Go to http://ground.news/C2C for a better way to stay informed. Subscribe for 40% off unlimited access to world-wide coverage through our link. CW: mentions of eating d*sorders, female GM, CSA, SA. Melissa Duge Spiers grew up in the shadow of control, silence, and secrets inside the insular fundamentalist sect, Seventh-Day Adventist Church. From being beaten for resisting a chiIdhood home perm to seducing a forbidden public school athlete in her parents’ bed to reclaim her autonomy, Melissa’s early years were shaped by repression, shame, and religious programming. Her escape from the SDA church launched her into a life of risk. When Melissa learned that a family member was a serial chiId pred*tor shielded by the church, her world implodes. But this revelation is only the beginning. Watch our follow up LIVE with Melissa here: https://youtube.com/live/Fq5QxKBISNo?feature=share Find Melissa on Social Media! HOLY DISOBEDIENCE memoir: https://www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/holy-disobedience IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.glory.whole/ Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/melissadugespiers_writer Substack: https://substack.com/@melissadugespiers email: the.glory.whole.memoir@gmail.com Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon Chapter Marks 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:23 Melissa's intro of the 7th Day Adventist faith 00:10:51 CW: Mentions of Eating D*sorders, The 7th Day Adventist practices & Melissa's chiIdhood 00:19:57 CW: Mentions of FGM, Purity culture in the Adventists faith 00:26:37 Melissa's dating and s*xual experiences in high school 00:33:07 CW: Mentions of R*pe & CSA, The dark effects of purity culture 00:40:26 Deciding to leave the Adventist faith 00:44:58 Attending college in Europe & a non-Adventist university 00:48:37 Melissa's experience with her father in church leadership 00:52:06 The path of deconstructing 00:58:39 Facing the predator problem 01:04:59 Melissa's life and joys today 01:09:14 Melissa's final thoughts and Linda Listen **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**