Children of God: "The Christmas Monster"
Was I in a Cult?
Liz Iacuzzi
4.5 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 23 December 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A comet. A cultural fever. And a cult's failed prophecy.
In 1973, as the holidays approached and the world felt increasingly unstable, a comet named Kohoutek was predicted to light up the sky in way never seen before… right at Christmas. The media obsessed. The artists sang. And David Berg, an apocalyptic sex cult leader, saw confirmation that judgment was imminent. Christmas would be the end.
In this episode, we trace how the Children of God turned a celestial event into The Christmas Monster, sending families fleeing the United States, scattering members across the globe, and quietly erasing the idea of home altogether.
We speak with Perry Bulwar, who was recruited into the cult as a teenager and lived inside it for over twenty years. He takes us through belief, fear, failed prophecy, and the moment a pop song cracked the spell.
It's a holiday story - just maybe not the kind you're used to.
___________
FOLLOW US
For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult
PERRY'S BOOK
Get your copy of "Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life In a Doomsday Cult"
SUPPORT THE SHOW
If you believe in what we're doing - shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse - please rate, review, and share the podcast.
Want even more?
Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations.
HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE?
If you've been part of a cult - we want to hear from you.
Email us → info@wasiinacult.com
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 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. |
| 0:26.9 | Welcome, dear listeners, to Was I in a Cult. I'm Liz Ayacuzzi. |
| 0:32.7 | And that's Liz Ayacuzzi's Happy Christmas Voice. I'm Tyler Meism. |
| 0:35.4 | Everything is so lovely. |
| 0:37.2 | Are you in Chicago with family? I am. Is it madness? Well, compared to what was |
| 0:40.8 | going on here last year, I would say we're a little bit of an improvement in this house, but I am |
| 0:46.2 | sleeping in the bed I grew up and that is a fact. Which was outside in the garage because you were |
| 0:53.9 | bad. |
| 0:54.7 | You were such a bad, bad, bad little girl. |
| 0:57.6 | But yeah, no, it's great so far. |
| 0:59.4 | We've just arrived. |
| 1:01.1 | Okay. |
| 1:01.5 | So we'll see. |
| 1:02.2 | I'll see what the week brings us. |
| 1:04.3 | But I am very happy. |
| 1:06.7 | Everybody's healthy. |
| 1:07.9 | Everybody's here. |
| 1:09.5 | So it's nice. Perfect. Well, I have family coming. |
| 1:14.1 | Ten people will be here pretty much for an entire week. Your in-laws? Uh-huh. I will be cooking |
| 1:19.3 | basically every night and I have the whole meal thing. And I love doing it and I'm good at it. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Liz Iacuzzi, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Liz Iacuzzi and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

