Apostates

People who leave or stop believing in important parts of a religion are called apostates. The bible prescribes death for apostates in Deuteronomy 13:10.

Mit Romney

Mit Romney, a Harvard alumn, helped put the Olympic games into the black when they were in Salt Lake City. He's kinda waffled a bit on abortion, initially saying that he wouldn't bring it up, and later turning pro-life. He supports wire-tapping Muslim Mosques. Under his reign, MA has done very well financially. He's ardently opposed to gay marriage, and even supported that damn amendment. His political ambitions clearly swing towards presidential run in 2008, he's even rented office space in the John Hancock building, ostensibly for that purpose.

Atrocity story

The stories that some apostacies use when talking about their experience with joining and leaving a new religious movement are all often very similar, and are, by and large, very biased. These stories are often told to redeem the person's self-esteem, by painting themselves first as a naive victim and then as a redeemed crusader.

Atrocity tales are a type 3 defection narrative. (Type 1 is a formal and courteous negotation between the cult and the person on their exit, and type 2 is an exit with minimal negotations and really no hard feelings.)

Children of God

A cultish movement from 1968 that preached sexual liberation, milleniumism, and general distrust of "the system." Spawned the first organized anti-cult movement: FREECOG. Used "flirty fishing," a practice of religious sexual prostitution (they lured converts with promises of sex). Reports of adult-child sex have dogged the organization since its founding. They banned it in 1988 (it was formerly condoned), although anyone who reports it to the police is excommunicated. The leadership has had to continually re-emphasize their non-pedophilic teachings over the years, since the message seems to have not sunken in fully.

The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk

An 1836 book describing the controversial story of a former Nun who claimed she was sexually exploited while in the nunnery. Investigations into her claims showed inconsistencies, and the author herself was slandered as being mentally unstable and a prostitute.