I am writing this open letter for those outside the Cult of bible understanding and for the brethren inside who are still being fooled by Traill.

I am nearly finished with a book about Jim Jones. I must say, thank God we were not in that cult. The conditions the members of the People's Temple experienced were far worse and far more disgusting than anything Traill thought up for us. And, of course, they were trained by Jones to commit mass suicide.

There are similarities between COBU and the People's Temple. Temple members couldn't go to the bathroom during the marathon meetings(sometimes 10 to 15 hours long). Jones boasted that he never bought new clothes but wore used thrown out clothes people didn't want. On paper Jim Jones was penniless, but he had real estate holdings totaling in the millions of dollars. Living conditions for the followers were squalid compared to the pampered life Jim Jones rationalized for himself (Traill just had to live in Princeton. He was the only faithful brother who could "be responsible" for that property). Jones had a staff of 8 women and one man. The women were called "The girls." Corporations were started to keep the money away from Jones' name. Members worked long hours, into the night, and still get up to go to their day jobs. Marriages were under constant scrutiny, children were raised by Jones and the collective body with little contact from the actual parents. Demands of faithfulness were unachievable. Rules changed frequently. Members suffered public humiliation and worse for not abiding by the numerous edits created by Jones. Members "wrote up" fellow members and reported them to the inner core.

Jones was very different from Traill in that Jones learned from Father Divine in Philadelphia to accept direct praise from his followers. He went through many phases, changing what personage  he was suppose to be. He was Lenin, He was Jesus Christ. Finally, he was God. Traill only hinted at the John the Baptist/Elijah identity. The tithing at the People's temple was ridiculous. Like us, they all turned over their checks. But, any money they got from the temple(in the form of allowance or by other means) was re-collected by pressuring the member at one of the many weekly services to "hand it over." Jones passed the bucket around several times in a service. Very different from Cobu but the outcome was the same. Jones had the lifestyle he wanted and the good works to cover it up. The members had a sleepless, penniless, torturous, sexless, existence and still weren't doing enough(one Temple rule is that no married couples were allowed to have sex). Traill never went that far but the fruits of his influence are much the same. Traill has yet to perform or bless a single marriage in COBU. How many "relationships" were started in COBU? How many have resulted in marriage?

Jones is different from Traill in dramatic ways. Jones used drugs, had sex with many of the female members, had sex with some of the men of the People's temple.

I am at the part of the book where some members escape the cult. They left under extreme pressure that they were leaving "The Father's protection." (Jim Jones eventually got all of the People's Temple members to call him "Father") One member likened her leaving to a divorce or a death. The difference between Cobu and the People's Temple on the issue of leaving was the true threat of death that Jones implied on his followers. He asked some of his inner core if there were lethal drugs that couldn't be traced. He sent inner core members to ex-members houses with threats. Phone Calls were made in the middle of night.

One of the inner core members, one of "the girls", Faith Worley , just before she left went through Jim Jones medical files and found a psychiatric report classifying Jones as a sociopath.

The People's Temple was started in 1958. Jones was at this stuff a long time. He started out as a Bible preacher and slowly moved away from the Bible and into a God-complex.  Traill is not Jim Jones. The personalities are different. But the fruits are similar. I think Jones and Traill were meant by God to be leaders. I have thought about Traill in the role of just a rank and file anything. Doesn't compute. Traill's mind and abilities? He was meant to be a leader of something. Jones too. I think where both of these fellas went wrong, if they were ever right, was when they took the path of pride over the path of humility. Sounds too simple, but I think this is the root of all rotten leaders. They have the ability and the talent. They have the energy, but they know they have the ability, talent and energy and they don't wait for God's timing. They refuse to submit to others. They throw off any fellowship of accountability and wind up untouchable. There is this drive for these loners to be the center of things. I will touch on this later.

When I think about sitting down with Stewart Traill and reasoning with him....I would like to say...I laugh. His problem is much more complicated and much more serious than just taking 2 or 3 witnesses along and winning your brother back. Let me put it this way. What if I had the chance to sit down with Jim Jones and show him from the Bible that the way he is treating his flock is not scriptural and that he should be kinder? Yeah...you're right....wear a Kevlar vest and let someone else start my car in the morning. Traill seems less violent than Jones. I have been out for 15 years.  I don't think Traill has guns or bodyguards. But think about how far gone this man is and how insulated he is, how smart he is, how old he is. Even the brightest among us would have little effect in freeing the captives from the reign of the unrepentant or should I say side-show repentant Stewart Traill. Heck, go outside of the x-members! Pick any wise christian. Moses accepted Jethro's advice. There are many examples of leaders submitting or at least checking with the counsel of brothers. Richard Wurmbrand is despised by Stewart. On 2 occasions Pastor Wurmbrand had sought to redirect Traill and was met with the pride of the lone-ranger cult leader.

