Trigger Warning: sexual assault, rape, trauma, and cult-related discourse. Please take care of yourself while watching. This is a heavy and emotionally charged conversation. Welcome back to another episode of The Things You Can't Touch ! In this video, I sit down with Leah Lauder, a megachurch cult survivor and mental health advocate you might know from TikTok. Leah brings invaluable insight from her lived experience and knowledge of cult dynamics as we discuss some very difficult, yet necessary, topics. We talk about the recent allegations against Stepz, the disturbing way some are defending him through the lens of Christianity, and how this ties into wider patterns of abuse and control within high-control religious groups. Leah also helps unpack how cult leaders place themselves equal to, or even above, God, creating environments where manipulation and harm can thrive unchecked. This is not an easy conversation, but it is an important one. If you have experienced any form of abuse, please consider whether now is the right time to watch. Your wellbeing comes first. We should keep shining a light on these issues and hold space for survivors. Follow our conversation here: 00:00 - Introduction 03:24 - Is There A Difference Between A Community And A Cult ? 05:12 - Characteristics Of A Cult 06:29 - Guilt Makes You Vulnerable 08:35 - Reminder That This Is A Heavy Topic 12:38 - Stepz 16:00 - Paul Tillich And Deification 17:10 - The Cross Road ... Be Careful In These Streets 21:13 - Self Sealing System 23:55 - The People Who Are Oppressed Are Oppressing Themselves 29:50 - Theological Awareness 32:19 - Cloning, Offline, Psychological Terminology 32:49 - SPAC Nation And Cult Intimidation 34:57 - How I Got Into Podcasting 36:07 - Sadism, The Transcendent Belief System, And More Psychological Terminology 39:25 - The Pastors Themselves 42:19 - Is Leah Christian ? 47:30 - Sexual Assault In Cults 51:10 - Erving Goffman ... People Are Performing And Triangulation ??? 55:35 - Stepz (Again) And Shout Out To UKThanos 59:00 - Prove Yourself 1:02:27 - What Did You Do ? 1:03:50 - Recruitment 1:08:50 - Christians Are So Dumb 1:11:20 - What Makes You Susceptible To Cults (And Many A Detour) 1:18:40 - The Structure Of A Cult 1:22:35 - What If Cults Are A Community ? 1:23:57 - Cults To Stay Away From 1:27:11 - Outro Thank you for following our chat up until this point ! Make sure to share this video with anyone you think needs to hear this. Finally, and most importantly, make sure to keep up with Leah Lauder on her socials: TikTok: LeahLauder7 Instagram: LeahLauder_777 You Tube: @leahlauder777 ​

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