The Bethany Deaton case just keeps getting more and more disturbing with each detail that hits the media. Now the so called "secrets" of the religious group led by her husband are coming to light, and they are not painting a pretty picture. It's been argued in online discussion whether or not it was truly a "cult" to blame for the death of the 27-year-old woman. Well, those arguments should be put to rest after reading this latest update.
In an extensive report that can be read here, it's been revealed that Deaton was repeatedly drugged with anti psychotics—which belonged to someone else —and raped by members of the community. Male members of the religious group headed by Tyler Deaton referred to these ritualistic rapes as a "religious experience". The sexual assaults took place over a course of months, and Micah Moore—the man who confessed to killing the woman—claims that her husband feared she would go to the police.
The details behind this are shaky, but it could be speculated that Bethany Deaton was far from being a willing partner to these group rapes. It's possible to consider that she may have wanted to leave her husband, who was a community leader affiliated with the International House of Prayer. What's disturbing is Tyler Deaton led a sermon in memorial of his wife who was then believed to had committed suicide. But Micah Moore's guilt swept over him during this time and he confessed to the entire thing, while revealing a conspiracy. He is accusing Tyler Deaton of arranging the murder, including the plot to make it appear as a suicide. To make it clear, Tyler Deaton has not been arrested or charged with any crimes. However, the feds are investigating this Manson Family style situation.
The Christian prayer establishment known as the International House of Prayer is trying to separate itself from this incident, but the unwillingness of its representatives to be firm in the truth is disheartening. First they wouldn't admit that Deaton was a community leader associated with them, claiming it was an "error" that he was listed as such. Then they later released a statement apologizing for not realizing how dangerous Deaton was when they acknowledged him as a community leader. So which is it, guys?
The fact of the matter is this evangelical Christian sect, like most fringe religious groups, attracts easy-to-influence people as well as predators who use that power to influence, control and even cause harm. While IHOP doesn't want to acknowledge their role in this horrific incident it's easy to Google the horror stories associated with the group, which was founded in the late 1990s. Their so called campus served as a breeding ground for cultist thought which only festered at the hands of someone who could very well be a dangerous individual.
Photo: Daily Mail
Crime analyst & profiler Chelsea Hoffman can be found on Huffington Post or Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case. You can follow her on Twitter @TheRealChelseaH or contact her via her personal blog. Fan the Facebook page for updates on missing persons cases, issues in civil rights and details on Chelsea's fiction works.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
Comments: 52
This story is certainly horrifying enough as it stands, alone in its simple facts. I know I have my own thoughts about IHOP and "religious fringe groups" and personalities like that of this Deaton fellow. I suspect most people do even if you count all the lemmings who read HuffPost and yay-say it. I'm happy with the quality of my own opinions and I don't need Ms. Hoffman's drearily run-of-the-mill quasi-moralistic lame stream pontification to help me know what I should think. So spare me Chelsea, would ya? Just the facts please. (Or post your piece under some banner that says OPINION or MY OPINION or just not NEWS.)
Just sayin
2. While I'm flattered that you're even comparing me to "MSNBC," I must object at your hyperbolic claim that I am "trying to sound like" them or anyone else.
I must, however, point out that I find it interesting that you're devoting such time to making widesweeping and generalized statement drenched in hyperbole toward someone you don't know. You come across as someone who has an ax to grind and are not very good expressing yourself like an adjusted adult. (I.e. meaning you can't seem to convey a point without being accusatory, insulting and without making a generalized assumption that is by all intents and purposes untrue).
So really all I have to say is simple;
"It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"
oh for crying out loud
Back to the source of my original annoyance: Your last paragraph is full of unsupported conclusions which I personally found to be of an offensive tenor. Perhaps you could explain what you mean by the words "cultish" and "fringe religious groups" and perhaps you might deign to discuss the reason you chose to highlight this story in the first place. Were you a friend of Bethany's? Did you ever attend IHOP? Is there some reason other than that you are in fact the one with an axe to grind? I'm all ears. Hit me with something more than middle school mockery and dodgery. (If you can.)
So in other words your entire point in posting this story was to tar all Evangelical Christian para-church organizations with your "fringe religious groups" brush, and to portray IHOP as a place that only fosters cultish thinking and to obliquely suggest that normal sane people all uniformly look down their noses at such groups and probably at Christianity in general. Anything you'd like to add? I thought not. Buh-bye.
My point exactly. When you can learn to behave like an actual adult, and not come across as an irate troll you might get somewhere with me. Otherwise you should just pat yourself on the back for even garnering my attention to the point that you've gotten.
Have a swell day.
Just sayin'.
He(or she?) made that apparent from the first comment.
All one has to do is read through this thread 0_o
Now run along.
You are certainly quick with the criticism of others whom you do not even know, yet you seem to think very highly of yourself.
Ummmmmmmmmm, which demonstrates that egotism and self centeredness are two of your better attibutes. Congratulations, you are in a special class of GN members, those known as narcissistic individuals.
Another effective manipulation tactic to 'break' someone that cult leaders use is to play on their vulnerabilities (both individual and those common to most of humanity)...sex, hunger, clothing, feelings of social isolation (separating the person from their outside connections), feelings of belonging (reinforcing their connection with the cult group), shelter...all of these can be manipulated in some way to gain control over an individual and turn them into an obedient slave to the whims of their chosen 'master'.
Nasty stuff. The 'Helter Skelter' murder trials were going on when I was a young teenager and I was a bit sheltered from it at the time but later grew very curious and read quite a bit about the various killers I listed above. Scary bunch of people.
If you have not already, I would strongly suggest that you read the book "Helter Skelter" It is a very well written and extremely informative book on the Manson Family, from it's simi religious beginning to it's self destructive end. Many copies can be found in used condition on E Bay for less than $10.00 Like I said, if you haven't read the book, do so, I don't believe that you will be disappointed.
It is sad, but many weakminded individuals are drawn to such religious groups. Cults where religion, sexual aberrations of child molestation and marriages becomes entertwined in members thought pattern through church indoctrination. Over a period of time, such brain washing by the leadership, leaves members unable to distinquish what is acceptable attitudes and actions and what is not. Thereby, society's ethical and moral statndards are lost in the church dogma and become of no meaning to the group's membership.
Warren Jeffs, is a good example of cult styled church leadership which entertwine religion and sex into their so called, religious teachings. Jeffs was the recognized leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) located in the State of Arizona. Jeffs group, were a breakaway sect from the better known Mormon Church. At the time of his arrest on Rape and child molestation in 2010, he was married to 150 women members of the group. Those marriages included two 12 year olds, one 14 year old and one 15 year old girl.
Actually, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was the originator of that thread in Utah, North Texas, and nearby areas that led down 160 years later to Jeffs. The mainstream Mormons renounced it after the US government targeted them, but the various rebellious offshoots still practice the polygamy.
Although we agree on the issue of the Mormons faith as being the founders of polygamy, there are many Fundamentalist and Evangelical cultist style religious groups which are of the polygamist mentality as well. David Kuresh, Jim & Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert and dozens of other lesser known religious leaders have been involved in church sponsored polygamy and extramarital affairs among the church members.
And the similar nut Murdoch of IND who said that chidlren of rapes are god ordained to be born
Its time to take these type of people and put them in Gitmo where they will find similar mentality.