Spiritual Blackmail: My Journey Through A Catholic Cult

Spiritual Blackmail is a timely story in the wake of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the recent dual canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. While the changes brought about by Vatican Council II were welcomed by many Catholics, they caused a great deal of consternation for others, including Sherri’s parents. Their well-meaning choice to escape from what they believed was the "corruption" of their beloved Church and to join a renegade traditionalist group and its charismatic, abusive leader had significant, long-term effects on Sherri – effects that she continues to deal with as a Catholic in the Twenty-First Century. Spiritual Blackmail reveals the intense inner conflict she experienced during her twenty-five years in the cult, as she tried to reconcile her deep pain (as the appropriate price for "truth") with her screaming, inner voice that refused to be silenced and ultimately led to her liberation. Her story testifies to the triumph of the human spirit in the face of spiritual turmoil and religious oppression, but also to the powerful truth that it is possible to find the good and a reason for gratitude even amid seeming abandonment and betrayal by those most trusted.