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“How he would use his form of authoritarian-style of leadership and how he would talk to other brothers in the church … pitting them against me or against other members,” Dan told Fox News Digital. “I wasn’t the only one. There are others that left because they saw the writing on the wall.”¹
Dan described Robert Cosby Sr., Mary’s step-grandfather and the church’s former leader, as unpredictable and controlling — charming one moment, publicly humiliating members the next.¹
The abuse reportedly extended beyond harsh words. Dan claimed he endured physical punishments as a child, including kneeling on pins and needles and witnessing another child being beaten.¹ The final straw came when Robert allegedly shoved Dan during a prayer session, which prompted him to finally walk away.¹
Faith Over Family: Pressure on Church Members
The pressure inside Faith Temple extended beyond physical and verbal abuse. Dan’s wife, Kim, revealed that church teachings forced members into impossible dilemmas.
“If I said I’m going to go home and cook… then I’m putting him above God,” Kim explained. “It was always a competition … if I didn’t do what they said, then I’m putting my husband above God.”¹
Financial Exploitation of Members
Financial manipulation also appears to have been a hallmark of the church’s operation. Cameron Williams, a church member who appeared on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 2, disclosed that he took out a $300,000 second mortgage on his home to give cash to Mary Cosby.²
“Is it a cult? Yes. Does she call herself ‘God’? Yes,” Williams said on camera.³
Other former members, including Rosalind and Ernest Enoch, corroborated the allegations, describing aggressive “heave offerings” demanded during church meetings. Robert Sr. allegedly instructed ushers to barricade members in, forcing them to contribute large sums on short notice.⁴
Ernest recalled giving Mary a $1,000 cash-filled birthday card, only to be publicly shamed for the congregation only handing over 14 cards in total.⁴ Leaked audio from 2020 even captured Mary calling her congregation “stingy” and declaring, “I don’t want poor people around me.”⁵
Ex-members told The Daily Beast that some cashed out 401(k)s and even lost homes to meet the church’s demands.⁵
Faith Temple’s Shift After Grandmother’s Death
Faith Temple Pentecostal Church was founded in 1968 by Mary’s grandmother, Rosemary “Mama” Cosby.⁶ After Mama Cosby’s death in 1997, the church’s leadership and dynamics changed dramatically. Robert Sr. married Mary within a year, and the church reportedly took a dark turn.
“You were just afraid to leave. People were afraid of leaving,” Dan told Fox News Digital.¹ Former members say Robert publicly humiliated congregants and allegedly installed cameras to monitor behavior, enforcing strict isolation from anyone who left.⁵
A 2007 court ruling found documents attributed to Mama Cosby were forged, ordering Robert Sr. and Faith Temple to pay $1.2 million to a pastor who had left with roughly 200 members after witnessing the church’s drastic changes.⁵
Mary Cosby Denies Allegations
Mary has consistently denied any wrongdoing. “They’ve been saying that since my grandmother started the church,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. “Clearly I’m not going to get on national television, be a Housewife and be in a cult. Come on, no.”⁷
Yet, the three-part TLC series lays bare a different story: years of spiritual manipulation, financial exploitation, and fractured families. Dan Cosby summed it up poignantly:
“Our past, those instances, come back to our minds, and that hurt — that will only take God to be able to forgive.”¹
