“Saved” (American Jewish Life)

Angela Himsel grew up as part of a fringe Christian cult that demonized doctors, makeup, feminists, the Magic-8 ball, and even Christmas. Instead they worshipped Jesus and, quite oddly, celebrated the Jewish holidays. Flash forward a few decades. She’s now a convert to Judaism (married to a rabbi’s son no less), has three children, and is wrestling with the demons of her past.

Angela Himsel doesn’t look like your average former cult member. The redheaded Manhattan mother of three is unquestionably attractive, even without the makeup that she wears. She wears her openness in her smile and her confidence sparkles in her eyes, which seem to flash both blue and gray, conveying a vision that parallels the clarity she has spent a good portion of her life seeking. But there are moments during our conversation when Angela’s eyes widen, and I see the eternally curious child within, still asking “Why?” and still involved in the ongoing process of self-discovery.

As a child, Angela and her nine siblings were part of a Christian sect known as the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). Not a typical cult in the Jonestown or Branch Davidian sense, the church still certainly fit the major criteria: it was led by a charismatic leader (in the WCG’s case, a man by the name of Herbert Armstrong) and required families in the church to give significant portions of their income — framed as “tithes” — to charity.

Despite the lack of poisoned Kool-Aid, Angela is certain that the WCG faithful would have done anything for their leader. Because Armstrong preached that modern medicine was the tool of Satan, she explains, “People died of ruptured appendixes, curable illnesses. If someone was depressed or mentally ill … anything wrong with you was probably Satan, or a demon doing Satan’s bidding. If Armstrong had asked people to sacrifice their lives for him, I actually believe they would have,” Angela says, shaking her head.