This gets me to the idea of leadership. I think someday I will lead in form or another. I sense from God that I will someday be responsible for a flock. So what is before me? The choice. Do you know why Stew hated the outside christian churches? I have a guess. The christians outside COBU submitted to testing and accountability. They represented christianity that basically dismantles Stew's dreams of running the show. They were and are a living testimony to humility and true fellowship in the body of Christ where there is more than just one eye.  Jones and Traill and ones like them rail against organized churches not because they are lukewarm or they practice "churchianity" but because these churches militate against cult leadership. They are flocks that these cult leaders can't control or destroy. To cult leaders, these "other" christians worship God and guess what...Stew ain't the center of attention." Jones ain't the center of attention. These people are paying attention to God, to Jesus. And why did Jones forbid married couples from having sex, while boasting that "to have sex with me is the best.?" Why did Jones emasculate the men of the People's temple by accusing them of homosexuality and child molestation? Why does Traill seem to get between married couples? How come current members, who have known each other for at least 20 years, do not get married? (And if they do get married, out of some proof that COBU brethren can actually get married, who will they go to for marriage counseling?) The whole marriage issue is significant. Current Cobu wants to throw it back on x-members and say that we are "soooo into marriage." Sure , I'm into marriage. I got married 8 years ago. I have 2 children. I love my wife and little ones. God has charged me to take care of them and according to scripture, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, AND OBTAINS FAVOR FROM THE LORD." COBU rather Traill is so messed up in their perspective about marriage, interests, etc. Stew was always hounding everyone not to sow to the flesh, not to give into the flesh, crucify the flesh. Very similar to Jim Jones. All kinds of rules so as not to sow to the flesh. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Traill and Jones are livin large. And both Traill and Jones have explanations for their comfortable living. They can explain why they are married. Why they can go out to eat every other night while members still buy in bulk.  I got married. I am glad I did. Marriage is the best human thing you can do. Even Stew touted marriage all through the years as from God. Does take deep understanding of the Bible to figure out that marriage was created by God. Paul even wrote of the necessity of marriage. How many of our brethren in COBU are sinning sexually because of this invisible moratorium on marriage.

Why should I care if Sara Weiss or Chuck Marburger or Jay Rolf or Paul Saustak or Carrie Rosenblatt ever get married? I am pointing out to them and you that something is really wrong when you belong to a group that behaves the way COBU does. And why do they behave that way? Because "the Eye is the Lamp of the Body" and the buck stopped there on Stew's desk long ago.  Traill and Jones want to be the center of things. They want to be your father, mother, brother, wife, lover....they want to be your everything in whatever form that will keep your attention. And if something or someone gets in between you and them, they will destroy the obstruction. They will cut you off from your physical family, your wife or husband or children or prevent you from having a wife, a husband or children. Since the brothers are too weak and fearful to question Stewart as we brothers out here were, when we lived in, Stewart has a blank check. He can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants and no one is protected. I used to be concerned for the brethren in COBU. Now I only have compassion for the sisters. So much is known now about Stewart and his dirty tricks that the brothers could form a council and dismiss him immediately. I will answer to God for what I did to protect my sisters. And the current Cobu brothers will have to answer too. Maybe they like living in COBU. Maybe standards and truth aren't as important as the praise of one man.

Chuck Marburger is engaged to Gina Zillioli. They should follow the example of Stewart's own daughter, Shirley. If you want to get married, you gotta leave COBU, go get married, then come back and make your behavior right, suffer for a while and eventually Stew will let you start climbing the acceptance ladder once more.

Why should I care? Why should any of us care? What is caring? Believe me, unlike COBU, there are many parts to this body of believers. There are many ways to care for those inside. I am doing what I am doing. Should everyone have a web page? No. Should we all be living together in a parallel universe in some kinda anti-matter cobu. No. God is working through all of us in so many different ways. It's the Traill answer to take all our brains and give us his personality and singleness of purpose. We testify against Cobu by serving God in the way God designed and gifted us. I urge everyone to read the scriptures about the Body of Christ with its many members. I hope Cobu reads this and wakes up and realizes that Stewart doesn't care if you live the rest of your life working for him. He doesn't care about your christian life, your human life. He might be a sociopath.

Some of us have run into current members. They still think that "Things have changed." If they could only see how messed up they are, how things are still humming at Traill's control. Why is the Jesus who speaks through the brothers and sisters in prophecy so different from Traill's spirit. I wonder if any of the current members know that Traill's Dad, Donald, got a Masters degree in Sacred Theology and was ordained as a minister. Alot of what Stewart does comes from a very understandable origin. Why doesn't he give his testimony? Why won't he show people where he is really at and where he really came from? Because then the mystery would be over. He would cease to be unique and special and relevant. He would become just another member of the Body of Christ and the glory and the attention and the power would then go back to God where it belongs. You either grow up and resemble Christ(who washed the disciples feet) or you resemble Satan, "I will be like the Most High." Very simple....look at the fruit. Look at the fruit.