You may have come across Gwen Shandley Larson, the controversial figure featured in HBO Max’s documentary “The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shandley.” With three episodes already released and two more on the way, the series explores the lives of former members from her church, The Remnant Fellowship, based in Brentwood, Tennessee. It highlights her ascent to fame and wealth, alongside the deep trauma inflicted on her followers, including a tragic case involving a child’s death. It’s a chilling narrative.
However, this isn’t merely about the documentary; it’s a reflection on Gwen’s teachings and their profound effects on me as a twelve-year-old.
Before establishing her controversial church/cult that promoted an unrealistic body image and amassed significant wealth, Gwen was a dietician. Unfortunately, she transformed her expertise into a harmful religion-based weight loss program.
My first encounter with Gwen (before she became Gwen Shandley Larson) occurred in the late nineties during my middle school years. Her Weigh Down Workshops were immensely popular in my church community, and her book, “The Weigh Down Diet,” was flying off the shelves. My parents purchased a copy, and my dad found success with her methods, shedding around forty pounds. My mother, who struggled with body image, was inspired and decided to attend a workshop, bringing me—a self-conscious seventh grader—along.
At these meetings, I was introduced to the idea that being overweight was a moral failure. We would sit in a circle, pray, and then watch Gwen confidently proclaim that obesity stemmed from greed. She claimed that overweight individuals were confusing their spiritual hunger with a craving for food, essentially making food an idol. This notion devastated me; it felt like my body was a barrier between me and the love of God.
I distinctly remember the shock I felt in that room. While I was grappling with this heavy revelation, the adults around me seemed unfazed, which made me believe that my feelings of distress were misplaced. Until that moment, I had felt good about myself as a rule-follower and diligent student. But now, I was left feeling that my worthiness was fundamentally flawed.
The workshops instilled a belief that my spirituality depended on my ability to reject food, which I began to associate with sin. Gwen’s teachings led me to feel that my body was a representation of my inadequacies. In those gatherings, I constantly heard phrases that shaped my views on food, such as “Eat only to the point of satisfaction” and “Don’t eat when you first feel hunger; it might be spiritual hunger.” The result was a convoluted relationship with food and an enduring sense of guilt.
Over the next two decades, I battled feelings of greed and failure, believing my body reflected my moral shortcomings. Gwen’s influence perpetuated a toxic link between food and morality, leaving me feeling ashamed and inadequate.
It wasn’t until I distanced myself from organized religion in my thirties that I began to reclaim my relationship with food. For the past several years, I’ve worked to heal from the damaging ideas that Gwen introduced me to.
When I learned about her tragic plane crash in Percy Priest Lake near Nashville, I felt a sense of relief. While I don’t revel in anyone’s demise, I can’t help but feel a weight lifted knowing her influence on so many, including myself, has come to an end. Although her legacy may continue through her daughter, I can only hope that her empire either transforms into something more positive or collapses under its own weight.
Gwen Shandley Larson dedicated her life to inflicting pain and perpetuating harm in the name of faith. While I won’t celebrate her passing, I certainly won’t mourn her. In the end, all her wealth and power couldn’t shield her from life’s ultimate fate.
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