Boys Christian League: "Training Boys for God's Army"
Was I in a Cult?
Liz Iacuzzi
4.5 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Michelle Dowd was born into a cult that was literally training boys to fight in God's army when the apocalypse came.
It started in sunny Pasadena, California when her grandfather - a former Boy Scout leader - decided the Scouts weren't strict enough and built his own organization. Boys were recruited young, drilled like soldiers, and raised to believe they were preparing for the end of the world.
Michelle grew up inside the group known as "The Field," running miles before breakfast, enduring military-style obedience drills, selling candy to fund the movement, and eventually living for years on a remote mountain with basically no formal education.
What eventually happened is almost unbelievable: a secret college application, a full scholarship, and a cult survivor with no formal education… to becoming a professor teaching critical thinking.
Michelle Dowd is now a writer and the author of Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult.
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MICHELLE DOWD LINKS → Instagram @michelledowdz |
Subscribe to Michelle's FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Listen to Michelle's book "Forager" on SPOTIFY FOR FREE
Pick up a copy of Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult"
Michelle's NYT Modern Love essay: "Love in a Time of Low Expectations"
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Tyler's mascot book mention: Where Are the Fighting Giraffes? by David Winder
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The views, information, or opinions expressed by the guest appearing in this episode solely |
| 0:04.4 | belong to the guest and do not represent or reflect the views or positions of the hosts, |
| 0:09.4 | the show, podcast one, this network, or any of their respective affiliates. |
| 0:24.1 | Welcome everyone to Was I in a cult? |
| 0:25.7 | I'm Liz Ayakuzi. |
| 0:27.6 | And I'm Tyler Meissam. |
| 0:30.4 | It sounds, I feel like I want to do something else. |
| 0:31.1 | Do something. |
| 0:34.6 | Yeah, you know, like I'm Tyler Meesum and you're not. |
| 0:36.2 | Or I'm Tyler. |
| 1:14.6 | I don't know something, just like a tagline. I don't know if that would be considered a tagline, because a tagline comes at the end. Oh, yeah. Just do the Harry Carey. Hey. Hey, everyone. It's Harry Carey. I'm Tyler. Meeson. I grew up on Harry Carey. There's not a funnier Harry Carey than Will Ferrell's Harry Carey. We all know that the moon is not made of green cheese. Yes, that's true, Harry. But what if it were made of barbecue spare ribs? Would you eat it then? What? I know I would. Heck, I'd have seconds. And then polish it off with a tall, cool, budwiser. Yeah, yeah. |
| 1:16.6 | Would you? |
| 1:17.6 | I'm confused. |
| 1:18.6 | It's a simple question, Doctor. |
| 1:20.6 | Would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs? |
| 1:23.6 | I don't know how to answer that. |
| 1:25.6 | It's not rocket science. Just say yes and we'll move on. I'm Lizzie Housie. There's your wacky intro. There it is. What we got today, Liz? What do we have? Tyler, today's episode is basically set in your backyard. It is. It's literally in my backyard. I started a cult. We've been talking about it for a while. |
| 1:44.9 | It's not doing well, you guys. It's terrible at love bombing. It's not doing well. No, but this is a cult that |
| 1:52.9 | was, is, I guess, was in Pasadena. Yes, it was. And I lived in Pasadena for a number of years. I now |
| 1:59.0 | live in a cute little hamlet of Sierra Madre, which is right next to Pasadena just east of it. A cute hamlet. Yeah, it means a little town. It is a cute little hamlet. I'll call it that. But when you were in Pasadena, did you know there was a nearly 100-year-old Doomsday cult operating right there in your neighborhood. |
| 2:18.0 | I didn't know that. |
| 2:20.3 | And I looked at where it is, where the field is, where this cult took place. |
... |
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