CUL
I FEEL THAT | SPRING ‘19
A CULT CLOSE
TO HOME
WORDS BY Lyric Aquino
DISCLAIMER: To maintain the anonymity and privacy of individuals mentioned in this story, names have been changed.
At a dark time when I needed God in my life I found myself a part of what I believe to be a religious cult.
A
S I LOOK BACK on my now-ending college career, I can’t help but reminisce on the simpler times. Memories creep back into my mind, resurfacing from drunken nights, sleepovers with friends I no longer have and late nights at the library studying ancient tools. I think of them often, my friends. The ones I gained, the ones I lost and everyone stuck in between. I never thought I would have been caught up in a modern-day battle of religion, especially my own, let alone with what I now believe is a religious cult.
friends and the five of us seemed to spend nearly every day together. My class schedule of 18 hours was split into six classes. The days were long, difficult and stressful. Seeing my friends just wasn’t enough for me; I knew I was missing something. The depression I’ve battled with since the age of 12 seemed to settle in once again as I felt emptiness surrounding me, encompassing me in a dark void. I longed for a higher power to guide me and to pray to in an effort to escape the surrounding loneliness. It was my emptiness that led me back to my roots.
It was September 2016, my sophomore year in college, and I found myself to be quite lonely. I did have a solid group of
I went home for a weekend to clear my head, see my family and rejuvenate my mind after several weeks of intense work. On
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