Filmmaker Alisa Yang Turns Past Trauma Into Empowerment, Exposing Evangelical Hypocrisy And Grift In The Process, With Her Documentary Short Film Sleeping With The Devil

By Ty Ross

Artist and Filmmaker Alisa Yang, not unlike many in this country, grew up in a religious household. In her case, the Evangelical Church. Her mother was a devout follower and Alisa spent most of her youth being shuttled around from church to church with her mom.

When she was still very young, Alisa’s parents divorced. An arranged marriage that took place before her mother and father immigrated to America. According to Alisa, she believes her mother was raped by her father, and that she herself is a product of that rape. It is this Yang credits for being a key factor in her mother’s inability to truly love or accept her. Even as a child. An already fragile relationship that would be further strained by Alisa coming forward with allegations of sexual abuse by her mother’s then husband. Alisa’s stepfather. Of course, he denied it. Alisa’s mother sided with her husband and sent Alisa to live with her biological father. A man Alisa’s mother knew to be abusive and soon Alisa would know too.

Alisa lived with her father just shy of a year. During that time she would be subjected to both neglect and sexual abuse. She would frequently be locked in the bathroom for hours at a time and on at least one occasion, went two weeks without food. By the time Alisa returned to her mother’s home, at the beginning of her teenage years, the mental, emotional and spiritual damage had been done. She was no longer a believer. Not in GOD, not in The Church nor its teachings. But that didn’t stop Alisa from wanting to believe. From wanting and needing to believe that if she could just be that good Christian daughter she thought her mother wanted, that she would eventually earn her mother’s love.

But despite participating in church events and going through the emotions, her heart and mind were not into it. She felt nothing. No holy spirit moving through her. When Yang finally told her mother that she no longer believed in GOD, Alisa was met with accusations of being possessed by the devil and she would spend the next few years being dragged from pastor to pastor, church to church and exorcism to exorcism. Her mother refusing to give up until whatever demon was possessing her daughter, was expelled.

After years of unsuccessful attempts, at the urging of her mother, Alisa decided to give it one more try. Now in graduate school, her mother had contacted well know televangelist and Evangelical pastor Bob Larson of the Spiritual Freedom Church based in Denver. To set up an exorcism for her daughter via Skype. The cost: $295. After all, salvation isn’t free. But Alisa was open. More out of pleasing her mother than believing this would end any different than the dozens of exorcisms before. She recorded the meeting and used the footage to make her widely acclaimed film Sleeping With The Devil, that screened at this year’s El Paso Film Festival in October.

Bob Larson is the host of tv’s Ask an Exorcist. Yes, that’s a thing. And has credited himself with performing tens of thousands of successful exorcisms around the country. His daughter is also an exorcist. The Evangelical Church is very visual. Performative and Theatrical. Looking at the many recorded YouTube videos, one thing that stands out is that his subjects are overwhelmingly women. After seeing Larson’s interaction with Yang, it becomes evident pretty quickly what he thinks about women in general. Especially those among his following. Video after video of women shaking and crying as he prays over them and exorcises their ‘demons’. But Alisa on the other hand would deliver a different reaction. One that Larson wasn’t prepared to accept, relayed in his facial expressions and chastising words.

It didn’t take long for Larson to begin personally attacking Alisa when she didn’t respond the way he wanted. At one point saying that he knew she had dissociative personality disorder. And went on to blame her parents, and Yang herself for her own past abuse and trauma. He told her that she was cursed. That her entire bloodline was cursed and would continue to be so unless she turned back to GOD. That all those coming after her would be subject to the same abuse and trauma because of her refusal to accept Christ. He was done with the session. But not before mentioning that when she was ‘ready’ he would return. For another $295 of course.

What Larson and many pastors just like him do isn’t profit over pain, but profit off the pain. And because of it.

While not the results Larson desired, what it did solidify for Alisa was that there was no, is no GOD. And that these so-called pastors were not there to help women like her. And what they preached about love, forgiveness- were just words. She had officially given up on trying to change her mother’s mind, be a part of her world or any world that chose to blame the victim rather than support and help them.

When it comes to victim blaming and shaming in religious organizations, her experience isn’t new. When women and girls who have been victims of sexual abuse and assault within the church and its congregation speak out and come forward, the wagons circle and more often than not they are silenced. Their accusations dismissed and the girls accused of either lying or being tools of the devil. When your whole life revolves around the church and church activities like bible study, church camp, revivals, the fear of retaliation or ostracization for some is worse than living with and internalizing their pain.

EXAMPLES:

— PhD student at Capital Seminary Wade Mullen, did a dissertation on research he’d done on abuse within religious organizations and found 192 cases where the leader of an Evangelical institution or another widely known church had been charged with rape, molestation and child pornography.

— 166 victims at Bob Jones University were discouraged from pursuing charges of sexual abuse and assault by the school itself. Guilting the students by claims of what it would do to their families if they continued with their allegations. And accusing them of not loving GOD enough, but themselves more.

— Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church, which has a high instance of sexual abuse targeted in their congregation between the ages of 14-16, has dismissed instances of assault as being consensual. Going to far as to punish the girls when caught and accusing them of being ‘aggressive’ and ‘targeting’ the older men who according to them ‘can’t control themselves’ when tempted.

— Over almost two decades the Southern Baptist Church has seen 400 church leaders convicted of over 700 sexual crimes against victims.

Even more alarming is that when mega church pastor Bill Hybels, founder of Chicago’s Willow Creek Community Church, stepped down amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, he was applauded by his congregation than being shamed and embarrassed for his actions. And Teaching Pastor Andy Savage received a standing ovation when he resigned over the sexual assault of, then 17-year-old, Jules Woodson.

So it should come as no surprise that just this year when Missouri residents Boyd and Stephanie Householder were charged with 100 felonies for abuses inflicted at their church run Circle of Hope Christian Boarding School for sexual abuse of the teenage residents sent there for rehabilitation. Charges ranging from rape, to sodomy, physical abuse and neglect. Jerry Pyle, pastor of Bible Baptist Church, claims the Householders are victims of false allegations propelled by demons. He used this claim to raise money for the couple.

Victims villainized, while the real villains get encouraged, supported and praised.

There are Evangelical retreats designed for the sole purpose of parents arranging marriages for their children. Headed by people like Matthew and Marantha Chapman. He was 27 and she just 15, when they married. Like Oldman Vaughn who uses home school conventions to push this agenda.

According to Phil Robertson, of Duck Dynasty fame, has publicly said (and proudly I might add), that the ideal wife is between 15-16 years of age. That by the age 20, they are too old.

This culture of abuse among religious organizations, and their unwillingness to hold themselves and the perpetrators accountable to it, is a pervasive and widespread one. Young girls and boys indoctrinated to believe that they are not individuals. They have no autonomy, no voice in the traumas heaped onto them. Compounded by the lack of support, accountability. Told that it is their fault, and they are somehow less than in the eyes of GOD.

In a 20-year span, Faith based insurance companies that cover churches have reported an average of 260 claims of sexual abuse a year. There is very little outcry from the religious right in putting a stop to this. But rather it’s swept under the rug.

And those committing these heinous crimes only need shed a few tears, ask GOD and the congregation for forgiveness and just like that- a clean slate. All is forgiven. But for the victims there is no salvation. Only shame.

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