Debut novel based on author's childhood in infamous apocalyptic cult Worldwide Church of God

Whitehorse Leader - Australia June 2, 2011

Former Box Hill student tells of life in a doomsday cult

BY ANNA PRYTZ



AUTHOR Benjamin Grant Mitchell is no longer ashamed to tell people he was born into a doomsday cult.

The writer and former Neighbours actor has self-published his debut novel, The Last Great Day - a fictionalised story about his family’s life in the infamous Worldwide Church of God.

Now 42 and living happily in a sprawling Warrandyte home with his wife, Pauli, and their nine-month-old daughter, Honey Rose, Mitchell speaks without bitterness about the atmosphere of deceit and oppression that shaped his early years.

“We left when I was 10. I had a hard time as a teenager and in my 20s,” he said.

“So for a lot of years I didn’t talk about it and felt shameful and thought, ‘What will people think?’ But I’m happy to be honest and talk about it now because we didn’t do anything wrong.”

Co-founded in America’s northwest by former advertising executive Herbert W. Armstrong and Mad magazine comic artist Basil Wolverton, the cult prophesied the world would end in 1975.

Contact with non-members was discouraged, the sect forbade celebration of birthdays or medical intervention and followers were forced to give 30 per cent of their income to the church.

Armstrong became so wealthy he purchased his own Gulfstream jet.

“If they told you everything at the start, you wouldn’t have joined,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell’s father was a minister in the church in Manchester, England, when Mitchell was born.

The family was ordered to move to Australia in 1970 to spread the word.

Despite his young age, Mitchell’s memories are still vivid of the terrible consequences of the church’s ban on hospital treatment.

His aunt died in labour and his mother lost newborn twin boys.

“Obviously Mum chose to comply, but she was bullied by a very oppressive atmosphere,” he said. “Everyone was afraid of being told they were going against the church.”

The Mitchells left the cult after the prophesied 1975 armageddon failed to eventuate and because the church was being investigated for tax evasion and child sexual abuse.

“Armstrong was always talking about us all going to Petra, the place of safety and salvation,” Mitchell said.

For more information or to order the book visit the author's website at:

http://www.benjamingrantmitchell.com/BGM/Home.html

This article was found at:

http://whitehorse-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/life-in-a-doomsday-cult/

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Child-abuse victims' lives were 'a horror story'

Statesman Journal  -  Oregon    January 11, 2009

 9 youths in state custody; parents to serve 20 years

by Ruth Liao



On the surface, the household was a bit unusual — two adults and nine children crammed into a 1,500-square-foot, 30-year-old three-bedroom home in rural Turner.

Inside the home, Robyn and Graydon Drown led a family life few knew of or even could conceive.

Graydon Drown, 49, and Robyn Drown, 42, will spend at least 20 years in prison for abusing and neglecting nine of their children.

Seven children testified during a five-day trial that they were beaten regularly, beginning when they were very young. As each child grew, so did the weapon of beating — starting with spoons or paddles and increasing in severity.

The children never went to school or saw a doctor or a dentist, aside from when the boys were taken to a doctor to be circumcised after they were born. Their father, professing to be Jewish, took the family to attend Temple Beth Sholom in South Salem, where the children experienced their interaction with the outside world.

Two of the older sons disclosed the abuse to Salem Rabbi Avrohom Perlstein, who notified authorities, as well as a leader at the temple, Les Gutfreund.

"Something was off," Perlstein said during his testimony. He said he'd often ask his wife after spending time with the family if she noticed anything amiss, because "they seemed so normal."

In June, the injuries observed on the children were described in a report by Marion County Sheriff's Detective Martin Bennett: "below the ear, red in color and swollen, about the size of a person's hand."
'Something out of a horror story'

The list of weapons used to beat the children was repeated continually during trial: 2-by-4 boards, metal pipes, plastic pipes, plastic spoons and whips. A heavy, three-foot-long metal pipe and a fiberglass segment of a tent pole — long, thin and with a knotted elastic cord dangling from one end — was shown to the jury as evidence.

Sometimes, the children said, the beatings would revolve around the moods of their parents.

In her opening statement to the jury, Marion County prosecutor Sarah Morris described the children's home life as "something out of a horror story."

