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

by Faith Jones

Overview

Named a Best Book of 2021 by Newsweek and a Most Anticipated by People, TIME, USA Today, Real Simple, Glamour, Nylon, Bustle, Purewow, Shondaland, and more!

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 a religious 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. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062952455
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	543,524
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Faith Jones is a lawyer, activist, entrepreneur, and business advisor. She began her career as an attorney with Skadden Arps representing clients in a wide variety of cross-border corporate transactions and has worked with businesses and government leaders in the Pacific Rim. Faith has been a featured TEDx speaker, has traveled the world, and has done humanitarian aid work in Kazakhstan, Russia, Japan, and Taiwan. 

Table of Contents

A Note from the Author xi

A (Not So) Brief History of My Family and the Children of God 1

1 The Great Escape! 25

2 Watch Out for Snakes 43

3 It Takes a Village 59

4 Don't Work for Money, Honey 72

5 Train up a Child 80

6 Heavenly Houris 87

7 A Change in Attitude 98

8 My Sister is a Jesus Baby 107

9 Farm Life 114

10 Burn after Reading 128

11 It's a Teen Revolution! 143

12 The Silent Coup 153

13 The Grand Experiment 158

14 Suffering Makes You Bitter or Better 170

15 The Land of Much Too Much 188

16 The New Kid in the Class 209

17 Gentling and Breaking 221

18 Education is Power 230

19 Breaking the Rules 235

20 All for One Means None for You 246

21 Long Live the Prophet 260

22 Meeting the Prince 266

23 The Breaking 271

24 Pretending is the First Step to Being 292

25 The Big Decision 312

26 Suffering is Never Godly 320

27 On My Own 326

28 Knowledge and Truth 344

29 Never Give Up 356

30 The Truth will set you Free 364

Epilogue: I Own Me 373

Glossary 383

Acknowledgments 387

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/23/2021

In this outstanding debut, Jones recounts her upbringing in and escape from the infamous cult, the Children of God. Founded by her paternal grandfather, David Brandt Berg, in 1968, the group, later referred to as “the Family,” was notorious for its “radical practices,” which required members to become full-time missionaries, forgo income, and submit to the “Law of Love,” a doctrine which encouraged spouse sharing and sexual relations with children, and used female “disciples” as sex “bait” for followers. By the time Jones was born in Hong Kong in 1977—the seventh child in her parents’ polygamous family—the cult had fanned around the globe with around 10,000 members. In thrilling detail, she describes a childhood spent off the grid throughout Southeast Asia—where her family prepared for the “end times,” opting for prayer over education—and how, after years of struggling and incidents of sexual abuse, she emancipated herself at age 23 and, through self-taught study, was later accepted into Berkeley Law school. As Jones transports readers from Macau to Kazakhstan to the United States, Jones skillfully provides the mental framework to understand her past as an indoctrinated individual in hopes of helping others “stand up for themselves.” This remarkable account of self-liberation is not to be missed. Agent: Becky Sweren, Aevitas Creative Management. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"[A]n absolute must-read."

Bitch Magazine

Faith Jones’s memoir of growing up in the Children of God religious cult is shocking and, ultimately, life-affirming…. An eye-opening account sure to please those who love a good cult book or just a good memoir.

Booklist

Faith Jones’s memoir of growing up in the Children of God religious cult is shocking and, ultimately, life-affirming…. An eye-opening account sure to please those who love a good cult book or just a good memoir.

Booklist

Startlingly honest and hard to put down, Faith Jones's memoir is proof that your past needn't define you and that anything is survivable.

Wendy Lawless

Faith Jones offers a powerful memoir full of childhood joy yet rooted within a world where abuse is rampant and happiness cannot last. An accessible story about a woman who liberates herself from the binds of an abusive, patriarchal cult, Sex Cult Nun will keep readers turning pages.

