turn to Tara investigation has revealed that signs of suspected ritual animal abuse have been found from Brooklyn to Long Island, including wooded areas, cemeteries and beaches. Tara Rosenblum Jun 2, 2025
WARNING: Some of the images in this story are extremely disturbing.

Wildlife rescuers across the tri-state area are raising alarms after a series of disturbing discoveries in public parks and beaches. A Turn to Tara investigation has revealed that signs of suspected ritual animal abuse have been found from Brooklyn to Long Island to Connecticut, including wooded areas, cemeteries and beaches. Karenlynn Stracher runs Long Island Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting wildlife. She says she’s been busy rescuing animals from increasingly disturbing rituals involving torture.
Sloane Quealy, the president of Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, says she’s also spent months responding to sacrifice scenes and the toll is mounting. The majority of their reports trace back to Spring Creek Park in New York City, which is on federal property.
Senior Reporter Tara Rosenblum found that animal sacrifice is protected by the nation and the state’s highest courts – yet there is a critical exception in New York state. If law enforcement can prove an animal suffered during a ritual, criminal charges for animal cruelty can be filed….

However, local law enforcement officers have confirmed a troubling rise in incidents reportedly tied to ritualistic animal torture, including 41 cases in Nassau County, 11 in Suffolk County and cases in New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. Councilwoman Joann Ariola is pushing for a crackdown. “These are fringe groups mutilating and killing animals. They’re criminals, nothing more, nothing less. These are heinous acts, and they are not protected under the law,” says Ariola. By shining a light on the unsettling scenes, rescuers and lawmakers hope to put an end to future sacrifices before more animals are harmed. https://bronx.news12.com/rescuers-alarmed-by-suspected-ritual-animal-abuse-across-tri-state-parks

Podcast: Inside Cults: How Ordinary People Get Pulled In
Cults don’t always start with Kool-Aid or crime scenes — sometimes, they begin with yoga classes, utopian promises, or someone saying you’re special. In this episode, Gabe Howard sits down with journalist and author Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar, whose book “Cults: A True Crime Collection” explores how seemingly “normal” people fall into manipulative groups.
From love bombing and spiritual seduction to sleep deprivation and isolation, Wendy unpacks the subtle tactics cults use to recruit and retain followers — and why it’s not about being gullible or broken. She shares her own brushes with cult-like communities and explains how even caring interventions can backfire by reinforcing a cult leader’s narrative.

If you’ve ever wondered, “How could anyone fall for that?” — this episode is your answer. Thought-provoking, emotional, and packed with insight, it just might change the way you see cults — and yourself.
“(You may be thinking) I would never hurt another person. I would never believe in aliens. But the way cults work, you’re not really joining a destructive organization. You’re joining a group based on some ideology that is probably a little bit different from the news headlines. . .” ~Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar, Author of Cults: A True Crime Collection…
Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar: ….I think research shows that cult tactics involve getting closer to a person who might be vulnerable. You have terms like love bombing. So approaching someone, making them feel like the most important, telling them they’re special, they’re different. Oh, I can tell you’re different. You know, come join our group. We’re really working towards something great. And someone might say, yeah, you know, I’m lonely. I’m heartbroken. Like, I want to be a part of this group. And another person might not be interested and walk away. So I would say it’s casting a wide net and seeing what sticks, because a cult needs people. Like it’s it’s not going to be a cult without people….

Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar: ….One important tactic is sleep deprivation. So you hear this constantly. Jonestown. Heaven’s gate. More contemporary cults like Nexium, like people working hours and hours a day, being up for almost 24 hours, having to work in cult businesses and repeating that cycle. And it makes it very hard. Sleep deprivation. Maybe there’s drug use. It makes it hard for when that reality shifts and becomes more dysfunctional to realize that it’s happening because someone is so disoriented….
https://psychcentral.com/blog/podcast-inside-cults-how-ordinary-people-get-pulled-in#block-088e2ffc-6b6c-4884-a13b-0abe8f5ccd3a

Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault after New York retrial 11 June 2025 Madeline Halpert BBC News, New York Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexual assault in New York, after his sex crimes conviction in the state was overturned last year.

A panel of seven female and five male jurors deliberated for five days in the six-week trial before unanimously voting to convict the disgraced film mogul on one of three counts. The jury found him not guilty of an additional sexual assault charge, and has yet to return a verdict on a charge of rape. The conviction is in addition to a 16-year sentence that Weinstein has yet to serve after being convicted of sex crimes in Los Angeles.
The trial was based on the testimony of three women – former television production assistant Miriam Haley, actress Jessica Mann, and model Kaja Sokola. All three accused Weinstein of using his power in the entertainment industry to sexually abuse them. On Wednesday, jurors found Weinstein guilty of assaulting Ms Haley, but found him not guilty of assaulting Ms Sokola. They have yet to return a verdict on a rape charge involving Ms Mann, and plan to resume deliberations on Thursday….

