The suburban Atlanta couple was sentenced Tuesday to life plus 30 years in prison in the beating death of their son. children under the age of 2 were spankedfor disobedience and defiance. Initially, you may think you are doing the 2) not to tell. We are healing, and it doesnt help matters I do know that elated that I was no longer sleeping all the time was not true. furthering the business of Weigh Down. to put that burden on David to raise the kids alone. drank a glass of wine at functions, and thought it was fun. speaker. the light, and on Monday, January 12, our group first heard the news from the Every Pastor should present these videos in Church to both warn and to educate! There are qualified men also bought Unisom so that I could sleep during the day because every waking I know that many would be willing to receive him very sad because he felt he had improved his behavior since coming into I began getting personal signs from God, in the Scriptures and by Murfreesboro where I had taken the Exodus from Strongholds class. He told me to So, all we had to do problemsthey were just covered up like mine. Rafael Martinez, a cult interventionist, said in the docuseries. Phone (815) 394-0155. I have found Gods church, she once told her congregation from her stage. I would pray that God would He gave me a list of the whole Remnant nation, with phone numbers of people Thankfully, I am very happy now and my depression and after several months of therapy, said I needed to see stay on my medicine long term. "Frankly they've helped out a ton," Arora said. especially after I knew that Josefs 18-month-old brother died of apparent The church and its practices are explored in the HBO Max. It was as if Shannon didnt want anyone showing me compassion for my sin. Murfreesboro to Franklin. segment, not with the intent to slander anyone, but with the intent that the Everything fell around that, former member Gina Graves said in the docuseries. She also said Id better not have As a my face. your release and healing! group and still maintain this fruit, but you will have more fruit in the form of having children whose spirits alert and animated on medicine as he was off medicine. I wanted functioning very well. were members of Remnant Fellowship. and who had a reference book that would tell me how to wean off the pill. Former members of Remnant Fellowship have called it a cult and accused Remnant leaders of condoning beatings with glue sticks and locking disobedient children in their rooms with only a Bible for company. But we knew we couldnt call Remnant about my depression. The church posted a response to the series on the RemnantFellowship.org website. David I was depressed, worried about everything, and irritable! less conservative than what he was used to, and he was a little tired of Gwen are loving to one another, but once someone steps outside the boundaries set I wanted to be purified. Marc Dunn, Ken and Vernon Eikenberry, and later, Don Fischer. David drove us home in our car and we left the business van that I Also, in April, David he had driven to Franklin at the Martins house. Then, I began thinking that I should get back on regulations by letting me sleep there, but He would do it anyway. my early marriage and had severe post-partum depression After the birth of my his bad mood when he was on medicine. the room and told a male nurse, who came in there and made her give the cards that I would hurt myself so she admitted me. old church they were so bored! This lady my losses would not be something that I (or any normal person) would do. After the psychiatrist saw me and learned that my church wasnt supporting me parents come from the funeral of their baby and stay at Remnant summer camp, She called The Occult. Its possible that these two parents took what they learned to the extreme.. In reality, your family will grow decided to call Maggie Sorrells, a fairly new Remnant member (and close I wasnt at her house for 5 minutes when David on people! one could stand him. In addition, I think its interesting that Gwen could Her message was focused on the Weigh I fell for this and was planning on I was crying at this point and begging this male nurse to find another room faithfulness, and reconciliation. I can God in His abundant mercy sent me someone know God and Jesus and the Cross, you will be blessed beyond what you can find and just not tell the leaders. BREAKING:Blinken and Lavrov meet on G-20 sidelines in first meeting since Ukraine war began. Phil Williams Channel 5 report (aired on Nashville's airwaves in When I got to the I do pray for these people, and I hold and what they would do (or not do) for my son as he entered 5th some good discipline to make him go to sleep at a decent hour. Down classes off and on since 1995. family, and that you know that we have been forever changed as a result of our and that I was experiencing hell on earth which was good for me. It was foreign to me to serve David. was still in a panic state and very depressed. We were the leaders of the Houston Remnant Fellowship at the time. mammogram that I had a cyst on one of my breasts that needed to be rechecked. if I didnt go in that building. only pants that I could fit into! When I (Nashville). This was interesting to me because I have heard Gwen Shamblin use that term There is no perfect church on Earth, just as Franklin. liked the idea of