Donna Freitas

★ 11/01/2021

In this exceptional debut, Jones recalls growing up within the Children of God cult (founded in 1968 by her grandfather David Berg). Berg's Children of God blended free-spirited hippie ideals with teachings from the Bible—but only those passages he deemed worthy. He and his followers eventually settled in Southeast Asia, primarily Macau, where Jones was raised. Jones recounts the frequent changes in Berg's teachings and the church's rules, and candidly explores the impact of growing up in an environment where women couldn't pick their own sexual partners and girls were groomed for abuse from a young age. The only education Jones received was provided by Berg himself, in the form of letters he periodically sent to each Children of God family. Jones's book is a truly inspirational account of questioning her upbringing (the only life she knew) and becoming a successful lawyer. She writes that her will to succeed pointed her toward a new, independent way of life that she was proud to call her own. VERDICT A must-read memoir of self-discovery and reinvention that readers will find impossible to put down. Pass along to fans of Tara Westover's Educated.—Elizabeth Ragain, Rogers Heritage H.S., Fayetteville, AR

Library Journal

2021-09-28
A lawyer and entrepreneur details her experiences growing up in the Children of God as the granddaughter of its founder, David Berg.

Serving God was all Jones knew in a home dominated by a missionary father who ruled his two wives and children with a strict hand. Members of a secretive Christian sect that called itself the Family, the author’s parents warned of interactions with “Systemites,” nonbelievers who wanted “to stop them from doing the Lord’s work.” That “work,” as defined by her “Prophet” grandfather, Berg, was to save souls through the Law of Love, which legitimized sex outside of marriage, justified polygamy, and made all women—including young girls—the sexual property of Family men. Jones, her family, and other church members lived apart from society “like [sexualized] nuns and monks” who witnessed and participated in sex acts from an early age. Berg’s communications to his followers became increasingly “militaristic about putting God first” over time as Family leadership crumbled. By the time Jones entered adolescence, couples and families (including the author’s own) were split apart, and Jones was forced to move from her home base in Macau to Thailand, the U.S., Kazakhstan, and, later, China. The author began to question the Family and its patriarchal doctrines, especially concerning teen marriage, which made her the target of abusive treatment meant to coerce her into subservience. Education and a love of learning became the road to freedom, and Jones attended Georgetown and UC Berkeley Law School and eventually reconciled with her parents. “It takes my parents more than a decade after leaving the Family before they are willing and able to admit they were wrong,” she writes. Complex and richly detailed, the book provides fascinating insights into a secretive religious organization while offering often heartbreaking details about the nature and repercussions of growing up indoctrinated in a cult.

A powerful and disturbing memoir.

Kirkus Reviews

[Jones’s] gripping memoir—like Educated—takes you inside a disturbing childhood and leaves you marveling at the resilience of the human spirit." — People

“Jones bridges entertainment and empathy by penning a page-turning memoir that is not just a fascinating and heartbreaking look at life inside a cult, but ultimately an empowering story of resilience." — USA Today (four stars)

“The no-holds-barred story of growing up in an extremist religious cult preparing for the end of days is hard to put down from its very first sentence. Jones brings us along as she tries to navigate a world few of us can imagine while contending with the conflicts of love, loyalty and growing up.” — Newsweek

“The author’s absorbing, meticulously detailed description of her early life with her eight siblings in Macau, and later episodes in Thailand, Hong Kong, the US, and Kazakhstan, recall both The Glass Castle and Educated. The extreme poverty, hard work, and over-the-top physical punishment are balanced by a child’s-eye view of a fascinating, unfamiliar world…It is engrossing and well-crafted; it is shocking and at times, salacious; it is also seriously important.” — Washington Post

“Both inspiring and disturbing, Sex Cult Nun unravels Jones’ complicated upbringing, the trauma she endured as a result and her eventual path to liberation.” — Time

"In this outstanding debut, Jones recounts her upbringing in and escape from the infamous cult, the Children of God… As Jones transports readers from Macau to Kazakhstan to the United States, Jones skillfully provides the mental framework to understand her past as an indoctrinated individual in hopes of helping others ‘stand up for themselves.’ This remarkable account of self-liberation is not to be missed." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Jones...tells her harrowing story in a brisk present-tense voice, lending her recollections a sense of disturbing immediacy...in this powerful book." — San Francisco Chronicle

“It is an extraordinary book, chilling in its account of delusion and depravity, but also inspiring.” — The Daily Telegraph

“Jones not only shined a marvelous light on the criminally destructive nature of religious cults but how the effects of abuse and mind control permeated every aspect of the followers’ lives. Sex Cult Nun also provides a narrative of triumph that one could escape an egregious cult and create an authentic life free from abuse. As Faith Jones has done for herself, may her life story be a testament to the power of determination and the quest for freedom at all costs.”  — San Francisco Book Review

