April 22, 2025

Pushing Back the Darkness : Surviving Cult Abuse and Spiritual Manipulation with Jennifer Redcay [Part 2]

Pushing Back the Darkness : Surviving Cult Abuse and Spiritual Manipulation with Jennifer Redcay [Part 2]

[Content Warning]: Religious cult, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, abortion, self-harm

Today, Jan is again joined by Jennifer Redcay to finish her story of cult abuse and escape. Said abuse turned sexual when the cult leader claimed Jennifer’s "fantasies about him" required "acting out" to purge demons. For nearly two years, he coerced her into increasingly degrading acts—always framed as "spiritual cleansing." When she became pregnant, he froze her out for three days, then ordered her to get an abortion. His wife took her across state lines to a clinic, where Jennifer endured the procedure alone. That trauma became a turning point. "How could God want this?" she asked herself. Small rebellions followed: a customer’s prayer about God’s love ("Greater is He that is in you") clashed with the cult’s teachings. Finding a book on deliverance ministries, thinking it would help reaffirm her belief in the cult, turned out to be literature denouncing the practice and exposed the leader’s identical tactics. After a couple of failed attempts and a discussion with fellow christians at her waitressing job, she finally fled. Now 17 years free, Jennifer shares how forgiveness (of herself and her abusers) and motherhood—adopting five children from trauma—rebuilt her life. "Healing is like an onion," she says. "You peel layers over years."

Buy Jennifer’s Book:
Pushing Back The Darkness by Becca Anderson and Jennifer Redcay

Where To Find Jennifer:
JenniferRedcay.com
Tiktok: @jenniferredcayauthor

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below:

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988
National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

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