I Might Have Grown Up In A Cult

So...A cult by definition (affording to Oxford Online) "Is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object". Now, usually, cults worship things or people outside of the normal realms of acceptance by the wider society...u know like those crazy koolaid, actually it was grape Flavor Aid drinking people...check out that Jim Jones Story Here.

Anyway so, about me and this cult now. We actually worshiped God, sang from regular hymn books, did regular things like pray, erect a church in plain view for the public to see, people could only have one spouse etc. etc. This probably explains why I, only in retrospect, have the inclination to think that maybe this one was a little bit more than it appeared to be. Why am I suspicious then, you might ask? Weeeeellll....there are these few little tidbits...

- although I was pretty young and details are a bit less than forthcoming, I have recollections of large gatherings in a field in the middle of the night singing and dancing and chanting. What we sang, chanted and danced about I can't seem to remember. At the time it seemed quite normal to me and I would never question my dear Aunt about such things-I trusted her wholly and completely.
-Then there was the blessing of THE CHAIR. I know every church blesses new furniture that comes to the building. A prayer and a little spiel is customary and accepted. THIS blessing of the chair however, well. First off, it lasted all day. The next thing is, it happened at my house (I probably neglected to say how deep in this cult my family probably was, with one of the main churches being in our yard and all.) There was a crown! I have nothing more to say on that one.

-Like every other church, we had different branches. Lots of different branches in different parishes. What was a bit peculiar, and this might just be me, is that fact that the people were separated in church. There were three rows; one for men, one for women and one for visitors. Children sat in an upstairs balcony area monitored by what I call church babysitters. What's that all about? Anyways
-There was also the wearing of the white uniforms by women. That's not so strange. What really got me was the fact that if anyone ever got wind of any 'sin' committed, you would be relegated from pureness and had to wear plain clothes! You were too unclean to wear the usual whites! Ha! You had to repent of your sins and I'm too young to know what you had to do to get back to pureness.

-The killing of the animals is another thing that.....

Hmmm guys, this is getting long, you guys will have to check back tomorrow for part two....