The Church of Bible Understanding (COBU, formerly the Forever Family) is a destructive cult that some former members believe started as a legitimate religious commune. According to Rick Ross of the Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults in New Jersey, "On a scale of one to 10 - 10 being Jim Jones - I would put COBU (the church's initials) at a 7 1/2 or 8."[1] A destructive cult is a group (often called cult) with strange beliefs (especially religious ones) and which exploits or destroys its own members or others. ...

The group was created by Stewart Traill, a former atheist and vacuum cleaner repairman, in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1971[2]. Targeting teens as young as 13 for recruitment, and drawing on the disillusionment of young people during the 1970s, COBU rapidly expanded to other cities in Pennsylvania, as well as Massachussettes; the Washington Metropolitan and Baltimore areas; Cleveland, Ohio; Syracuse, New York, and Canada.

Because of their extremely aggressive recruitment style and allegations of involvement with the disappearance of numerous young teens, controversy quickly followed, as reported in a 1976 Time Magazine article entitled Where Are the Children?[3]

COBU's official doctrines are based on orthodox interpretations of the Bible, but unofficial doctrines promoted by Stewart Traill include the belief that he is the reincarnation of Elijah, and similar to leaders of other destructive cults and abusive churches, Traill presents himself as the only person with the ability to interpret the Bible accurately.

COBU members live communally, and donate all earnings to the group. Up to 10% of earnings are returned as "allowance." At its height, COBU reportedly had 10,000 members, and through them, Traill amassed a fortune including 4 planes (one of them a turboprop) and a half-million dollar house for him, his wife, and young female members in Princeton, New Jersey.

According to former members[4], Traill controls every aspect of members' lives through harsh criticism, shame, and public humiliation. Some former members have struggled with psychological and financial issues for many years after leaving the group.

COBU owns and operates an antique business called Olde Good Things, recently profiled in the New York Times[5], with no reference to its cult associations. COBU also runs a mission in Haiti, where some former members claim Haitian children are indoctrinated in exchange for food and clothing. According to an article originally appearing in the Manassas Journal Messenger, COBU receives government funds for its Haiti Mission as part of President Bush's Faith Based Initiative[6].

Stewart Traill

According to Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality[7], COBU's leader Stewart Traill likens himself to Elijah, and "hints that he may know the exact hour of the Lord's return." The son of an ordained Presbyterian minister who was also a college professor, Stewart Traill was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1936.[8]

After a brief stint in college, Traill dropped out and supported himself, his wife, and his five children by repairing and reselling used vacuum cleaners. At the age of 40, Stewart divorced his first wife and married 20 year-old COBU member Gayle Gillespie.

Ron Burks of Wellspring[9], a residential treatment center for former cult members, says his research points up "scary similarities" between Mr. Traill and habitual criminals. "He fits the profile in that he seems to feel little remorse for the suffering of his followers..."

"For someone like that, the ends justify the means. People like that hook into the best of what it is to be human, and then betray it for their own benefit. That's what's so scary." Burks was also quoted by The Morganton News Herald[10]: "He (Traill) has one of most effective means of shutting down critical thinking I've ever seen," said Burks, who has treated about a dozen former members of the Church of Bible Understanding. "Of the hundreds of people I've treated, COBU is definitely in the top five in terms of harm and psychological damage."