Faith Jones discusses her new memoir Sex Cult Nun, in conversation with Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism.

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Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult

Educated meets The Vow in this story of liberation and self-empowerment—an inspiring and stranger-than-fiction memoir of growing up in and breaking free from the Children of God, an oppressive, extremist religious cult.

Faith Jones was raised to be part an elite army preparing for the End Times. Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau, she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather, the founder of the Children of God. Tens of thousands of members strong, the cult followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light. As such, Faith was celebrated as special and then punished doubly to remind her that she was not.

Over decades, the Children of God grew into an international organization that became notorious for its alarming sex practices and allegations of abuse and exploitation. But with indomitable grit, Faith survived, creating a world of her own—pilfering books and teaching herself high school curriculum. Finally, at age twenty-three, thirsting for knowledge and freedom, she broke away, leaving behind everything she knew to forge her own path in America.

A complicated family story mixed with a hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative, Faith Jones’ extraordinary memoir reflects our societal norms of oppression and abuse while providing a unique lens to explore spiritual manipulation and our rights in our bodies. Honest, eye-opening, uplifting, and intensely affecting, Sex Cult Nun brings to life a hidden world that’s hypnotically alien yet unexpectedly relatable.

Faith Jones is a lawyer, activist, entrepreneur, and business coach. Her forthcoming memoir, Sex Cult Nun, is out November 30, 2021.

Amanda Montell (she/her) is a 29-year-old writer, linguist, podcast host, and author of two critically acclaimed books: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism (Harper Wave, 2021), and Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Harper Wave, 2019). She is also the creator and co-host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult.