Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo

[DanaK]

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HBO explores the horrifying, yet relatively unknown story of the Christian church La Luz del Mundo (LLDM) and the sexual abuse that scores of members, many of them minors, say they have suffered at the hands of its successive leaders, known as the “Apostles.” Told from the point of view of the survivors who met to share their stories of abuse, the series chronicles the history of one of the most powerful religious groups not only in Mexico where it was founded, but also in the United States, while giving voice to the men and women who were brave enough to stand up and call out the heinous crimes.
 
Under the guise of the only true church offering eternal salvation, LLDM, which claims to have congregations in over 50 countries and over five million followers, was founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín Gonzalez. Joaquín Gonzalez was succeeded by his son and then grandson, all three Apostles said to be appointed by “divine revelation.” Now, scores of former members have come forward to describe how the Apostles built and maintained a system to procure and groom children for abuse. The series culminates in the events leading up to the 2019 arrest of the current Apostle, Naasón Joaquín García and his present-day trial, shedding light on a story that was all but ignored by mainstream media, and illustrating the positive power of social media to unite and provide agency to the survivors.

3 episode documentary series that premieres on Tuesday Dec 6 on HBO and streams on HBO Max. Episodes 1 and 2 will be shown back to back on Dec 6 from 9-11pm ET, while Episode 3 will be shown the next night, Wednesday Dec 7 at 10pm ET

[Angeleyes]

We just finished all three episodes. I think it was good for some of the victims to shine a light on this cult so that more victims will feel that they can speak out. It sounds like the prosecution dropped the ball by not providing the defense with all of the evidence. You could tell the judge was frustrated with having to accept the plea deal, but knew it was the only way to avoid a mistrial. Hopefully more people will come forward and also the victims can proceed with a civil case. Also, hopefully there will be prosecution in Mexico (and other countries) as well. 

[DanaK]

5 hours ago, Angeleyes said:

We just finished all three episodes. I think it was good for some of the victims to shine a light on this cult so that more victims will feel that they can speak out. It sounds like the prosecution dropped the ball by not providing the defense with all of the evidence. You could tell the judge was frustrated with having to accept the plea deal, but knew it was the only way to avoid a mistrial. Hopefully more people will come forward and also the victims can proceed with a civil case. Also, hopefully there will be prosecution in Mexico (and other countries) as well. 

I recorded this and intend to get to it at some point, but after devouring The Vow’s second season, another doc series about sexual abuse within a group might be too soon. At least it’s only 3 episodes

[Angeleyes]

I understand your hesitation. It’s hard to hear about these crimes, especially when it involves children. It seems like the leaders of this cult are particularly sadistic. I’m also sad that the Me Too movement chose not to include them in their platform when they had the opportunity to do so.