My upbringing in a UK cult... and how I escaped 

Just when I thought this channel couldn’t get any better you bring out this belter of a video, completely out of nowhere! Thank you so much for sharing your incredible journey. I’ve always held quite a jaundiced view of the Catholic Church in particular as I’ve seen firsthand how my father and uncle’s time at the hands of the Christian Brothers in Artane affected them. My dad passed away from liver failure aged 53 as a result of heavy drinking; a habit formed in no small part of blocking out the memories of the severe beatings and brutality they endured. I wouldn’t say I’m an atheist: I literally couldn’t care less either way about any religion. I’m just not wired up to believe in things I cannot prove, although I completely respect other peoples rights to believe in what they want, as long as these beliefs aren’t detrimental to the well-being of others. Sadly, they quite often are which is exactly the problem! My source of inspiration and mental well-being is music and the joy of using music as a medium of communication. From little kids, right through to the elderly, music connects and promotes love and connection. That’s certainly my truth. Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself is a good maxim too and it’s served me pretty damned well over the years! Thanks again for all your brilliant work, James.😊👍🏻

You haven't escaped the Oasis cult, though. :D

I was raised as a Southern Baptist, which is just a very large cult. Much like yourself, I am now a proud Athiest. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a person clear the fog that is religion from their mind.

This was a fascinating watch now. You're very brave discussing this, thanks James

As someone who grew up in a household where religion wasn't particularly a thing in my daily life I always find these kind of stories fascinating and mental. I just always assumed the strict Bible bashing was done by the elderly and maybe the occasional oddball. I'm quite surprised by how many people grew up in households with similar stories to yours (maybe not as extreme). My best friend, who is now also athiest, spent a lot of time in Churches as a kid too. The stories he tells are beyond belief. I couldn't imagine my mother or father dragging me to a church every Sunday filled with screaming lunatics. Or even just taking me to any Church every week. The concept is so alien to me.

In my 15 years of church going i never once heard an accurate prophecy. Every week the ministers would shout and scream abuse at me in God's name. Every insult was inaccurate and usually the totally opposite of what was going on.

You sir, are an inspiration. Love for you brother , from an Irish fellow atheist 🇮🇪❤️

fascinating video James. Sorry to hear how painful some of those moments were for you growing up. I had no idea we had these "charismatic christians" up here in the north east. I think teaching kids to think critically and make their own minds up on the big questions in life is much better for everyone than brainwashing and pressuring them to go along with this craziness. massive respect for you for sharing these experiences.

You're a heroic survivor, James. It's hard to believe cults like these exist in the UK but I've always swerved scary Holy Rollers

It's good you're branching out James. I hope it's not the last time since you're a great storyteller. Keep it up. And keep the videos long, they're great.

James, well done for having courage to make such a personal video. 👏

Wow I never would've guessed you were brought up in an environment like that. Kudos to you for being your own person and not following what the other people in the cult did. It couldn't have been easy leaving the church behind, glad you got through that and are able to live your own life now.

Fair play James, both for overcoming and for having the strength to share your story with others. Much respect !

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen on RU-vid in a very long time. Thanks for sharing your story, must have taken some guts.

James, I had a very similar experience. I grew up in a Pentecostal church-school in Michigan. I could tell you were going to say you were Pentecostal before you even got to it. It's weird now to keep hearing people say it's a cult because I always thought we were the norm. I've compared deconversion to being unplugged from the Matrix as well; it's a very fitting analogy. I became atheist at 25 and the next Oasis album to come out was DOYS, so the lyrics about god in Falling Down hit home.

James - kudos for sharing this, it can't of been easy but if it makes one person question similar doctrine then well done 👏 On a more happy note..... I love your channel as I too was bang into Oasis - I saw them 7 times and I also love Stone Roses. I've not liked any new music since Arctic Monkeys but I've discovered a new band and they are the dogs bollocks - since we have similar music taste I would love you to check them out. They are called Wet Leg. They have their debut album coming out - please give them a listen - I think you'll really like them. Thank you James for doing this video 🤗✌

Absolutely brilliant! I'm kind of lost for words, you took control of your life through sheer investigative willpower.