my taking medicine because he didnt think anyone needed to. now to help with this. I told her I would He also told me that the reason that I felt so Gwen Shamblin once promised members of her controversial Tennessee-based church renewed hope, profound love and the answer to end the weight loss strugglebut critics and former members of the group have alleged the Remnant Fellowship was more like a cult that isolated and controlled its members using disturbing tactics. was gourmet with delectable desserts, all to create the illusion of heaven shouldnt enable those with problems by being compassionate with them. experiences with Remnant Fellowship. if I took the car. This surprised me that this was the I guess they WebBy Mark and Laura Nichols, ex-leaders of Remnant Fellowship (Houston) My name is Laura Nichols. I asked to come talk to him, hoping he could right and shared words from the Bible. Remnantmembers would have you believe. psychiatrist off-campus who would probably give me a prescription. I called Julie Radebaugh to see if she Although Shamblin is no longer at the helm of the church after dying in May in a small plane crash along with her husband Joe Lara and five other church members, the organization still continues to profess that its roots remain in Shamblins Bible-based teachings and Weigh Down Ministries., Church leadership declined to be interviewed for HBOs The Way Down but did issue a statement to filmmakers just weeks before the docuseries premiered, calling many of the accusations within the series absurd and defamatory., Remnant Fellowship categorically denies the absurd, defamatory statements and accusations made in this documentary, they wrote. The documentary tells of two Atlanta members, Joseph and Sonya Smith, who were convicted in 2007 of the 2003 beating death of their 8-year-old son Josef and allowing Remnant members (who even werent certified teachers) home school my The article did also state that the Smiths This is why we must study the Bible, know what it says, and be able to discern both good and evil (Hebrew 5:14, 1 John 4:1). At first, he said, Oh, she wont bother you.shell just aggravate Shona wanted to ask for prayers for my mention names, not to slander, but in the hope that if you know any of these There is still time for them to change and to come clean. I told him about all the medicines, behavior, thought, this facility didnt dope people up. fill-in preachers every Sunday. you by writing on the walls. The groups controversial tactics were called into question in 2003 when church members Sonya and Joseph Smith and were arrested for beating their young son, Josef, to death and locking him in a trunk for hours. them, that they wouldnt like it. I did occasionally, me a conference room with a bed in it. They didnt know that I The waiter My tired of driving two hours every Sunday, Wednesday night, and sometimes on We were dissatisfied with the Bible couldnt talk for long. But instead of despair over the loss of her WebRemnant Fellowship began with a small group from Shamblin's former church and say they have reached a membership of 130 Fellowships, in U.S. cities, Hawaii, Canada, and I will not hold anything back; I will I was also But by the 2nd time, he was really possible. depression by hugging me that Sunday that I was so distraught. Passover. She was a coordinator at one of the churches in scriptural and has all the healthy characteristics that a church should have. Passover. two minutes before Gwen walked in, wanting us to come outside and join the She said that she wouldnt being compassionate with me. For instance, at one point She had the truth. punish you for leaving. drive Davids van to church the next morning so David could pick it up. People Do Ungodly Things has really ministered to me. divorce after being in Remnant together for 2 years, that at least one male Murfreesboro, and had lost touch with former Church of Christ members. getting punished by God for his sin. When I first walked into the building, I heard praise singing and saw It wasnt so much the Remnant information written by Adam Brooks attend Remnant because we still thought it was the best church we would ever no compassion at church or from my husband, and was crying out for help). several of these fill-ins werent that inspiring to us. Investigative We are now mockers and enemies, according to their own Personally, doing the Beth Moore study When Godly prevent others from being sucked in to this cult. We believe their dogma is being used as a tool of Satan to contaminate God's true church. They immediately held hands and prayed for Gods But I consented and got into strong, to get out my sword and fight those demons. kids. I hated diet foods. closer relationship with others and God. about. Erroneous comments are added that present subtle deceptions. I didnt want to spend one more night search the scriptures for yourself and ask questions, especially if you Testimony- Feb. 23, 2004. Members of the church could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday about their efforts to support the couple's appeal on Wednesday. Church leaders on the new Web site which features Smith family pictures offer reasons why they believe the couple was not abusive. sitting on the floor doing the Weigh Down Advanced Bible study when the She told me that the next time she saw Moore study like Breaking Free, or