For a time, the family lived in a converted attic space of a rural home in Mill City. At one point, the family camped out in the Santiam Canyon for a winter, living in an SUV and tents.

One of the sons' vision was badly damaged because his nearsightedness was left uncorrected — his father maintained that God would cure his eyesight and refused to allow the son to wear glasses, the boy testified.

Illnesses seemed to be treated by home remedies: one child suffered from multiple strep throat infections and was forced to drink hot pepper sauce. A foster parent wrote to the judge that the child will require surgery because the infections developed into a chronic illness.

When the children first were sent to foster care, most of them needed dental work; some needed teeth re-capped or root canals.

Robyn Drown said she would care for her children's toothaches with home remedies such as a water or cold compresses. Robyn Drown said she home-schooled the children, but had to stop teaching about a year ago when her husband lost his driver's license and she had to drive him to work sites.

A foster parent said in court that some of the children did not seem to know the days of the week, calendar months or how to tell time. The children also did not seem to recognize the difference between a Torah and a Bible, despite the father's professed Judaism.
Parents' past

Robyn and Graydon Drown were raised in Alaska, about 100 miles apart. Both of their families attended the Worldwide Church of God, a fundamentalist sect dictated by oversight from church elders and stringent moral codes.

When Graydon Drown moved to Anchorage, Alaska, as a young man, it was closer to Robyn Drown's family, and they began dating.

Later, while he was studying at Ambassador College, the church's college in Texas, Graydon Drown wrote a letter to Robyn and told her that God ordained her to be his wife, just as Rebecca became Isaac's wife in the Bible.

Robyn Drown's parents, Roger and Sandra Lewis, described to the jury how their daughter increasingly was under the control of her husband. The Lewises spoke of times when Robyn left Graydon to seek shelter with them, but eventually returned.

In 1990, the Drowns' three oldest children, who were 4 years, 21 months and 7 months old at the time, were removed from their parents' care amid allegations of abuse.

The oldest daughter recently described being spanked numerous times for the infraction of holding her aunt's hand without permission during a walk, court records show.

According to a 1991 California appellate case that was filed on behalf of child-welfare officials, a psychiatric evaluation of Graydon Drown was done at that time. The report described Graydon Drown as adamant that he would continue to discipline his children in accordance with a religious treatise, which called for punishment immediately upon disobedience to the point of pain, but not bruising.

"The doctor found the prognosis grim, with the potential for abuse and cruelty to the children," the report said.

Those three children, now adults, were raised by Graydon Drown's parents. Graydon and Robyn Drown then moved to Alaska, where Robyn gave birth to several more children.

Nadia Drown, one of the adult children, spoke in court by phone and described her grandparents as loving surrogate parents. Nadia also said that what little she knew about her father was from his mother: that Graydon Drown suffered "an accident" when he was 19 years old and became "two-faced," a different person.

Morris said Graydon Drown's father died this year, the same time the Drowns' youngest child was born.

Robyn Drown's testimony had little to do with why she punished her children, but instead attempted to lay out the argument that she was a battered woman dominated by her husband, including relating a story about a pet goat Graydon Drown killed while living in Alaska.

Robyn Drown said Graydon Drown often would hold the goat up by its leash and collar, choking the animal into submission until it one day died. Robyn Drown said that her husband didn't believe the goat was dead, and claimed God could bring the animal back to life — the family was forced to drag the goat inside by the stove and rub its body in a sort of reincarnation ritual.

Robyn Drown said she was forced to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the goat, until Graydon Drown finally was convinced it could not be revived.

Even seemingly normal family activities at the Drown household had odd twists.

Despite the parents' apparent strict upbringing, one young child told a foster parent about watching several R-rated movies with his parents, including "The Matrix" and the 1989 movie "Next of Kin," in which a Chicago cop sets out to find his brother's killer. The boy said all of the children would watch the movies with their father while their mother made popcorn.

The children described how Graydon Drown would preach his doctrine, telling them that he was the Messiah.

Agnes Opgenorth, now caring for some of the Drown children, wrote in a letter to the judge about the shifting blame — how Robyn blamed Graydon, and Graydon blamed God.

"And yes, Graydon, I said you blamed God because I am completely sure that God has never had a hand in any of your deeds," Opgenorth wrote. "If, as you claim, you hear a voice, I can promise you that it's not the voice of God because you are not a man of God ... If God ever even noticed your lowly existence at all, it could only have been a passing glance, while intervening to save your suffering children."