An amazing video, James. You saved yourself from being 'saved' or the fear of needing to be 'saved'. I know this will sound like cliched shit but it's sincerely, truly meant: Your road to realisation and greater well being is a triumph of reason over superstition, mind control, group-think and terror. I'm truly happy for you, man - and your conclusions were delivered with such kindness and graciousness, too.

Wow!!! Thank you so much for telling us this. That was really compelling. Good on you bud 👍🏻🤘🏻

This is as far from what I expected from you as I can imagine - thank you so much for sharing, it must have been incredibly difficult to get away and to be ready to share it.

I listed myself as a jedi in the 2001 census 😂 (may the force be with you James ;)

Wow! What a fascinating video, I really didn't see this coming. Thanks for being brave enough to share this very personal part of your life. I had a religious up bringing but not as serve as yours,but I too started to see holes in the logic and would ask the teachers difficult questions which they struggled to answer convincingly. I am now an atheist and just try to treat people the way I would like to be treated and try to be tolerant to everyone,what ever they believe in. Live and let live. Thanks again for sharing this, the one common thing that brings us all together is the love of music❤️🎸✌️cheers.

I escaped Mormonism. Thanks for sharing your story. It is truly heart wrenching to grow up with the craziness of a childhood of weekly church attendance in a cult.

Nothing good has ever come out of Toronto, except Rush and the Blue Jays. I coulda tipped you off right from the start that there was something rotten in Denmark, so to speak. Glad you got away from that kind of limiting madness. Good on you for talking about it openly!

Scary thing about all this, is that some never escape this sort of shite. Fair play for you getting away James. Good job you did, as we’d never have known “The NoelChord”.

Well said James, iv digged ur channel for ages, play guitar and have had my head fucked with religion from youth. Peace Gaz , manchester

Christianity in the right hands can be a force for good but in the wrong hands force for bad, money in the right hands can be a force for good but in the wrong hands before for bad, music in the right hands can be force for good but in the wrong hands force for bad. And so on and so on. Most important thing that you speak and live truthfully. Find your truth in life.

Can you make a video, uncovering the truth behind Alan White's departure from Oasis and about what happend to the Death in Vegas sessions? Two totally unrelated topics, I know. 🙈

James, respect for putting this garbage on blast. Great channel buddy, keep the content coming 👏👏👏

James you are an amazing storyteller - whether it’s music, oasis lore or this very personal video everything I’ve seen of yours is astonishingly good. 👏 👏

Been binging your channel’s content since recently discovering it in a slew of Oasis/90s related “research”. I was mainly viewing them on my AppleTV, with no comment function. Just wanted to say thanks for all the great videos, including this one.

Hi James, thank you for sharing. I won't go into detail, but last year I sat down with my wife and told her I was leaving the church and no longer believed in God. Confronting it was incredibly hard, but I'm so happy I did. Nice one for speaking up. Hope all's well and I'm looking forward to EP3. (I've written loads of extra stuff here and deleted it all. Still processing things and find it embarrassing to talk about. Still fairly fresh in walking away. Not to mention I still love the people, I have many great friends in my church and don't want to upset them. I'll have those difficult conversations one day. But I'm proud to call myself an atheist now. Your point about silence in the sky is particularly poignant in my last few months there)

Thanks for sharing your story and vulnerability James - you seem a very nice chap and someone I could have a beer with . Thank you for this informative and interesting video. I do not know what’s waiting beyond this life all I can control is being a kind person who tries to make a positive impact on everyone around me - in that regard we are all gods of our own universes as we have the control over our overall destiny by our thoughts , words and actions . Thanks James hope this message finds you well and happy 🙏👍🏼

From someone who’s both parents sides are catholic. My grandad woke up to the bullshit and told my mam as a young girl it’s a load of shit. And her telling her school she doesn’t want to learn RE as “my dad says this is a load of shit and I’m not learning it” at the age of 11. My dad was rejected by the church due to his mam being a single mother. Both them aren’t religious and neither am I. My opinion has always been the same “it’s the same old bullshit. If god was real these things wouldn’t happen”. We are from newcastle (as you may be able to tell) and my ex is also from the north-east. She’s a Christian and she would have been told and went through the same old bullshit you did James. I told her my views and thoughts and she didn’t agree but seen some of my points and respected it. Big respect for talking about your up bringing! Love this channel and what you do! Nice to get to see a bit of a more personal side to you as well! Stay safe mate! Apologises to anyone who’s religious. I don’t mean to offend or upset anyone! I respect all religions and everyone! Everyone take care!