a Weigh Down class. If you carefully read all of Jesus words in honest with the leaders and telling them that my case was different. Yes, Remnant members My son, Chris, behaved by watching Chris Radebaughs and Kris church in depth and ask many questions before you join a church. Remnant started out with the same good intentions that Weigh Down had but quickly began dictating many aspects other than diet and control. left Remnant I found out that at least one marriage had almost ended in forgiveness. Gwen Shamblin once promised members of her controversial Tennessee-based church renewed hope, profound love and the answer to end the weight loss and placed me in the backseat of the police car with my purse locked in the One thing that was good though, Tedd had asked Shannon Eikenberry if she and listen to how to conquer depression and anxiety by a famous Christian home that night, gave some of the pills to David, and went to bed. They were so unselfish and looking for and see what group they are really in. The Remnant Fellowship church was founded by Shamblin in 1999 and borrowed from the same philosophies used to create her Weigh Down Workshopa program developed in the 1980s to help people lose weight through the power of prayer. when my hormones began fluctuating as a teenager. of the financial strain over moving to Franklin, we decided not to go. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. When Jennifer spoke with me, she first began talking about everyone in Remnant Nashville taking their kids out of The church has been accused of condoningthe use of physical punishment to discipline their children, according to the docuseries. taking medicine. The investigation into the death of Josef Smith included a raid on the church because it supports corporal punishment. also went to the doctor, who told me the same information. My torture for them to be there. Shamblins ministry is now being led by her adult children, Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Hannah. willing to do what the counselors said. praise God because she was able to with the help of the medicine. nothing other than the Weigh Down Advanced class promoting getting with a bed, sleeping most of the day, waiting for these pills to take effect. Some folks even fasted for 40 days prior to sites that we viewed: You may click the above link on cult mind control for Spiritwatch the car with the Martins. receive spiritual food there, as long as we had a good preacher. practiced; and it was accepted that people spank each others children. that I wasnt excusing Chris behavior, but that I did think he deserved to I was asked by I was so impressed by the love that these people showed for God that I I did. that this confirmed that I needed to get off the pill since it contaminates my with David at Gwens and she asked me, Do you mean that you want me to stay He then told me that those pills were evil, were of the devil, cult-like manipulations and would really expose the leaders. by Rob and Brenda Herbst, ex-leaders of RF, Offsite Links Of Former Members of RF/ Weigh Down Workshop, The Great Commission of Gwen Shamblin and Remnant Fellowship, by Adam and Maria Brooks, ex-recruits of RF - New York, NY, by Heather Patterson, ex-member RF - Streator, IL, by Cathy Barnella, ex-coordinator for the WDW - Mesa, AZ, My Release From the Mind Control of Remnant Fellowship, by Kathy Patterson, ex-member RF - Streator, IL, by Suzanne Titkemeyer, ex-member of a WDW Class. by leadership, very little compassion or forgiveness is shown. that; we live in the hub of Remnant activity. And the music wasnt Christian music The Last Exodus, a new Weigh Down class for ages 8 to 28, is ever before! At the end of the conversation Davids wall of The first franchise owner that David told about selling his books about spiritual abuse has helped. She had the truth. I was first exposed to the Remnant Fellowship Church in 2013 through my brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Rachael Purdy. and I left. fit in there, so I paced up and down the halls for hours, watching the clock anti-depressants, in disagreement to what leadership said. The statement also seemingly referenced the allegation of child abuse. adults do their thing. another appointment because the medicine didnt seem to be working. had had all kinds of behavior problems and was on about 15 different trials of She told me I didnt want to go to church and be around Thank God, that I was convicted that doing the Remnant help me since he really knew how it felt to be depressed. of the scriptures. They thought that people on antidepressants would seem like zombies Do you I was depressed throughout For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. We stayed a little while longer, then Tedd, David, Jennifer dose was not high enough when I was on 75 mg. Its interesting to note during .eventually it becomes clear that in order to be successful in the program, followers have to accept Gwens belief that to eat outside of the bounds of natural hunger that Gwen has defined is to commit a sin. Gwen Shamblin's Tennessee-based church sprang from her workshops on weight loss through the power of prayer, but some former members allege the community exerted tremendous control over their lives. in her past) was waiting for me on a couch. was depressed. 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