The Daily Aus Does Australia have a cult problem?
Nov 16, 2025
Clare Heath-McIvor, a survivor of a high-control Christian group and co-founder of the Survivors of Coercive Cults, shares her compelling journey. She defines cults and their manipulation tactics, revealing her personal experience with indoctrination and estrangement from family. Clare discusses the motivations behind Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into cults, exposing the alarming recruitment strategies that target vulnerable individuals. She emphasizes the barriers to leaving such groups and advocates for systemic reforms to protect survivors and prevent harm.
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Cults Are Defined By Control Not Label
- Cults are defined by charismatic leaders, transcendent belief systems, deceptive recruitment and systems of control rather than just religion.
- Clare emphasizes cults can be non-religious like MLMs, yoga or recovery groups and vary widely in form.
Raised Inside A Political Religious Group
- Clare grew up in City Builders Church, a dominionist Christian group led by her parents, and was estranged from them for almost a decade.
- The church pushed political infiltration, anti-LGBTQ views and arranged marriage practices that shaped her early life.
Pregnancy Triggered Her Exit
- Clare began doubting the group around age 16 but the turning point came when she became pregnant and was shunned in 2015.
- She felt relieved to avoid raising a child inside that high-stress environment despite the pain of family estrangement.