Didn't see this coming James... Fascinating, brave to put this one up I think... A compelling watch as well.. Keep up the good work

Good on ya for sharing James! I was raised catholic and prayed daily up until my 20s. Like you I am now also an atheist and I got to a point in my life where I simply refused to believe in or tolerate nonsense. I have nothing against religion providing it creates positive outcomes but it’s honestly sad to see how some become brainwashed and are even willing to base their lives around a fabricated cause. Anyway, great video especially the last line :)

I came here for the Oasis commentary but this was an added bonus. Thank you man! I am also an atheist but I believe that I had a far easier (and far less academic) job turning my back on the Catholic Church than you did in stepping back from your cult.

“Love one another” - Jesus Christ 30AD - Andy Bell 2005AD Sound doctrine.

I don't know you James, I'm a bit older and from a different part of the UK but I grew up in the same sort of thing and have many very similar experiences to what you described. It is interesting that these things were so common and yet so odd. I would argue the power of suggestion was very well used and these people were very suggestive and easily led. I agree it is a shame that people felt trapped in it, but I also think there are quite a few who know full well but enjoy the community so go along with it. There can't be that many people who really believe it all? THere were also some really dark sides I saw like long-term marriages being broken up because one partner didn't buy into the really cultish elements although still a christian. Thankfully my parents moved to a much less bonkers version but I became an agnostic, the truth is no-one knows "the truth" and the only way to find out what happens when you die is...to die. I'd rather live for now than live for some hoped for afterlife.

I've been watching youtube since the platform was first invented, and this is quite literally one of the best videos I've ever seen on here. Bravo, James! Your courage and honesty and good humour in the face of such adversity is admirable 🤘

This video is both colossally scary and sad at the same time. Thanks for sharing it James, it can't have been easy to do. It genuinely terrifies me that these kind of cults exist. I have nothing against your average religious person, they're just like everyone else, trying to get through life as best they can while having a positive impact on those around them. It's these extreme ends of religion that horrify me. On a more positive note, 'the years go by but heaven remains silent' would make a great lyric!

I admire the courage it must of taken to make this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had no religious upbringing myself as my Mother lived in a small country town where half the people were Protestant and the other Catholics. Her Aunt fell in love with the 'other mob' (Catholic) and was forbidden to marry him. She jumped off the weir to commit suicide but her dress ballooned out catching air and she was found alive at the side of the river. That was when my Mother abandoned religion. Her Aunt never married and lived with her spinster sister well into their 90's. I remember as a child living overseas and when I came back to Australia we had religious studies in grade 4. Nobody would believe that I didn't know how to look up chapter and verse in the bible, but it was true. I hope your love of music has helped you through the hard times and I would put money down on you being a fantastic father.

This is insane mate I'm glad you got this off your chest thank you

Wow, I never realised all that falling over business happened here in England! I've watched the majority of your videos, so wasn't expecting this. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. As an Atheist myself, I always have a good chuckle at the religious people freaking out, speaking in tongues and wotnot but now I see it's not really funny for those indoctrinated into it.

You’ve actually become a bit of a hero for me by making this video. So good to see someone intelligently shake off their childhood brainwashing.

Brilliant! What an interesting subject. I have stumbled across you through your discussions about Oasis and throughly enjoyed them. I have never been ultra religious but went through my own questioning about it all after a miscarriage. I have come to the conclusion that yes I believe there is a higher power to which some might refer to as ‘God’ or which ever name they choose to give it/her/him but do I believe in ‘religion’ No I don’t. The damage some ‘religions’ have caused in the name of ‘God’ is horrific! Thank you for your open and honest video, it was great X

Hi James, I am a fan of yours from the US, Virginia in particular. I've enjoyed your Oasis videos immensely. I'm also an Oasis fan; I have tickets to see Noel in the Uk at two shows in June. I'm 51 years old and an atheist. My maternal grandfather was an AOG or Pentecostal (we call them) preacher. When I was five I saw speaking in tongues for the first time, I was horrified and strangely embarrassed. I hated my grandfather; he was strict to the extreme and violent. He terrorized his children and physically abused them. When I was a teenager, it occurred to me that people in the congregation speaking in tongues and then my grandmother "interpreting the message" it might be a racket. My father shielded me from this craziness and after the initial trial-run attendance at one of my grandfather's sermon's and subsequent speaking in tongues, my father would not let me or my brothers go again until we were adults. I did not experience AOG the way you did, I saw it more at a distance. Thank you for this great video. Cheers

