Home Dr. Phil Season 11 Episode 186

Are My Children in a Cult?

Dr. Phil · Season 11 · Episode 186
James says his estranged wife, Jennifer, is being controlled by a religious group that he calls a cult, and he fears his four children may be in danger. He says that after moving their family to Missouri two years ago to join The Fellowship of the Martyrs (FOTM), Jennifer developed an attachment to the ministry’s leader, Doug Perry -- who claims to hear the voice of God -- and their marriage fell apart. James says he soon came to believe that the growing FOTM community was unsafe for his family. He says when Jennifer refused to leave with him, he took their children and left in the middle of the night -- a decision that landed him in jail on kidnapping charges, and the kids back with his wife. Now, out of jail and no longer a member of FOTM, James says he’s fighting for custody of his kids -- and hoping to save his marriage. Jennifer insists that FOTM is not a cult, and she believes that Doug is a prophet of God.

Episode Details

Air date, runtime, timezone, and episode position.

Season
11
Episode
186
Air Date
21/May/2013
Air Time
Runtime
60 min

Overview

Episode summary.

James says his estranged wife, Jennifer, is being controlled by a religious group that he calls a cult, and he fears his four children may be in danger. He says that after moving their family to Missouri two years ago to join The Fellowship of the Martyrs (FOTM), Jennifer developed an attachment to the ministry’s leader, Doug Perry -- who claims to hear the voice of God -- and their marriage fell apart. James says he soon came to believe that the growing FOTM community was unsafe for his family. He says when Jennifer refused to leave with him, he took their children and left in the middle of the night -- a decision that landed him in jail on kidnapping charges, and the kids back with his wife. Now, out of jail and no longer a member of FOTM, James says he’s fighting for custody of his kids -- and hoping to save his marriage. Jennifer insists that FOTM is not a cult, and she believes that Doug is a prophet of God.

Episode Navigation

Move between previous and next episodes.