The Darkness within La Luz del Mundo

It really is amazing, even in the 21st century, just how easy it still is to brainwash people and make them believe all manner of made-up nonsense. Here then is another story of a ridiculous church and its congregation of halfwits who follow along like mindless sheep in the grand tradition of Joseph Smith, Jim Jones, L. Ron Hubbard, Marshall Applewhite, Warren Jeffs, Keith Raniere, et al.

The Light of the World Church is really no different to any of the others: led by the customary male con artists who, as always, have had their own special chat with God and are willing to share the divine gossip - for a price.

No doubt you will have heard about similar organisations before, so rest-assured The Light of the World story is nothing new. It contains all the same sordid ingredients we have seen countless times before. And while it is always hard to feel sorry for its gullible followers it is, nonetheless, another valuable insight into just how easy it is for cults and their leaders to manipulate and control so many people.

For the rest of us, it's painful enough being tricked with a sleight of hand, or having ones good nature taken advantage of on rare occasions, but imagine being scammed for your entire life - ouch!

It is little wonder that so many find it difficult to stand up and muster the courage to look past their own reflection into the truth, and the light.

It was shocking to watch, from start to finish. The fact that people have been manipulated into thinking that evil is right doesn't stand right with me. As the judge said: shame on those families who abandoned their children for telling the truth. What a world we live in that there are still such brainwashed people and people who talk about God but rape children. I know it's taboo to talk about religion, but I'd rather be an atheist than believe in a religion that enriches and brainwashes people. This documentary reveals the truth that was hidden for several generations while girls continued to be abused.

It is very difficult to write about something as strong as the case of La Luz del Mundo, and also very tortuous to come across documentaries that you wish were not reality, but they are.

Carlos Perez Osorio undoubtedly not only takes mostly complicated subjects and relies on that to create his work, he is also a great documentary filmmaker who, more than anything, actually exposes a subject from which sometimes one wants to look away, and he does so. Both in an informative and impartial manner.

The level of immersion, commitment and at the same time dismay are on another level here, in this viewing.

Religion as a topic of discussion is so old, and has been around countless times, since it does both good and evil.

You can see waves of fanaticism and questioning, it is not just being for or against even though sometimes these situations are evident in the same documentary, it is more than anything: the perception of reality.

Reality is something very powerful, there is nothing stronger than it here; The reality is that the Apostles had a lot of power, the reality is that religion gives you a different conception of the world, and all this, the entire documentary is only a starting point not for the injustices within La Luz del Mundo but for Let's understand that even though we are not all religious, we all have a conception of reality, what if it were altered to the point of not knowing if what you do is right or if what they do to you is right?

It is so clearly stated that for religious people the truth is that their Apostle is not at fault, just as it is also very clearly stated that the Jane Does suffered a lot.

In cinema there are always narratives and although there are millions of stories, they will always be subject to the narrative, just as the world and human perception are.

To start off, this is not a film that is enjoyable to watch because of how heavy the story is, but it is necessary. The victims of the so called apostle relate their stories and are the strong voices through out the film. This is raw, intense, horrifying even. You are submerged into their world and at the end you understand how anyone can be vulnerable for this to happen to them, and I think that's what is most terrifying because it is so real. Not for the faint of heart, but it is a truly must watch. The music, the images, the beat of the film is amazing. The director and it's producers really took did an outstanding job, Kudos to them and my admiration for the survivors.

It's hard to watch this and not feel a great sadness for the victims. I had never heard of la Luz del Mundo before, but the story is very similar to other abusive religions. The difference is that this one is older than most cults, surviving three generations of leaders, for example Scientology is only in its second generation of leadership, and much younger than more established faiths like Catholicism. The younger abusive religions are able to abuse people because they create this idea that's wrapped up in a charismatic leadership and an idea that they can do no wrong, whereas the older religion's use the power of Institutions to hide the perverted individuals that abuse faith. This is a dark story which should be a warning to any one that leaves their child in the care of an institution that they trust.