Honestly mate, this is one of the most genuine videos I've ever seen. I've predominantly watched you for your Oasis related content but I stumbled across this video and its both highly interesting and somewhat relatable having been to a Christian Church of England primary school. Obviously not quite the same level of insanity but I spent many years as a young child debating on what's real and what's not in terms of religion. I've have witnessed many of the things described in this video however the few times I went to Sunday school as a kid, particularly the 'slaying'. Was more confusing then anything. Love this channel, keep up the great work.

Quite a moving video even though it’s funny in places. You’ve gone up in my estimation! Great to see you’ve got your life back on track. No punches pulled here - great to see!

So happy that you got out! Few things scare me more than cults. Thanks for sharing.

Incredible video James. Well done on being so honest about your experiences.

great video, i’m sorry for what you went through and glad you’re now out of it.

I reckon I’ve seen all your youtube, and loved them all. I think by far, this is your best video, finally someone standing up to this cult, great work.

James this really resonated with me- I grew up in similar churches in Swansea and saw all the things you mentioned. it's so weird living in a world of demons, prophesy and miracles and then also going to school?! I searched for the truth and studied various world religions and the New Testament in university and it was my prompt to leave too, no one could answer my questions. I like you was pretty involved, I converted people and was also a missionary (once in Albania). My church wasn't as extreme as yours and I still visit and talk to people there mainly because I have family still involved. We had links with other churches that did more of the stuff you mention. I attended the Toronto Blessing once in a local church aged around 13 and it was the single most scariest moment of my life which still haunts me, I have no idea what seeing this weekly would do to a person. Just that switch from all the adults in the room talking about cucumber sandwiches and 'taking the B road this morning to beat the traffic' to the utter insanity of all them vibrating, shouting and crying on the floor, these were the responsible "pillars of the community"- I just sat there and didn't want to go up incase they had a way of doing it to me. Well done for actually trying it sir.

Hi James, Michael from Toronto here. I love Oasis and your channel. Well aware of the Christian cults in this city. I’ve had to navigate my way through them as well.. I appreciate your questions, arguments, and the love you discovered with your son. Would love to share a pint one day.

Didn’t grow up in a crazy cult like church, but grew up going to church every single Sunday. Got involved in the worship band after I picked up guitar. Then I found out how fake, pretentious and performative the whole thing is. It’s exploitative. Preying on emotions trying to make people feel something through provocative words and “empowering” songs. I found it to be a load of bollocks

I only came to your channel for the Northern Uproar interview, but this video was absolutely fascinating. 🙌🏼

I love this video. I left this world 18 months ago and still haven't decided yet what i actually believe now but after 20 plus years in it all I got deeper and deeper and ended up in a far worse situation than anything described here... since leaving I've met up with many old friends who left and the stories are unreal...religious abuse and far worse. I had to cut off most of these friends who were somehow compromised and would affect my holiness...NEVER AGAIN! I gave my friends I gave up my family I gave them my youth and my career and they cut me off because I wanted to do social media. 18 months ago I was cut off, lost everything and realised how funked up the whole thing was. Evil cult masquerading a good. Ruining loves. Being allowed to see my family again who I was forced to cut off. Don't even get me started at what they did with money...illegal nasty things. ( And it was probably the same or a related church of the one yiu spoke of in Newcastle as was between Sunderland and Newcastle for the 22 years I was there. )

Wow a little bit different to the usual content but I really enjoyed this video cheers James, you've certainly been on a journey. I'm also a atheist, however growing up I was pushed into Sunday school etc and hated it from day 1. I've known friends that went to rehab and did the 12 step programme and came out the other end as if jesus himself was in them. Very sad but its just my opinion that religion cuddles the weak and vulnerable. I'm from sunderland originally and was intrigued to know where the sunderland madhouse was, but then again curiosity killed the cat. Thanks again James!