The three women testified for days about the sexual abuse they alleged they endured at the hands of Weinstein. All three said they met Weinstein when they were young and looking for work opportunities in the entertainment industry. He then forced himself on them during private meetings at hotels and his homes, the women alleged. His legal team argued that his sexual encounters with the women were all consensual and a sort of “friends with benefits” arrangement….
In total, Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct, assault and rape by more than 100 women. While not all reports resulted in criminal charges, the California conviction means he is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison… Weinstein has also faced a number of civil lawsuits, including from a group of women who accused him of sexual harassment and rape. The case resulted in a $19m (£14.2) settlement in 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7z3gezdjro

‘Murder cult leader’ behind alleged neo-Nazi plot to poison students at Brooklyn Jewish schools extradited to US following arrest in Moldova – ‘Commander Butcher’ Michail Chkhikvishvili accused of scheme to hand out poison candy Katie Hawkinson in Washington, D.C. Saturday 24 May 2025
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from Georgia, has been extradited to the United States from Moldova after federal authorities say he led a “murder cult” and tried to poison students at Brooklyn Jewish schools. Chkhikvishvili — known as “Commander Butcher,” according to prosecutors — was arrested in Chi inău, Moldova last summer after he was indicted in New York on charges of soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence.

Prosecutors say Chkhikvishvili led the “Maniac Murder Cult,” which is “an international racially motivated violent extremist group.” The group follows a “Neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups it deems ‘undesirables,’” according to the Department of Justice. “Members share a common goal of challenging social order and governments via terrorism and violent acts that promote fear and chaos,” prosecutors say. Chkhikvishvili pleaded not guilty during his appearance in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday.
As the group’s alleged leader, Chkhikvishvili is accused of planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York. The scheme allegedly involved someone dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to members of the Jewish community, particularly children in Brooklyn who attended Jewish schools.

The 21-year-old is also accused of saying he wanted the attack to be “bigger action than Breivik,” referring to Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian neo Nazi who committed a bombing and mass shooting in Norway in 2011. He killed 77 people.
Prosecutors say Chkhikvishvili admitted to other crimes, telling people he was “glad I have murdered” and that he would “murder more” but “make others murder first.” Chkhikvishvili is accused of drafting “step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme” and sharing” detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases” with the person he wanted to carry out the scheme.
Some of these materials are linked to foreign terrorist organizations, including ISIS, prosecutors say. Since 2021, Chkhikvishvili has been distributing a “manifesto” called the “Hater’s Handbook” which “encourages people to commit acts of mass violence,” according to the Justice Department. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/michail-chkhikvishvili-arrest-brooklyn-poisoning-b2757338.html

Trace the Rise and Fall of an American Cult in The Oracle’s Daughter – Harrison Hill’s nonfiction debut, arriving in April 2026, follows the story of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps By Brenton Blanchet June 27, 2025….
In The Oracle’s Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult, out this April, the author explores what a synopsis calls the “true story of the rise and fall of a woman-led cult,” The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in Fence Lake, N.M.
“In 2019, my brother and his wife introduced me to their neighbor, Sarah Green — she’d escaped a cult run by her mother, and was ready to tell her story,” Hill tells PEOPLE. “From our first conversation … I knew I had to write about her.”
He became more intrigued as he “spoke with other former members of the cult, went on reporting trips to California and rural New Mexico, and followed the legal battle surrounding the group that only concluded this past April,” he adds….

Per a synopsis, the story follows “the fascinating beginnings and violent end of ACMTC” as well as the paths of three women: founder and self-proclaimed “oracle” Deborah, early member Maura and then Sarah herself. The three women, the synopsis explains, are “bound together by a punitive, baroque set of radical beliefs and practices,” including “exorcism, kidnapping, prohibitions against the ‘abominations’ of popular music and psychoanalysis.”
By exploring ACMTC’s abuses and beliefs, the book also focused on the “strange twists and turns of the country’s religious development — and how much more vulnerable we are to extremism than we might like to think,” the synopsis adds. For decades following its founding in 1981 with her husband James Green, Deborah operated ACMTC. It later became the subject of an episode of People Magazine Investigates: Cults….
In 2018, Deborah — who was known as “General” to the group’s followers — was sentenced to 72 years in prison for multiple crimes against children, after being convicted of three counts of child rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of child abuse. A judge later ordered her convictions on eight counts to be vacated, per KRQE, and she was released in 2022. A child abuse conviction was reinstated by the state Supreme Court earlier this year. Per the Southern Poverty Law Center, former member Maura Schmierer — who previously sued ACMTC — characterized it as a cult in a court filing. Hill wrote about Sarah’s experience for The Cut in June 2021. https://people.com/the-oracles-daughter-cover-reveal-exclusive-11761767

June 30, 2025 · Filed Under Newsletter 2025 - Issue 180 - 185