The 700 Club with Pat Robertson

FALSE RELIGION

A Cult Nightmare

By Julie Blim
The 700 Club

CBN.com - Heaven's Gates, Branch Davidian, Jonestown -- do you remember the stories? Cults and their charismatic leaders have captured the media spotlight many times in recent years. Though not all end in tragedy like these did, all cults are thought to be dangerous. Lisa Potter became involved in one very innocently.

"I had no idea that there was anything wrong or deceptive, or anything that could hurt me at a Bible study. It never crossed my mind!" Lisa Potter exclaims.

Until one day, a woman from the cult approached Lisa and told her about a Bible study.

Lisa recalls, "It just seemed like a gathering of people who loved Christ, who loved each other. We all had our Bible, read from the Bible, so Scripture was definitely a big part of it."

Lisa moved to the West Coast in 1985 to live with a friend. It was supposed to be an adventure and turned out to be a nightmare. The so-called Bible study group became controlling and demanded most of her time and money. It called itself Great Among the Nations, and was led by Benjamin Altschul.

Lisa says, "It was understood that he could hear Jesus and he was our direct connection to Jesus, so it was very important that we stayed close to him and honored him and did exactly what he said, because if we disobeyed him, we were disobeying Jesus. And if we listened to him, we were listening to Jesus."

How does a person like Lisa, who was brought up in church and is from a loving, stable family, become so deceived? Well, she can now identify the tactics.

"If ever I said, 'That doesn't sound right,' they'd say, 'Oh, don't disagree with Benjamin, Lisa. He's sent by God.' I began not to trust my own thoughts. I began not to use my own mind, but the mind of the group. Before long, I became kind of like a robot. I tried to open my Bible, but I couldn't read it. I began not to trust God in me," says Lisa.

Group pressure, isolation from outsiders, and fear were all tools of mind control used by Altschul. And yet the manipulation didn't stop there.

"One of their tactics is to keep people tired, so they're more susceptible to brainwashing at that point," Lisa says. "It's similar to being in a concentration camp -- that's what they do -- they break your spirit. They encouraged us to work a lot. They'd wake us up at 2 a.m. and say, 'Emergency meeting!' and it would be a fear thing."

What kept Lisa in it? Why didn't she leave?

Lisa says, "I wanted to do something in this life that was important and something that helped others. I wanted to be so much a part of what Jesus accomplished on this earth until He came back."

Lisa was close to her family, but in a year and a half, her contact with them went from often to none. They learned about the cult when the parent of another member phoned.

"I had no idea anything like that was going on," says Lisa.

Lisa PotterFrom that moment, Lisa's family went into action. First, they were on their knees for God's direction. Then, they rented an RV, and six of them drove from Missouri to California to rescue Lisa.

Lisa's brother, John, says, "We just were so sure we were going to come back with her no matter what."

"I never knew what the word 'cult' meant," says Lisa's mom, "so, consequently, I never thought anything like that could happen in our family."

Lisa's dad recalls, "We were worried a lot about her recovery from it because we'd heard so many horror stories about the things."

"I remember the first time hugging her, my arms around her, and she just was as cold as ice," says Laurie, Lisa's sister. "It was a complete difference from who she is!"

Don, Lisa's brother-in-law, says, "It was by the grace of God that we made it out there and I just felt like I wanted to protect the family as much as I possibly could to get the job done."

What did Lisa think when her family came to rescue her? Was Lisa angry?

Lisa says, "I was very afraid when they came, because I thought they were going to take me away from Jesus. If I left from the protective covering, I'd be on my own. I wouldn't have His strength, courage. I wouldn't have Him."

Lisa's recovery was far from painless and took a few years.

"I had a lot of anxiety attacks, woke up in the middle of the night, had horrible migraines, headaches, it took a long time," Lisa says. "I still have bouts of depression and fear, where I shouldn't be so afraid."

The key for her was what she saw in her family.

Lisa says, "They came back constantly with love, kept coming back and back and back, and that's Christ. That's Him. I recognized Him, right there in front of me all the time, and I thought I had to go someplace else to find Him."

Lisa can now see clearly enough to tell others what to watch out for.

"I think it was people who were vulnerable, people who were looking for something in their life, who maybe had gone through a difficult time in their life. It's very important that you do know the truth, and the truth is in Scripture," says Lisa. "If the Scripture is being said absolutely correct, but something doesn't feel right to you, it's probably not right!"

And as for the families and friends of cult members, Lisa says, "Do whatever you can to not lose contact with them. Get the police involved and call a private detective. You know there are some cults people have died in, so it's very important they do keep that contact. We have a responsibility as family members and as Christians to tell somebody, 'You're on the wrong path.' "

Today, Lisa, along with her husband, Mark, has her eyes on the one true God.

"I feel like He's with me in everything I do. He's given me a renewed faith. No matter what I go through in life, He's there and will continue to be there," Lisa concludes.


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