A kid shouldn't have to go through that. Well done for telling the story. I had a taste of it from very young, with the 'premis'; followers of Maharishi, getting 'blissed out' and the Orange People; followers of Rajneesh, shaking, spinning and generally going batshit. At least these lot didn't talk about implanted demons, but many elements of cult present. Madness never far away.

Wow well done in regaining your self from this child ABUSE ' Oranges are not the only fruit ' is a good insight into how this all worked in 70s Lancashire Janet you are a wise shining star

Hi James, I found your presentation very interesting. I remember going to some services like that. Even as an Anglican, there were some churches like that, and I spent quite some time trying to work out what it all meant. I remember being (gently) pressured backwards when I went forward for prayer but I never went over. At the time I wondered if there was something wrong with me, but I didn’t want to fake anything (like you). I think things were a little more restrained in my experience than in your church. I do remember having a “spirit of arthritis” cast out of my elbow (supposedly) in another church I visited, and I remember lots of prayers in tongues which seemed to be repetitious and not much like any sort of language that I knew.. I felt that the “prophecies” were also rather repetitive - either along the lines of “my people I love you” or some grand pronouncement of a revival sweeping across the nation and into Europe. Never happened. And a lot of this was before the “Toronto Blessing”, which I also remember. I came to the clear conclusion that most of what I saw was self-indulgence. Rather like a kind of rave, probably. Then again, I do also remember some prayers that _were_ answered directly. A key point is that we are not supposed to be focussed on the “supernatural” (an essentially post-enlightenment word that doesn’t appear in scripture). I have also ended up studying the Bible more, and it is my conclusion that most of these people were not really studying the Bible or seeking to do what God actually wants. I feel I can actually now point out from scripture the error in what they were doing. These angry prayers, these puffed-up self-aggrandising prophecies and this “spiritual warfare” (which is completely the opposite of what scripture teaches), should be really offensive to any God of the Bible. The gospel is not simply “God loves you” (I worked though Acts) and I realised that people are having their “ears tickled” with warm feelings because church leaders are focussed on numbers instead of on truth. One of the terrible things about this kind of teaching and practice is that it leads to wrong understanding and actually indulges the self. More recently as a church leader I was actually persecuted by some of these people when we tried to deal with their bad behaviour (greed, pride and sexual immorality). I am really sorry to hear that you are being “shunned” by your former friends. Again, that is not what scripture actually teaches, but it is probably partly because they can’t answer you. It sounds to me as though you haven’t stopped seeking to be a good person - you have simply stopped believing the false teaching that they are following. PS I liked your Bible quotes at the end and your gentle tone. PPS you probably already know that AOG is not a “cult” in the classic sense, but I understand why you are using that term, especially since your experience matches the definition in many ways. PPPS if you would like to know where I see that this movement diverges from scripture I would be happy to share it, but I suspect that you are no longer interested. Wishing you all the best!

Really interesting, thanks for this. My story is very similar: raised in a similar church in the 80s and 90s, my church also sent the pastor (my dad) to Toronto to learn about the Toronto blessing. I read the bible several times when I was a teenager. I also resisted falling over when people prayed for me: in some bible camps it felt like I was the only one left standing. I also prayed and tested and challenged God: Jesus was all about healing, so why was there no healing - why were there no miracles? I've had prophesies over me and prayers for me and I've been encouraged to have a 'quiet time' and pray in tongues, and use bible-reading notes, and join ministry teams, etc. For me, after all the nonsense, and after (I think) rejecting Christianity I'm still trying to find God. I think I've entirely rejected the church at this stage, but I feel like God is somewhere: in the whisper of a forest, and in the swell of the tides, and in the moments of true love and connection you can occasionally feel with people. I don't really know what the truth is any more, but I'm really hoping that the atheists are not correct: that he universe is not a cold objective place where life occasionally happens by accident, only to be swallowed up again into a vast indifferent freezing void.

In the words of john lennon "God is a concept by which we measure our pain" The idea of religion went out my head at an early age, i seen through the bollocks

Great video James. Very brave of you to voice your opinion on this. Great to hear you came to your senses and you're free. Stay cool mate

It sickens me that people abuse children in the name of God or Jesus Christ. Those people will be judged harshly. And those who fight corruption will indeed see the Kingdom. Glad you're doing well, man. Be blessed.