Perlstein, who runs Chabad of Salem, said that it wasn't until after the Drowns' arrest that Perlstein learned Graydon Drown lied about being Jewish. During the trial, Graydon Drown wore a yarmulke, but was not wearing it when he was sentenced on Wednesday.

Les Gutfreund testified how he employed Graydon Drown on a few carpentry jobs with his contracting business and was able to closely observe the family. He noticed bruises and red welts on some of the children, who always explained they were from horseplay or accidents. Later, he discussed his concerns with Rabbi Perlstein.

Perlstein described in court the emphasis on secrecy and the expediency of reporting the abuse to authorities without Graydon Drown knowing.

"From what we've learned from the kids, and me, personally, there was no doubt that if Graydon knew, he'd pick up the house and go."

This article was found at:

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090111/NEWS
/901110354/1001

Prosecutor: child abuse by religious parents akin to "medieval times"

The Statesman Journal - Oregon   December 16, 2008

Child-abuse trial starts

Children of the accused in tears on stand; attorney speaks up for mother

by Ruth Liao



The home of Robyn and Graydon Drown was "something out of a horror story," akin to "medieval times," Marion County prosecutor Sarah Morris told the jury Monday.

Their children were beaten with various implements such as 2-by-4 boards, metal pipes, plastic pipes, spoons and whips. All nine of the children didn't see dentists or doctors.

The first day of trial for the Drowns was Monday. Each parent faces a 25-count indictment of criminal-mistreatment and second-degree-assault charges.

The children — ranging in age from six months to 16 years — were taken by state welfare authorities after the Drowns were arrested June 19 at their rural Turner home.

Morris said it wasn't until two teenage sons disclosed some of the abuse to leaders at Temple Beth Sholom, where the family regularly attended, that the allegations came to light.

"It was a secret life they kept to themselves for a really long time," Morris said.

Morris said the children never went to school and never saw a dentist or a doctor, except when the boys were taken to be circumcised. The oldest son never has been to a doctor to correct his extreme nearsightedness, she said.

"These are parents — parents who made decisions way beyond corporal punishment."

On Monday, an 11-year-old son and a 13-year-old son testified, both speaking clearly at the stand but at times in tears.

The 13-year-old boy spoke of beatings, saying he and his siblings received beatings that would leave bruises or marks. The boy said sometimes, the pain would last more than a day.

The boy described that his happiest time with his family was when his father left to go to California for a week.

The boy said his parents told him the police were bad and only wanted to take the children to be trained to be "little Nazis and do whatever Satan said."

The boy also said his mother was punished as well, forced at times to stand with her nose against the wall or slapped or hit. When asked by Morris if he loved his parents, the boy replied, "I love my mother."

Attorney Brooke Holstedt is representing Robyn Drown. At times, Robyn Drown acknowledged others in court with a smile or a wave, and smiled at her two sons when they each came in.

In his opening statement, Holstedt described Robyn Drown as a woman who was terrorized and manipulated by her husband.

"(There's) not only nine victims," he said. "There was another victim — another serious victim — Robyn Kay Drown."

Holstedt said Graydon Drown believed he was the Messiah and regularly told Robyn Drown that his orders to her came from God. The two were both raised as believers of the Worldwide Church of God and lived in remote parts of Alaska during their marriage before moving to Oregon in 2004.

Holstedt described how Graydon Drown often would recite passages from the Old Testament as arguments for why she should obey him.

"In order for her to survive, she had to submit to ... every order," he said.

Holstedt said Robyn Drown was afraid to leave her husband because of her children.

At one time, Robyn Drown attempted to file a restraining order against Graydon Drown while they were living in Alaska, but Holstedt said Robyn Drown was denied because she did not file a police report.

Two attorneys, Chapin Milbank and Stephen A. Lipton, are representing Graydon Drown, who appeared wearing a black suit and a yarmulke.

Lipton called the case against his client a "misrepresentation."

He said the Drowns have been married for 23 years. Lipton said his client may adhere to religious beliefs outside the mainstream, but believes in what he considers "reasonable" discipline.

Lipton said the evidence would show that the children were raised to be polite, well-mannered and respectful.

