Cult #1 - Straitway Truth Ministry - Religious Group Made Popular Thanks To High Profile Menbers

For our first #cult to cover I am going with #StraitwayTruthMinistry #StraitwayTruthMinistries and the reason is because they have been in the news lately due to a #MissingPerson #BrysonMuir who was luckily found alive. I think they are definitely a cult. What is your impression? Straitway Truth is a religious group led by Pastor Charles Dowell, based in Lafayette, Tennessee. This group identifies itself with Hebrew Israelism, a belief system that claims a lineage connection between African Americans and the biblical Israelites. Straitway Truth Ministry promotes a life of separation from mainstream society, advocating for a return to biblical laws and commandments as they interpret them.

The group’s practices include communal living, with members often selling their belongings and donating the proceeds to the ministry. This communal life is centered around a shared property in Lafayette, where members live in conditions that have been criticized by outsiders. Reports suggest that living arrangements can be quite basic, with some members residing in trailers without running water, using buckets as toilets and a pit for disposal. Financial arrangements within the group also raise concerns, with allegations of financial abuse, including elders signing over their Social Security checks to Pastor Dowell​​.

Straitway Truth has attracted attention not only for its religious practices but also for its connections with notable individuals, including former NFL players. These connections have brought the group into the public eye, particularly through the controversy surrounding Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a former Green Bay Packer. Gbaja-Biamila has publicly identified with Straitway Truth and has been involved in several legal and familial disputes that shed light on the group’s beliefs and practices. The involvement of former professional athletes has added a layer of complexity to the public perception of Straitway Truth, with some seeing it as lending the group a form of legitimacy or at least visibility that it might not otherwise have​​. #PastorDowell