RJ Testerman has died. I feel neither glad nor sad. Any love or hatred I had for him has long since left me. I’ll admit to feeling a little lighter. Like something is over, and not just for me. What’s going to happen now to the community, I can only guess. Some people think that there is someone in training ready to take his spot and continue his legacy, someone like Boone Testerman, his eldest son, but I’m not so sure. RJ was special, a traumatizing narcissist, and those people don’t usually let others like them hang around. They are not good at sharing. Also, I’m not sure there is anyone with the clout, even if they have the stomach for it. To me, it looks like everyone has already been making plans for the next chapter of their lives. Some have moved out, if not on. This is good. As long as it doesn’t include glamorizing coercive control, intentional deception, domestic abuse, and pedophilia, I couldn’t care less.
Ginger has been the most likely to take over. She wrote a book and a thesis attempting to justify her father’s behavior and her family’s compliance. As long as she doesn’t try to teach this information, I don’t care. Nicole Daedone, who learned this scam from RJ and took it mainstream, is currently in jail awaiting sentencing. That is hopefully an added deterrent to continue. Some people have thought that this might open the way to charge RJ and the Welcomed Consensus, but I don’t think so. They knew they would be tagged eventually to Nicole, so they “shut down” before the Netflix documentary about One Taste came out. Besides, their non-response to this website only reinforces the truth of the stories compiled here. I’m not disappointed with the outcome.
Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t try to go to court. Waiting for years to maybe be heard and spending all my money and time on lawyers looks no more attractive now than it did then, especially in a justice and cultural system that still punishes women for speaking out. If I’d gone the legal route, I wouldn’t have been able to start this blog and reach so many people. I won’t be taking this site down even though he is gone. It will continue to be a source of information about the group and the harm they spread, and they are still spreading their form of abuse. Whether RJ’s children, Ginger, Mallie, Boone, and Cole intend to profit off his scam remains to be seen but they are using his tactics and “teachings” to recruit for their group.
The long time between my last post and this one is due, in part, to the contact from people being hustled by the group falling off. It’s been a while since anyone contacted me, so I take that as a good sign, and I feel very successful. Perhaps RJ’s students and children are realizing that their approach to relationships isn’t just different but straight-up wrong. I won’t be holding my breath for any momentous change or realization on their part, but I will hold the line and continue to tell the truth about RJ.
Thanks for reading,
Christine
Forgiveness is a virtue. Some bless us with its opportunity. For we grow more worthy of the glory it can bestow.
If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
Forgiveness without repentance is part of how I got stuck here for so many years. Rising above and understanding was easier than facing the harm done to me and others by people I loved. In the group, they say that everyone is 100% responsible for everything that happens to them, including any harm caused to them. You can replace “forgiveness” with “responsibility” and get the same result. Predators. How is that helpful to anyone?