“[A]n exceptional debut… A must-read memoir of self-discovery and reinvention that readers will find impossible to put down. Pass along to fans of Tara Westover’s Educated.” — Library Journal (starred review)

"[A]n absolute must-read." — Bitch Magazine

“Faith Jones’s memoir of growing up in the Children of God religious cult is shocking and, ultimately, life-affirming…. An eye-opening account sure to please those who love a good cult book or just a good memoir.” — Booklist

“Complex and richly detailed, the book provides fascinating insights into a secretive religious organization while offering often heartbreaking details about the nature and repercussions of growing up indoctrinated in a cult. A powerful and disturbing memoir.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Sex Cult Nun is an unflinching often heart-wrenching and thrilling reckoning with a childhood shaped by a notorious cult, and the story of how Jones came through fire to make sense of it all.” — Lauren Hough, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing

“Startlingly honest and hard to put down, Faith Jones's memoir is proof that your past needn't define you and that anything is survivable.” — Wendy Lawless, New York Times bestselling author of Chanel Bonfire

“Faith Jones offers a powerful memoir full of childhood joy yet rooted within a world where abuse is rampant and happiness cannot last. An accessible story about a woman who liberates herself from the binds of an abusive, patriarchal cult, Sex Cult Nun will keep readers turning pages.” — Donna Freitas, author of Consent

“In this moving memoir of her childhood, Faith Jones recalls growing up in a religious cult…. Harrowing, but also fierce and inspiring.” — CrimeReads

“A fascinating read for anyone interested in cults and how they operate.” — The Globe and Mail

From the Publisher

Both inspiring and disturbing, Sex Cult Nun unravels Jones’ complicated upbringing, the trauma she endured as a result and her eventual path to liberation.

Time

"Jones...tells her harrowing story in a brisk present-tense voice, lending her recollections a sense of disturbing immediacy...in this powerful book."

San Francisco Chronicle

Jones bridges entertainment and empathy by penning a page-turning memoir that is not just a fascinating and heartbreaking look at life inside a cult, but ultimately an empowering story of resilience."

USA Today (four stars)

The no-holds-barred story of growing up in an extremist religious cult preparing for the end of days is hard to put down from its very first sentence. Jones brings us along as she tries to navigate a world few of us can imagine while contending with the conflicts of love, loyalty and growing up.

Newsweek

It is an extraordinary book, chilling in its account of delusion and depravity, but also inspiring.

The Daily Telegraph

The author’s absorbing, meticulously detailed description of her early life with her eight siblings in Macau, and later episodes in Thailand, Hong Kong, the US, and Kazakhstan, recall both The Glass Castle and Educated. The extreme poverty, hard work, and over-the-top physical punishment are balanced by a child’s-eye view of a fascinating, unfamiliar world…It is engrossing and well-crafted; it is shocking and at times, salacious; it is also seriously important.

Washington Post

Jones not only shined a marvelous light on the criminally destructive nature of religious cults but how the effects of abuse and mind control permeated every aspect of the followers’ lives. Sex Cult Nun also provides a narrative of triumph that one could escape an egregious cult and create an authentic life free from abuse. As Faith Jones has done for herself, may her life story be a testament to the power of determination and the quest for freedom at all costs.” 

San Francisco Book Review

[Jones’s] gripping memoir—like Educated—takes you inside a disturbing childhood and leaves you marveling at the resilience of the human spirit."

People

Both inspiring and disturbing, Sex Cult Nun unravels Jones’ complicated upbringing, the trauma she endured as a result and her eventual path to liberation.

Time

The author’s absorbing, meticulously detailed description of her early life with her eight siblings in Macau, and later episodes in Thailand, Hong Kong, the US, and Kazakhstan, recall both The Glass Castle and Educated. The extreme poverty, hard work, and over-the-top physical punishment are balanced by a child’s-eye view of a fascinating, unfamiliar world…It is engrossing and well-crafted; it is shocking and at times, salacious; it is also seriously important.

Washington Post

"Jones...tells her harrowing story in a brisk present-tense voice, lending her recollections a sense of disturbing immediacy...in this powerful book."

San Francisco Chronicle

The no-holds-barred story of growing up in an extremist religious cult preparing for the end of days is hard to put down from its very first sentence. Jones brings us along as she tries to navigate a world few of us can imagine while contending with the conflicts of love, loyalty and growing up.

Newsweek