Mad this i had no idea, still a great video though mate takes some courage to talk about this 👏

Thank you for sharing this man! It was so interesting. I had a simular upbringing minus the shaking and shouting (which would have been considered as bringing too much attention to yourself & lack of humility) Demons & possessed furniture was also a huge part of it, also the inevitability of being put into concentration camps & tortured.

Really enjoyed this video, thanks. You're a great narrator.

Thank you for sharing this James!! Hugs from Vienna

Great watch, very interesting. Love your videos, you rock man :)

Being slain in the spirit 11 times reminded me of Spinal Tap braggadacio 🤟 Good on you to get out and dive into music.Well Done, Sir.

I am religious but I am not a member of any church . My believe is there is one god who has many names . And all these different religions are like a river leading to the sea of god . And I dont believe god has got anything against gays or Lesbians . I also believe in Alien life on other planets . My upbringing was like the TV series the Waltons Good video

You’re videos are amazing it’s just like a novel. Thanks from America🇺🇸

James, another stunner💯👋. Glad you got out, it's really weird because I was ill at the beginning of March for around a week and I wrote a tune called "Holy Roller" about this same kinda thing😅. What a coincidence... If ya wanna hear it let me know, keep up the great work man👍

James I really hope you can fit the speaking in tongues lines into a song one day! I can totally imagine an alternate universe where Noel wrote She's Electric with the line about a Honda and a Hyundai 🤣🤣 Just got to the end and that was a great watch 👏🏻 I appreciated your honesty. I was raised catholic but looking back, no where near as 'bad' as what you experienced. I had doubts etc from probably the age of 13/14 and once I went to uni, I never went to church again. A great line to end on as well James, keep up the good work!

I've experienced a huge range of the same experiences you had in charismatic church life. I've been in, and felt extremely uncomfortable with, scenarios such as the 'Toronto Blessing' where most of a 2-300 seater place I was in was full of people making animal noises. I could elaborate at length about many other church situations where people have used peer pressure and hysteria as tools. At the same time I have been in a lot of very positive situations where no- one was being pressured or manipulated. I'm like you in never having been 'slain' or having spoken in tongues but I have a pretty strong faith. I believe in the redemption and hope of the New Testament.

I was about to go outside, stayed the full 30 mins. Excellent content with some interesting dialogue.

Totally respect you're journey. What a story.I hope youve found some peace today mate 👍

Damn. It's not easy to talk about this kind of thing, let alone share it with the world. Tip of the cap to you James for sharing your experiences. And if nothing else, you've got a fantastic name for your next song "She Came In a Honda, Should've Bought a Hyundai". You heard it here first folks, I want a credit on the next record!

How all this BS did not break you mentally is astounding. You are a survivor & a warrior. Good on you !!

Fair play to you for staying the extra year and a half at your course. There’s an awful lot of people who wouldn’t. I found that impressive, especially as the subject you were studying now didn’t mean the same thing to you.

Brilliant video mate.I learnt a lot. I’m glad you found happiness.

This is a wonderfully told story I think many will be inspired by!

James, I'm sorry to hear you had to go through all that- sounds horrible. I never would've guessed, just seen a few of your Oasis videos, so was surprised when I saw this. I'm pleased you managed to get out of that cyclic BS (and also note you haven't been struck down for it! lol). I hope your son is well, sounds like his appearance was a crossroads for you. Keep jamming! Jules x

Thanks James. Great content on your channel.

I find it really interesting listening to this I think it was happening on a huge scale global even.

Amazing video James!!

Wow ! Great vid, I'm not religious but my mother was very religious, growing up if something good happened it was Gods work , if something bad happened it wasn't. I questioned this constantly ....

Bro, I really want to thank you for making this video 🖤 I came across it about a year ago and after much debating, it inspired me to tell my own story of escaping a religious cult. I just posted it on my channel

I have amassed extensive knowledge and expertise in the very subject you are currently discussing, spanning a remarkable 15-year period. Like you, I made the deliberate decision to distance myself from that bewildering state of affairs. The encounters I had were nothing short of mind-boggling, surpassing the bounds of believability and leaving me at a loss for words. 😂 Take care, my friend, and I sincerely appreciate your videos and the act of sharing, as it reassures me that I am not alone in embracing this particular way of thinking in regard to this bat-shit-crazy cult.

