Welcome to indoctrination, a weekly conversation series about protecting yourself from systems of control.

I'm your host, Rachel Bernstein.

Maria Paragalese, a teacher of 25 years and published author, is with us today to shed some light on her

daunting experience of growing up in a dysfunctional home as the daughter of a spiritual

prophet. Actually, this spiritual prophet is also described by her as a narcissistic father,

who often exploited her trusting nature to exercise control over her,

and he justified his behavior by using the theology of something called the Urantia book.

Maria's father claimed to have channeled the voices of Jesus

and others, and when other Urantia followers questioned his channeling, he stopped that practice,

yet continued one-on-one secret conversations with Maria, acting as quote-unquote God's prophet.

He would share daily communications and miracles from God,

knowing when someone was going to die somehow

and attending deathbeds at God's behest,

confronting Satan as the representative of mankind,

and had visions of angels sharing writings called the Unity Treatise from Celestial Beings

as severe warnings to the three branches of the Orancha Movement and much more.

Maria is soon to publish her book titled Culted Child,

in which she explores the turbulent experience of her childhood and

utilizes her story as an opportunity to communicate the signs and symptoms of being raised

in a cult or narcissistic environment. Her website, culta child.com, archives every resource she

references in her book. Check it out. Maria's concern is for

the increasing number of second generation adults leaving these kinds of smaller, intensely

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