Another witness called on Monday was Leslie Gutfreund, who leads weekly prayer meetings at Temple Beth Sholom.

On the stand, Gutfreund described how he would hire Graydon Drown for work with his contracting business and often saw the whole family at job sites. Gutfreund said he employed one of the teen sons to work for him, and became concerned after he saw several bruises and welts on the boy's face and throat.

Another witness, Agnes Opgenorth, attends Temple Beth Sholom and has two of the Drown sons under her care. Opgenorth said Robyn Drown did not seem to be dissatisfied with her relationship with Graydon Drown.

"My impression was that she was very happy and proud of her relationship and her family," she said.

Five other Drown children are expected to appear as witnesses, as well as child-welfare officials, medical professionals and Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives.

The trial is expected to last through Thursday. Circuit Judge Thomas Hart is presiding.

This article was found at:

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081216/NEWS
/812160342/1001

Oregon parents face 25 each in charges of child abuse

Portland Independent Media Center    December 15, 2008

by Erica Halfpenny


Robyn and Graydon Drown of Turner Oregon have been in custody since June on charges of assault with a weapon and criminal neglect. Their nine children, ranging from 6 weeks to sixteen years at the time of the arrest, have been in protective custody. Robyn and Graydon Drown, residents of Turner Oregon and biological parents of 12 children, have been in custody at Marion County Correctional Facility since June 19th 2008. Both were indicted on 11 felony counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and 14 counts of second-degree assault against their nine youngest children. The children, ranging from 6 weeks to sixteen years at the time of the arrest, have been in protective custody. In Placer County, California in the 1990s, at very young ages, the three oldest children of Robyn and Graydon Drown were removed from their parent's custody and were raised by his extended family.

While pregnant with their fourth child, the oldest of the nine who have recently been placed in protective custody, it is alleged that Robyn and Graydon Drown fled California to Alaska to ensure they could raise their newborn with their harsh form of discipline and avoid paying child support for the oldest three. The Drowns and her family, by the last name of Lewis, of Anchorage, were members of the radical Worldwide Church of God in Alaska. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_Church_of_God ) The Drowns moved to Oregon a couple of years ago and claim to have recently converted to Judaism, however acquaintances say that they are not Jewish and their religion changes to suit their circumstances.

According to jail documents filed by Marion County Detective Martin Bennett, two of the children told Marion County investigators that their parents regularly delivered "punishments" with two-by-fours, pieces of pipe, and switches. They also told authorities that in a fit of anger their father killed their pet goat in front of them. Documents also said the children feared they would receive more beatings at home if they told the truth to those who inquired about their injuries, so they rehearsed stories to explain away the reasons for any obvious injuries. Although Robyn and Graydon Drown claim to have "home schooled" all of the children, apparently few of them could even read at the time of their parent's arrest. The children were isolated from their peers and moved often.

The oldest adult child, who had been removed from her parents home in California as a minor almost two decades ago, wrote a heart-wrenching plea to Judge Hart in July. She said she was concerned for the safety of her minor siblings and asked that both parents be held without bail. ( http://www.statesmanjournal.com/assets/pdf/J0114263731.PDF ) Bail was subsequently denied for the father, Graydon, and set at $1.03 million for Robyn - an amount she did not meet. Robyn Drown's defence strategy is to now claim she is also victim, but it is being strongly refuted by many who know the couple, and Judge Hart said he wanted a better explanation of why the abuse went unreported for so long. "How does this go on for so many years?" Hart said. Their few supporters claim "government conspiracy" and "religious persecution" are the motives for the arrests.

The children had never visited a doctor, dentist, or had an eye examination. The youngest children were often left in the care of the older children, and it is alleged that neither parent provided much actual parenting. The children are now in foster care, and have received medical attention, dental care, and glasses. They have been provided the opportunity to attend school, and to visit each other regularly. Authorities learned of the alleged abuse from an anonymous tipster who told detectives he saw one of the boys with an injury, which was the size of a baseball, on the back of his head.

Both Robyn and Graydon Drown will face Judge Hart on Monday December 15, 2008 in a trial slated to last three days. ( http://apps.co.marion.or.us/JailRosters/mccfi_mcso.htm )


This article was found at:


http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2008/12/383631.shtml