Children in Scientology with Mirriam Francis

Children in Scientology with Mirriam Francis

Author: Sarah Steel April 8, 2025 Duration: 1:11:03

In the wake of updates to Child Safety Standards emerging from Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Mirriam Francis wrote to Victoria’s Commission for Children and Young People outlining the ways in which she sees Scientology teachings and practices to be violating these standards. While concepts of religious freedom and choice can muddy the waters of certain discussions around coercive organisations, Mirriam sees the regulations and laws to protect children as a key lens through which such practices need to be viewed and pursued. She speaks from personal experience that spans three countries.


Links:


You can support us on Patreon. Sarah's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Each month on Let's Talk About Sects, host Sarah Steel selects a different group for a thorough and thoughtful examination. The approach is narrative, building the story of each organization from the ground up. You’ll hear about the origins and the figures who founded these movements, the specific methods used to draw people in, and the lived realities of those who joined. Steel delves into the psychological frameworks at play and recounts the significant, often troubling events that defined each group's timeline. This award-winning documentary series fits within broader conversations about society, culture, and belief, but its strength is in the specific, human details. The tone is engaged and curious, avoiding sensationalism in favor of a clear-eyed look at complex histories. For those who find this podcast compelling, there are additional ways to engage with the work beyond listening. Sarah Steel has also authored a related book, *Do As I Say*, which expands on these themes. The monthly format allows for deep research into each subject, making every episode a comprehensive portrait rather than a superficial overview. It’s a resource for anyone interested in the mechanics of belief and control, presented through careful storytelling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Let's Talk About Sects
Podcast Episodes
Eternal Values with Hoyt Richards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:15
Hoyt Richards spent over two decades in Eternal Values, after first meeting the man who called himself Frederick von Mierers on a beach at the age of 16. Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, out now on HBO Max with episo…
Coercive Control in Charismatic Evangelical Churches with the RTC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:41
When we talk about cults, we tend to picture the ones that make headlines: isolated compounds, charismatic leaders, dramatic exits. But what about the church down the street? The one with the worship band and the small g…
Sphinx Spiritual – Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:27
Sphinx Spiritual takes instruction from a council of entities that includes Leonardo da Vinci, Lady Di, Sir Francis Bacon, Mahatma Ghandi, an alien called Zootor, and married Mornington Peninsula couple Ian and Pearl Rog…
Sphinx Spiritual – Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:13
A spiritual school in Victoria teaches that we each have a spiritual guide who we can rely on to help us through life, and that the couple who run the school – Ian and Pearl Rogers – sit on a council alongside entities w…
Update: The Nannup Four [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:34
The ABC’s internationally award-winning podcast Expanse, exploring big stories from across Australia, looked at the mysterious case of the Nannup Four for its sixth season. Host Dominique Bayens investigated the 2007 dis…
The Soulful Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:37
Fai West was just 10 years old when she was first introduced to the teachings of Soulaire Allerai and the Soulful Journey. A few years later, as a teenager in high school, she found herself living in Soulaire’s basement,…
Orgsm: A Memoir and a OneTaste update with Ruwan Meepagala [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:31
The sentences just came down for OneTaste’s founder Nicole Daedone and her second-in-command Rachel Cherwitz – if you're unfamiliar with OneTaste you can listen to Let's Talk About Sects' deep dive in November 2020. From…
The Nannup Four with Dominique Bayens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:21
Expanse is the ABC’s internationally award-winning podcast exploring big stories from across Australia, and it’s sixth season sees host Dominique Bayens investigate the unsettling circumstances surrounding the 2007 disap…
Nephew of the Universe: Sri Chinmoy with Harry Rob Bruner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:57
Harry Robert Bruner was brought into Sri Chinmoy as a child, joining the organisation run by Chinmoy Kumar Ghose at the age of 12. Chinmoy claimed he lifted weights totalling 7063¾ pounds (or over 3,200kg) with one arm o…