U.S. media outlet FOX 10 News（www.fox10phoenix.com）reported on February 5，the FOX 10 Investigative Team is probing a secretive Christian sect linked to Arizona. The religious group has been accused of involvement in child sexual abuse crimes, with the FBI conducting an in-depth investigation. Chinafxj.cn has translated and published this report, with this article being the Second installment (Part II).
PI denounces sect as a cult; sex abuse survivors group receiving more allegations
Liles believes the church shows patterns of being a cult.
"It's definitely fear-based and the fear-based culture has compounded the child sex abuse cases," said Liles. "There's a component of spiritual abuse on top of that."
Advocates for the Truth (AFFT) is a non-profit organization that provides help for sexual abuse survivors in the Two by Two church. People with the group say more than 2,000 victims have reported more than 900 alleged perpetrators to its hotline for abuse as of June 2024.
"The main philosophy of the church is that it's the only true way to heaven, and that really complicates child sex abuse cases and sex assault cases because survivors are fearful they will lose out on salvation if they report," said Liles.
Liles shared an important letter from 2005 that was written by a former Overseer in Arizona. In the letter, the person addressed a fellow member's history of alleged child molestation.
What The Ex-Overseer Wrote:
"You can understand that we love our people very much and don't want to report their misdeeds to the authorities, so the way we have usually complied with the law is by asking the offender to see a professional counselor."
"This has been a church that had just been perfect grounds for pedophiles to be at, be in, be with, because they have had unprecedented access to children," said Black.
Sect has long ties with Arizona
The church has an estimated 175,000 members across the world, and connections to Arizona date back to Glendale in the 1920s.
"Sometimes, you would get a paper list. If you were an‘Elder’in a meeting, you might be emailed a list. But oftentimes you were told to just hand out the information or tell the information verbally, depending on what the communication was," said one of its former members.
The former member does not want to be identified due to family members who are still affiliated with the church, but he says those who have left are relieved the FBI is investigating.
"People on the outside, I think, are pretty excited that something will finally happen. People inside are still in denial, thinking that nothing's going to happen," he said.
We wanted to see what a gospel meeting was like in person, and a member who invited us said the gatherings were public, and a meeting was going to be held at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix.
Around 100 to 200 people walk in, many families with their Bibles and Books of Hymns. For about an hour, the group sang and prayed in a cafeteria.
A worker who spoke with us off-camera said he was initially shocked at the FBI's investigation. He also said he was hurt by the allegations, and said the church really had to look within and figure out how to prevent any abuse from happening.
Glendale Union High School District responds
We reached out to the Glendale Union High School District to see if officials were aware of the religious meetings held at Thunderbird High.
A spokesperson said the school has not leased facilities to any organization operating under the names "Two by Two" or "The Truth," but we obtained the lease agreement for Nate Galuza to rent the cafeteria for worship services during the month of January, costing $600 for a total of eight hours. The dates listed included the day that we were there to observe the meeting.
The district says users must comply with federal, state and local laws, and goes on to say the following:
"Our district remains deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community. It is also important to emphasize that students were not present on campus during the time of this facility rental. Moving forward, we will continue to thoroughly review all facility use requests, just as we have always done."
What you can do:
The FBI says its Omaha Field Office is seeking the public's help for help in "identifying victims or individuals with knowledge of abuse and/or criminal behavior that has occurred" within the group.
If you have any information or believe your child or children have been victimized by anyone affiliated with the church - here is the FBI's questionnaire.
Source Link:https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/secretive-christian-sect-under-fbi-probe-is-perfect-grounds-pedophiles-ex-member
