A rift between TikTok sisters Miranda and Melanie Wilking led to an investigation into the 7M “cult” featured in a Netflix doc.
In an age the place cult exercise is the focus, it appears unlikely that individuals may so simply fall into one. We’ve seen what occurs with teams like NXIVM and Scientology, so it ought to appear apparent to keep away from cults (or teams that appear like one). Nevertheless, nobody units out to “be a part of a cult” — cults typically prey on widespread vulnerabilities, which is why up-and-coming dancers, influencers, and actors could also be straightforward targets.
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Netflix’s latest cult documentary, Dancing for the Satan: The 7M TikTok Cult, which is ready to premiere on Could 29, particulars what occurred when one half of a dancing sister duo, the Wilking sisters, fell into the mistaken administration agency. 7M Movies claims to be a administration firm for dancers, fashions, and actors, however an investigation behind the scenes exhibits a a lot darker story. What’s actually occurring?
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To clarify the 7M TikTok cult, we have now to dig into the founding father of 7M, Robert Shinn.
Robert Shinn based 7M Movies in 2021, so it’s nonetheless fairly new. Nevertheless, to make a reputation for his new enterprise, he and his son, Isaiah, approached rising social media influencers, together with the Wilking sisters. Whereas Miranda Wilking determined she wished to work with 7M, Melanie seen a number of crimson flags and determined to keep away from the group.
A type of crimson flags is the “chief,” Robert Shinn, who can be the chief of Los Angeles’s Shekinah Church. Nevertheless, the “Church” appears to haven’t any bodily or social media presence. In line with a Every day Beast profile, company filings present the church’s deal with is simply an workplace area, coincidentally the identical deal with because the 7M Movies HQ.
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Shekinah Church was based in 1994 and appears to borrow from a number of different religions and cult-like dogma. In 2009, former Shekinah Church member Lydia Chung filed a lawsuit towards Shinn, claiming he “had remoted her from her household, brainwashed her, and defrauded her out of practically $4 million, which was allegedly funneled to Shinn via the non-taxpaying church.” The decide in the end dominated in Shinn’s favor, leaving Chung to select up the items of the life he stole.
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“This can be a cult,” she advised The Every day Beast. “This completely ruins folks. You hear concerning the individuals who went to Vietnam—going via such a trauma, many individuals can not operate as a standard human being—that is what it does.” She claimed Shinn “exerted undue affect, thoughts management, coercive persuasion, oppression, and different intimidating ways” over her to “divest her of her cash and property” to him “all within the title of obeying the need of God.”
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After all, this was earlier than Shinn’s 7M Movies days, however his sample of conduct continued, main a number of former 7M dancers to sue the corporate. TikTokers Aubrey Fisher-Greene, Kylie Douglas, and Kevin “Konkrete” Davis joined 4 others in accusing Shinn of operating a cult.
“Shekinah is a cult working underneath the guise of a non secular establishment,” the cross-complaint stated (through Rolling Stone). “Robert refers to himself as ‘the Man of God’ and preaches to Shekinah members, and that [sic] with out submitting to him and with out Shekinah, their lives will probably be cursed. Robert required full bodily and financial management [sic] over Shekinah members.”
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The Netflix documentary about 7M will probably deal with the Wilking sisters and different strained households.
When Melanie and her mother and father went stay on Instagram to inform their story, Miranda and her husband, James “BDAsh” Derrick, tried responsible the familial separation on racism in direction of Miranda’s husband. Nevertheless, the Wilkings denied this, stating that Melanie was additionally relationship a Black man on the time. Even nonetheless, 7M was ready to make use of this to drive a wedge between the sisters and pull Miranda into their money-making machine.
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The previous members allege that Shinn used 7M to manage members of the church and acquire funds to stay a lifetime of luxurious. In reality, 7M could also be a reference to Shekinah’s educating of the Seven Mountain Mandate, an ideology that claims “believers” should infiltrate the seven aspects of the fashionable world—household, faith, schooling, media, leisure, enterprise, and authorities—to “set up God’s kingdom on Earth.”
It’s primarily a holier-than-thou ideology that believes its followers needs to be in management positions all through each trade. This is sensible contemplating Shinn’s different ventures, together with actual property, medical testing, outreach applications, and different money-making schemes. There are many allegations towards Shinn, together with sexual assault allegations, however little has been shared with the general public, so we’re desperate to see what involves mild in Netflix’s documentary.