Not sure if this is the right forum, but I just watched the first 3 episodes of the HBO

[sinkingfeeling]

documentary, "The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin".

I had not heard of her before nor of her so-called church, Remnant, in Franklin, TN. Anybody who wants to understand where this crazy American love of authoritarianism has come from, should watch this. It's terrifying how much these 'independent' churches control every aspect of people's lives.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Freak grifter

[Srkdqltr]

3. Good grief

[BlueIdaho]

5. Jesus H Christ!

What the fuck is that? Frankenstein Lives!!!!!

[CurtEastPoint]

8. Bridezilla

[BlueIdaho]

9. Does Sherman Williams

Do her makeup? Looks like Dover White to me.

[stillcool]

17. they must have run out...

looks like they switched to a mustard from the neck down.

[Vinca]

10. Hmmm . . . you've got to admit there must be some higher power holding that hair up.

[MuseRider]

15. Good one.

Thanks for a good chuckle!

[Bongo Prophet]

21. I think "Higher Power" is the name of her beauty product line. nt

[3catwoman3]

13. Holy shit! I would not have thought it possible...

…for someone to have hair that looks worse than Trump’s.

I was wrong. That is FUGLY!!!

[GopherGal]

16. can I interrupt the ridicule of her hair for a moment?

Gotta save a little of the ridicule for his bowtie. (I mean, we all made our fashion mistakes in the 80s, I know, but methinks he's not counting on an angel lifting him into heaven, he's planning to use that bowtie to set sail...)

Now, please return to your regularly scheduled hair ridicule...

[dameatball]

19. Somethin is "kickin in" in this picture, but I have no idea what. I just don't want any.

[FakeNoose]

2. Thanks for the heads-up

I've enjoyed many of the documentaries and mini-series that HBO sponsors.

[empedocles]

7. Me too. Also World channel.

WORLD Channel | WETA

https://watch.weta.org/show/world-channel

WORLD Channel. To inform and inspire with real stories from around the world. Experience the personal stories behind the headlines. Devoted to telling stories that humanize complex issues, WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries, and informational programming that helps us understand conflicts, movements and cultures.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

4. Thanks for the heads up!

I will check this out for sure!

[Hortensis]

6. Authoritarianism is innate in some people, both probably genetically

linked and heavily inculcated by upbringing. They're either brought up and remain in authoritarian cults like this one or search out/fall into and subject themselves to them, sometimes a number of them over time.

Just a glance at this freak, wondering who on earth would see her as a leader, should be a clue that followers must be exceptionally odd and vulnerable to begin with.


THE AUTHORITARIANS (very highly regarded downloadable book, free)
https://theauthoritarians.org/

[chowder66]

11. If Jesus or God doesn't answer your prayers, it's because they are too busy furnishing

these grifters homes.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. All Prayers Are Answered

The answer is almost always, "No!"

[bronxiteforever]

12. Kick and recommend. Thank you for this. I will watch.

[Skittles]

14. religion is proof you can make people believe anything

yup

[MuseRider]

18. I just started it.

All these kinds of documentaries interest me. Thank goodness my father and mother protected me from this. My Grandma made me go to revivals and a terrifying church that my cousins went to. There is nothing in any of these that I have not heard or surprise me. It still fascinates me. I do not remember the last time I set foot in a church. It will stay that way, these people scare the crap out of me.

I can't go to anything like a sporting event without getting chills and a pinch of fear when those hands go up and they chant "go team" kinds of things.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

20. That hair looks like it is trying to escape.

[packman]

22. She and her husband both were killed in an airplane crash

As with many documentaries, the central story is one that is still unfolding, but The Way Down filmmakers—director Marina Zenovich and producer Nile Cappello—had to deal with a major curveball before their series was released. On May 29, a plane crashed into Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee, killing its seven passengers, including Remnant Fellowship founder Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband, Joe Lara.[/b


https://www.avclub.com/the-choppy-cult-docuseries-the-way-down-can-t-keep-up-w-1847778544

[sinkingfeeling]

25. Her daughter has taken her place at Remnant.

[FakeNoose]

26. Well now that you've SPOILED the fun ...

.... here's a quote from your linked source (AV Club)

It’s a pretty common pitfall for TV series: an abundance of ideas or stories creates rubbernecking, and ultimately, a sense of dissatisfaction. HBO also seems spurred on by the growing interest in documentaries about cults (gee, wonder why), but in its rush to supply the demand, it’s produced more of a curiosity than a fulsome exploration.

The remaining two episodes will cover the aftermath of the plane crash, and the rise of Shamblin Lara’s successors. They might tie together the threads that unspooled in every direction in the first half of the series, but they seem just as likely to diffuse its focus further.

The Way Down: God, Greed, And The Cult Of Gwen Shamblin doesn’t do much more with its litany of subjects than recite them.

[ret5hd]

27. So, in a way, their "rapture" brought them...

crashing to the ground rather than rising to the sky.

Does anyone else think that may be a hint as to their current habitat?

[titanicdave]

24. .......Does Anybody Know.....

....How much she charges to haunt a house????