In this episode of The Observatory, Benjamin Brown, aka The Fresh King Benjamin, joins the show to discuss how people can survive high-demand religious cults and rebuild their lives. Benjamin Brown escaped a Polygamist compound (an offshoot of Mormonism) at the age of 20 and struggled for years feeling so different from everyone in the “normal” society. Finally, he realized that his “freshness” is a gift that allows him to experience all the delights of this beautiful world. He now helps cult survivors to rebuild their lives. Hear what motivated Benjamin to leave the ploygamist world, the most important thing you can learn from leaving a high-demand religious cult and the wisdom that comes with having different experiences in life.
 
Timestamps

[01:31] Fresh King Benjamin’s background information
[08:28] The most important thing you can learn from leaving a high-demand cult
[12:48] The wisdom that comes with having different experiences in life 
[14:49] What motivated Benjamin to leave the polygamist world.  
[20:20] The polygamist Mormonism experience
[23:20] The origin of polygamist Mormonism ideology
[29:54] The untrue things that the church and Joseph Smith did 
[34:58] What the American Christianity has manipulated Christianity
[36:00] The transition from the religious cult into creativity and comedy
[44:00] How Benjamin uses comedy to heal from childhood trauma 
[49:00] The importance of letting people be their authentic selves 
[56:33] Other things that Benjamin is doing to overcome his trauma
[01:01:08] Where Benjamin does his comedy and events 
[01:09:20] The different cults that were created in the 1980s 
[01:10:49] Healing from abusive religions

 Notable quotes:

• “One of the most important things you can learn from leaving Mormonism is your inner knowing.” - Benjamin Brown [08:28]
• “Too many high-demand religious cults systematically break the spirits of those who are in them, and they do it on purpose.” - Benjamin Brown [09:45]
• “There is a lot of wisdom in allowing humans to have different experiences and the space to grow.” - Benjamin Brown [12:48]
• “You cannot make fun of something or someone unless you love them.” - Benjamin Brown [41:51]

Relevant links: Website: https://www.thefreshkingbenjamin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefreshkingbenjamin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreshkingbenjamin/?hl=en

Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast