The cult with which I've had

personal experience is the International Church of Christ, or the ICC.

I should make something perfectly clear before proceeding: the International

Church of Christ is not related to or a part of the mainline Protestant

group of churches known as the Church of Christ.

The ICC is a splinter group,

founded by self-proclaimed prophet Kip McKean. To summarize its doctrine:

the ICC believes that McKean is the only true prophet of Jesus Christ,

that only ICC members will go to Heaven, and that all nonmembers, including

Mother Teresa, the Pope, Billy Graham, and the rest of us, are going straight

to Hell.

Like most cults, the ICC operates

as a giant pyramid, with McKean at the top, middle managers in the center,

and new recruits at the bottom the worker bees, who hustle money and new

recruits. To maintain control over this structure, the ICC operates mega-churches

in large population centers, such as the one in Tallahassee, Fla. It was

the Tallahassee church that was recruiting on campus at Valdosta State

University, where my relative was a sophomore.

you are probably telling yourself that you have nothing to worry about

that your son or daughter is strong-willed, sharp as a tack, or is already

devoutly religious, and could never fall for this cult stuff. Beware!

The person just described fits the target profile for the ICC! The girl

I rescued from the ICC is strong-willed and very sharp, hardly prey for

a cult (I thought).

So, how do you know when your

child is falling for a cult like the ICC? At first, the signs are subtle

and innocuous. You may hear from your child that he or she is attending

nondenominational Bible readings, or a volley ball game with a really

neat bunch of kids, or some other similar event. These first meetings

bear no hint of what is to come and may not even have anything at all

to do with religion. But these events are designed to entice an unsuspecting

college student into a new sphere of friends. In my case, my relative

was snared by her own roommate, who became a member of this cult and got

my relative involved in it.

Once involved, your child may

relate how he or she has met some really wonderful people, who really

care and are full of love. Beware, for this feeling describes a cult technique

known as "love bombing." It's designed to make the new recruit's

first experience with the cult enjoyable to keep him or her coming back

for more. My relative experienced this in spades at Valdosta.

Once the new recruit is firmly

in the cult, things turn more serious. A "discipler" is assigned

to each convert. Ostensibly, the discipler's job is to counsel the new

member on following the Christian path; in reality, the discipler ensures

that the new member conforms to doctrine, attends services, and is actively

recruiting more new members. My relative was subjected to this technique

as well as others employed by the ICC hierarchy through the discipler.

This "discipling"

quickly becomes an intrusion into the life of the new recruit, to the

point where the discipler is hearing "confessions," including

details of sexual behavior and personal family business. Many times, this

information is used later to intimidate the member into adhering to doctrine,

or against members who want to leave the cult.

A parent of an ICC recruit

notices that the student may be missing classes during the week or not

on campus at all during weekends. In my relative's case, she would miss

class every Thursday morning because they were taking her from Valdosta

to Tallahassee every Wednesday night for services. On the weekend, she

would go to Tallahassee again for "overnighters," which allowed

them to place her in a controlled environment, where they could continue

to brainwash her without interference or "outside" influences,

such a parents or teachers.

realized that something was wrong, she was deeply involved. She announced

that she was going to give up her own religion (we are Roman Catholics)

and join this church. I pushed the panic button; I had nowhere to turn

for help. Finally, I did a search on the International Church of Christ

on the Internet and found the Web site for an organization called REVEAL,

which gave me all the information I needed to fight back against the ICC.

Fully armed by the REVEAL Web

site, all I needed was an opening, an opportunity of some sort, to step

in and save her. Then one Sunday night, she called me and invited me and

everyone in her family down the following week for her "christening."

I arrived in Valdosta early

Monday morning. I was calm, agreeable, smiling. She was outwardly happy,

but behind her smile, I could see the storm of turmoil inside her. Suddenly,

in the afternoon, when we were alone, she related to me the emotional

and psychological abuse to which she had been subjected by the cult members.

I was furious, then steeled myself, determined to get her out of the cult.

Within minutes, I had enlisted

the help of the manager of the apartment complex, arranged for a different

apartment in the same complex, and informed the roommate that she was

moving out. I also contacted some former ICC members through the REVEAL

Web site, and they came up to Valdosta to help.

It took me five weeks to get

her out of the ICC and back on her own feet. I moved her into her new

apartment, stayed with her constantly, went with her to classes, and almost

became her bodyguard. I informed all of her professors of what had happened,

I talked to the FBI, GBI, Valdosta police, and the campus police about

the cult. Then I worked with a local newspaper journalist to write a spectacular

Sunday feature in the local paper exposing the ICC's recruiting practices

on campus. How sweet it was reading that expose over coffee at the local

restaurant.

My story has a happy ending:

this dear girl has overcome her experience, is now working for Delta,

and is engaged to be married. Others are not so lucky. Don't wait until

your college student falls victim to the ICC. Go to the REVEAL Web site,

get the information, and discuss it with your child today. For more info:

https://www.reveal.org .

Lawrence A. De Marino

Peachtree City