Facts about a boy who died; the first to speak is not always right.
Harrison: “…the local sheriff’s department had learned that a 12-year-old boy had died on the compound; allegedly denied medical treatment, he had become septic from the flu.”1
Generally, when accusations fly, so do the knee-jerk responses. A man or woman turns on the news and hears – and doesn’t wait to hear the other side – and reacts! It’s easy to LASH OUT if we don’t train ourselves to wait, and examine. It’s easy to HATE a person we’ve never met, whom we’ve never let tell their side of the story.
Problem is, many times, even when the accused tell their side of the story, it’s too late, because they’ve been demonized. Their reputation is smeared. Being smeared, most people won’t listen to anything they say. So proof of innocence isn’t proof anymore since it’s coming from their “tainted” mouths.
This is especially true when men and women are labeled “cult members.”2 Somehow, after that, even the most convincing of facts they share cannot be facts. Essentially, they’ve been stripped of their right to testify, since their words are inherently MUTED in the minds of those who’ve labeled them.
Approach Accusations Carefully
God’s Word reveals the right way to approach every accusation. Proverbs 18:13 instructs us: “The one who gives an answer before he LISTENS – this is foolishness and disgrace for him.” 3 The New Testament echoes the Old and gives specific protocol pertaining to Christian elders: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19). Now, even this can get complicated. If two or three witnesses accuse an elder, yet two or three more witnesses come along and provide proof against the first “witnesses,” then you better sort out the problem with facts and not just take to heart the accusations of the first ones to speak.
The First To Speak
Jamie Bridgewater was the primary source for the unattested narrative about the boy’s death. Her story was broadcast all over the media. She spoke; they ran with it. Did they verify her “facts”? No. Were all sides of the story considered? Unfortunately, as we see so often in newscasting, no.
As for her ridiculous exaggerations, I’m not exactly surprised. I’d seen her fly off the handle before and explode with ludicrous, absurd claims, even against children.
For example, when Jamie was pregnant, she went way overboard in what I would call psychotic rage against a nine-year-old boy, accusing him of trying to KILL her baby. Why? This little boy had squeezed past her pregnant belly as she stood in a doorway. Jamie was so convinced of her own accusations, she turned the whole event into an outrageous ordeal.
In another instance, when Jamie was teaching in our school, one of the girls left for a bathroom break and took a little longer than usual. When she returned, Jamie asked her why she was so late. Crying, this young girl explained how she had slipped on the ice and hurt her knee. Apparently, Jamie “prayed about it.” And the next day in school, Jamie made cruel and bizarre allegations against the child. Very strangely, very disturbingly, Jamie announced to the whole class that the Holy Spirit “told her” the girl was lying and was just wasting time.
Ignoring the fact that this young girl had a visible bruise on her knee from the fall, Jamie stuck to what she believed happened the day before, even though it didn’t line up with the facts.
Accusers Should Be Vetted, Not Published Immediately
When serious accusations are spoken, it’s not only important to understand what is being said, but who is saying it. Sufficient personal vetting is not done on accusers before stories are broadcast, while the ones whom they accuse get hauled off to jail with the whole world hating them – before they ever get a chance to tell their side.
Don’t say, “Innocent until proven guilty.” That sounds good, until you’re the one on the receiving end, and no matter what you say, no matter how many facts you present, the damage is done. People look at you differently. As you prove your innocence over and over, people keep accusing you, citing the original stories they heard.
It’s a sad fact of how human minds work.
We allow not-vetted, unstable personalities to spread ridiculously exaggerated stories and ruin other people’s reputations. False accusers ruin people’s lives, and those who heed their falsehoods are party to it.
The Testimony of the Boy’s Mother; A Missing Piece Not Properly Considered
Gracious, the boy’s mother, made her home in our Fence Lake Christian community. Her home was never an impersonal or confining “compound” (as Harrison and so many others rudely mislabel it). She loved working outside in the flower beds near the kitchen, and spent time with her kids, hiking and building an extensive play-area fort.
Gracious had 5 young children whom she ended up taking care of alone, after her husband abandoned her and them.