Damm that was really interesting and profound. Good on you James

great video as always james, thank you

Great video, kudos for making it. It's quite courageous, come to think of it, you definitely might lose some subscribers because of that. But I'm glad you're using your platform to spread the good word, to borrow a phrase. And I feel for you because of what you had to go through as a child. I was lucky enough to have been raised in a secular household myself (which is rather rare in here in Poland).

Its cool you can share this memory with us ;-) Enjoyed the video

Every political party is a cult too. They all require the majority to submit to the personality cult of the leader.

good to hear from someone who lived through the epicenter of the 90s. who would say that the stories are so similar in places so far away from the world. greetings from South America, madferit.

Very interesting video. I've watched all your videos on Oasis and Britpop, and now I find you were a victim of Shitpop. Very interesting also that some of your experience came from a church in the north-east of England, since I too had a similar experience, only several decades earlier, and the church was in North Shields, Tyne & Wear. I went there because I was told that the pastor had a recording studio - and surely that is a route-one tactic of a cult, to use what you are interested in to draw you in to their madness. And it worked. I was there for four years before I had the courage to break ties and move to London, and from the time I decided to leave until the time I did leave, I was basically ostracised. After a service, the pastor would invite a select group of friends to a downstairs 'bunker' which had a bar and black walls and ceilings, and photos of Adolf Hitler around the walls. I was aged about 19 at the time and did not have the courage to speak out about it. The guy is dead now and I always thought that if there was a God and Heaven and stuff, I wouldn't want to be in an eternal paradise where he was, where my father was, or anyone else that has shit on me from a great height. x

Brave move to speak out. Good to see you are free 💫

Good and important video in my opinion. I liked the way you wanted the 'real' thing, and didn't just swoon down like the others - twice. Also, your really trying to get to grips with the bible from many different languages at the time is beyond impressive! As is your realisation that the deeper you dug, the bigger the rot. That is also the same realisation that a fair few sincere people, who have dug beneath the surface, of the institution I used to be involved in, ISKCON, or more commonly known as the Hare Krsnas. There are similarities. I gradually drifted away over 20 years ago from it, when I saw that people were not prepared to deal with the problems in it. (eg: book changes among other more directly hurtful things) At the end of the day, I believe that we are all receptors of the truth (even though we can be cheated), but the trick is breaking out of limited conceptions of Nature of Reality from whatever form, being it Christianity (or weird forms of), Eastern cults (including Hare Krsna), and even the day to day temporary existence we are in - secular life! What is the real truth? We have a need to know, and of course all the cheating of organisations that come to exploit this basic human need. I think progress has to be individual, and that involves looking at the so-called word of God from different sources/religions and questioning it (like you did). No one should feel bad for being true to oneself. Since the events of 3 years ago, covid, etc..., I was sceptical of the official story, and looked at alternative views - many of which are censored, this says something about secular life - normal as it may seem! Anyway my search took me to look at David Icke (something I had been aware of off and on since '92), as well as after that, sincere devotees of Hare Krsna! These were older people who had been initiated by the founder back in the 70s and who had been kicked out in '78 after his death in '77 when all or most of the deviations occurred (zonal acharya, etc...). These people see through the nonsense of institutionalised religion (which is not what ISKCON was originally meant to be) and the mass manipulation by governments during covid. I believe that such sincere people could have a role to play in worldwide truth even among people from different background persuasions. But of course one has to question the basic tenets of everything and consider what are the most important similarities of real truth, and not the lies and misconceptions we are so often exposed to. I guess what I am saying is that your video is really good in that it deals with a fair bit of the self-deception that goes on - even to the point of madhouse scenarios, and how people react to truth outside their comfort zone! Yet that the truth of existence and what it's all about is a need for us all, and to not take in rubbish! Regarding atheism, if that seems more true that the crap out there - go for that - I understand, even if for the point of sanity! Yet maybe there is some truth out there beyond the generally perceived areas of modern science, ie: NDEs, UFOs, etc... Again as in all things, an open mind is required. And that seems to be a major consideration. After all you had to open your mind to the world beyond your cult - a big adjustment and achievement!