Faith Jones shares her incredible story about religious oppression and the trauma she endured growing up in a cult. She was born into the cult, Children of the God, founded by her grandfather in 1968. Faith lived in poverty on an isolated farm in Macau, where she prayed for hours every day in between gruelling work and punishments.
Over the decades, the cult grew into an international organisation with over 10,000 members. It became notorious for its alarming sex practices, abuse allegations and exploitations. Followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light. As a direct descendant, Faith was celebrated as special, but also horrendously punished to remind her that she wasn’t.
Sex Cult Nun is both disturbing and inspiring. It provides a fascinating insight to the world of extreme belief, while exploring the issues of physical and psychological control.
The title, Sex Cult Nun doesn’t best reflect Faith’s inspiring story as she unravels her complicated childhood. It’s a shockingly gripping memoir, detailing how Faith created a world of her own and educating herself in secret. Finally, Faith escaped the cult in her 20s and went onto university and established a successful legal career.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy HarperCollins, RRP $32.99