With a large family of little ones, you can imagine how Gracious was hit with tremendous pressure when the 2013-14 flu season slammed our community. Sickness actually walloped the whole state. New Mexico itself was plagued with “242 DEATHS in the P&I [Pneumonia & Influenza] categories in the 2013-14 influenza season from September 29th through May 17th.”4 In America as a whole, “The overall burden of influenza for the 2013-2014 season was an estimated 30 million influenza illnesses, 13 million influenza-associated medical visits, 347,000 influenza-related hospitalizations, and 38,000 flu-associated deaths.”5
All of Gracious’ kids got the flu, as did she. The entire community got the flu! All of her kids recovered, except her eldest son. She testified over and over, she was sure he was going to be fine, just like the others; he took an unexpected turn.
General Jim points out a court document that references a missing piece to this puzzle: Huntington’s Disease.6 Apparently, the boy’s paternal side had a history of this disease. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) states: “Each child of a parent with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the HD gene.”7 So it’s very, very likely the boy had Huntington’s. Furthermore, according to the Cleveland Clinic, in a special article about Huntington’s Disease, the flu would certainly be exacerbated by this underlying neurological degenerative condition. These experts say “you can die from its [Huntington’s] complications, such as INFECTIONS like pneumonia…”8
I believe this missing piece definitely should have been investigated and addressed before everyone decided to waylay the boy’s mother (and the Generals, who weren’t even the child’s guardians!). A compromised immune system would undoubtedly make it possible for a child’s health to take a rapid turn.
For more information, including statements from the mother and certain legal facts and more pertaining to this situation, please see General Jim’s fantastic article entitled, “Damned if You Do; Damned if You Don’t!” located HERE.
We should close with some very sobering words from Deuteronomy 19 in the Holy Bible. God takes false accusers seriously. Listen to what He says:
“If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, then both the accuser and accused must appear before the LORD by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case THOROUGHLY. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, YOU MUST IMPOSE ON THE ACCUSER THE SENTENCE HE INTENDED FOR THE OTHER PERSON. In this way, you will purge such EVIL from among you. THEN THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WILL HEAR ABOUT IT AND BE AFRAID TO DO SUCH AN EVIL THING.” 9
– First Sgt. Amos River
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1. Hill, Harrison. “The Oracle’s Daughter.” New York Magazine, The Cut, June 8, 2021, www.thecut.com/2021/06/sarah-green-escaped-mother-cult.html. Accessed 1 May 2025.
2. God led us to call ourselves “The Cult of the Living God,” because we are a new CULTure in Christ. All real Christians are. We are not to be lumped together with self-harming crazies or those who worship their spiritual shepherds. We worship Jesus ALONE, and strive to live the same way as the Early Christians. We are part of the Cult of Christianity. Indeed, many use the term “cult” to characterize you as something unworthy of respect. A “cult member” is believed to have no mind of his own. He is dehumanized. Thank Jesus, God understands what we mean, as do many others. We REJOICE to be in God’s CULT!!! (Watch, that last sentence will be misquoted somewhere.)
3. “Proverbs 18 (CSB) – The one who gives an.” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 10 Nov, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/csb/pro/18/13/s_646013>.
4. Bargsten, Marisa. “Influenza Surveillance in New Mexico 2013 – 2014 Season Summary.” New Mexico Department of Health, www.nmhealth.org/data/view/report/883/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025. [Bold and all caps emphasis mine.]
5. “Burden Estimates for the 2013-2014 Influenza Season.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Oct. 2018, https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/flu/about/burden/2013-2014.html… [Bold emphasis mine.]
6. Green, General James. “‘Damned If You Do; Damned If You Don’t!’” Aggressive Christians In Action, https://aggressivechristians.com/damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-dont/ Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
7. “Huntington’s Disease.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/huntingtons-disease [Bold emphasis mine.]
8. “Huntington’s Disease: What Is It?” Cleveland Clinic, 26 Aug. 2025, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14369-huntingtons-disease [Bold and all caps emphasis mine.]
9. “Deuteronomy 19 (NLT) – If a malicious witness comes.” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 17 Nov, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/nlt/deu/19/16-20/s_172016>.