Jonnie Larmore - Cult Survivor

Jonnie Larmore’s story is as fascinating as it is traumatic.  

Jonnie was born into a cult called ‘The Children of God’ or ‘The Family International’, as it later became known.

While its origins in 1968 were relatively conservative, under evangelist David Berg’s leadership it quickly grew into an authoritarian cult engaging in the physical and sexual abuse of its children.

At one point, ‘The Family’ had more than 30,000 followers across the world including the Phoenix family and Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac fame.

Rates of drug addiction and suicide are well-known in children who grow up in cults.  

Jonnie however, has been able to move past his early childhood trauma to make a success of his life.  

Up until recently, he was an active member of the Special Emergency Response Team.  SERT is the highly secretive police team which protect the public against everything from terrorism threats to sieges and hostage situations.

Having met Jonnie, I know we are in safe hands!

Many thanks to my sponsor for this interview, Bennett and Co Financial.