Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping some religious and/or cult docuseries ol’ VCR.
We all know that religious documentaries and docuseries get me riled up.
My grandfather was a Southern Baptist lay preacher, and I grew up in a town with a church on every corner (Elliott confirms).
I attended a Southern Baptist church until I was around 11, when my mother left the church after she was in a debilitating car wreck, and the congregation came to our house every week to check on her…
…and then started harassing her about when they could expect her back in a pew the third week into her recovery.
I’ve had hands laid on me, been publicly judged for everything from my clothing to music, and famously had an 18-year-old guy make a bet with some other teenagers that he could take my virginity (I was 14 at the time, and a friend’s older sister punched him in the face whenever she found out, so I’m extremely fortunate that nothing ever happened).
And yes, that guy was a devoted churchgoer.
However, I found a wonderful Methodist church in high school that I attended for most of my teen years (and also the church Elliott grew up in, ever since she was * gasp * baptized as a baby).
It was the only church I ever felt comfortable in, and I’m still friends with my original youth minister to this very day because that congregation was on the right side of the Methodist split.
So, I do fully understand that there are good Christians out there because I know some; some of my best friends are religious and/or believe in some version of God.
The difference is that the Christians I associate with support LGBTQIA+ rights, are pro-choice, etc…
(I also want to plug The New Evangelicals because I think they’re a really good example of what I mean)
I want to give all of you some religious and/or cult docuseries recommendations, as well as a couple of YouTube channel honorable mentions, because I want you to be informed.
A lot of these groups prey on people in vulnerable positions, and I think, with everything going on, that people are going to start looking for somewhere to turn, and I want you to know how to identify the red flags in advance.
I know what it’s like to deconstruct and how it feels to seek something greater than yourself, believe me.
But groups like the subjects of these series are not the way.
Finally, CWs/TWs for just about everything imaginable: SA, r*pe, child ab*s*, emotional ab*s*, DV, physical ab*s*, CP, SI, alcohol and drug ab*s*, and all like topics.
As always, I recommend doing your research before watching these and/or having a trusted person watch them first.
If you’re looking for something that pokes fun at megachurches and the hypocrisy of religion but is less triggering, I would recommend The Righteous Gemstones.
I understand the content on this list is super heavy, and it might not be for everyone, so I wanted to throw out a “fun” recommendation as well.
Alrighty, that should do us for introductions and disclaimers.
Without further ado, here are six religious and/or cult docuseries (and two YouTube channels) I recommend:
- The Vow (2020)
- Escaping Twin Flames
- Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
- Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
- Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
- The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
Honorable Mentions
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