Upon denouncing, I threw away everything associated with the sorority. Everything. As such, the rituals here is what's been documented online. There's a possibility that the wording of some rituals are different. This does not negate the issue at hand, which is that participation in BGLOs is idol worship for the individual that professes to be Christian.
Indicated below are portions of the ritual, along with guiding points to read and consider as you study for yourself. Click each dropdown arrow to view.
Image A: Altars • Love • Eternity • Scripture
BGLOs are not solely social organizations, they are occultists. Therefore, their function is spiritual. To build an altar (i.e. table, candles/fire, other sacred elements) is to engage in worship, to give reverence and the highest honor to God — or in this case, their god.
For the believer in Christ, we know that God is love. We also know that we are to love the Lord our God with everything in us. He is the only One that truly satisfies us and brings us infallible joy. It's incomparable to anything else.
We are sojourners through this earth. When our physical existence ceases, we are still spirits, so life does not end. Only those who are in Christ are guaranteed eternity with Him. Your position in an organization does not bring you eternal security. Also, joining a BGLO is not your God-given purpose. What a tragedy it'll be to come to the end of your life believing you've completed what you were meant to do solely by being an AKA.
The selection of this passage from Ruth is interesting. In these verses, Ruth is agreeing to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi and to serve Naomi's God instead of her own.
Image B: Pledging allegiance
In the Word, God warns us against making oaths (includes vows, promises, pledges, covenant, etc.). However, there are many cases of oaths being made throughout the Bible. Some were through physical sacrifices, others were through speaking it. Aligning with an occult by verbally agreeing to "respect, obey and defend" everything regarding them, is a covenant that binds you together. What does it mean to be spiritually bound to an entity that does not mirror the standards and beliefs of the God you claim to serve? What does it look like to have to defend and obey an entity that does not honor your God? There are only two kingdoms — the Kingdom of God (light) and the kingdom of darkness. One cannot exist in both.
"So let my life....[be] a wreath for Thee." This is not referring to God/Jesus. Who else should my life be an adornment for?
Image C: Blind faith
It is not wise to blindly put your faith and trust in any manmade thing without reservations. In fact, scripture commands us to test spirits to see if they're from God (which many of us fail to do, obviously). So how much more dangerous must it be to agree to blindly submit to a "sisterhood" when there are a merging of faiths? BGLOs are not Christ-centered organizations nor are they founded on "Christian principles." Because it is not a Christian organization with the mission of cultivating disciples of Jesus, there are members in the group of other religions and spiritual beliefs. Should one blindly trust and put their faith in someone that answers to a different god? That lives by different morals and standards? That does not have conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning the things of God?
Image D: Altars • Allegiance • Secrecy • Oaths
Yet again, this "table" is an altar.
What is the purpose of keeping the manner of initiation, pledge, and obligation a secret?
As a believer, should one devote themselves to fully supporting the ideals of an organization regardless of the situation?
Image E: Covenant
"...you are not only joining with individuals but you are uniting with the Alpha Kappa Alpha" — If AKA is an "organization" as many contend, then wouldn't a new member simply be joining other individuals within this organization? What does it mean to unite with "the AKA"?
Image F: Yoked
Every religion prays. For believers, we are given the structure of how to pray which typically begins with or includes recognition of God, our Father, and we pray in Jesus' name. Who does AKA believe to be the "Eternal Spirit?" I do not (and warn you not to) come into agreement in prayer with 1) those who do not share the same beliefs as you and 2) those who never specify who they're praying to.
Denouncing
Timeline:
2014: Joined AKA
2016: Became inactive
2019: Denounced via email to corporate (no response)
2021-23: Denounced via notarized notice to corporate and eventually received a response. I was not satisfied with the response, so it's still in progress. This is also when I made my denouncement public.
As I've previously shared, I knew my time with AKA was going to be short. I didn't fully know why, but I slowly learned over time. It's been almost ten years filled with growing pains — not pain caused by leaving the organization (that's been quite joyful and refreshing actually), but pain caused by my disobedience, ignorance, and infidelity towards God. Transparently, I went through a period of grieving the way that I'd grieved God. It literally made (and still makes) me nauseous as I reread the rituals and vividly recall myself kneeling down in that room.
Where I currently stand makes me wonder what took me so long to denounce. As I've thought about it, I remind myself that everything is spiritual. Once I came into covenant with the organization by first simply agreeing to be initiated, I gave permission for that spirit to have authority. The Spirit of God and the spirit of AKA are two different things (i.e. Light vs. dark). Where God truly is present, there's love, peace, kindness, humility, freedom, safety, power, and a sound mind. Anything not of God is opposite of that — bondage, fear, confusion, pride, hate, jealousy, no peace, etc.
Although I had denounced within my heart and to those closest to me, there was still a stronghold to the organization. I had not fully and publicly denounced/renounced the covenant made; and God honors our oaths, whether they align with His word or not. In the oath, we agreed to secrecy, to defend the organization at all costs, to be obedient to whatever they instructed. That oath still had authority and therefore made it challenging to even talk about it. I wasn't afraid to do so, but the stronghold for me unfolded as passivity, delay, and inward anger.
But there are those who are afraid to expose darkness and leave. This is partially why you'll see many denouncement videos that are still very, very vague. Some will not mention the organization's name or provide explicit reason for their departure from the org. They are still bound to the oaths that they've taken and are still swearing by secrecy and defense, even if they feel a tug to leave.
I've spoken to believers who've yet to denounce (all voluntary conversations brought to me) and some have openly admitted to knowing their participation opposes God, but find it hard to leave. Others, ministers even, have defended the oaths of their org and instead, have challenged the authority of scripture in their life. At the core, they prefer to love and follow their organizations rather than loving and following God. If you're unsure of which side you're on, simply evaluate your response to this post. Either you will be highly offended and experience unrighteous anger or you'll experience a level of conviction and seek to be in right standing with God.
There are so many portions of this journey I wish I had capacity to cover at the moment. But it is my hope that you, the follower of Christ, have been enlightened by what's been revealed. More importantly, it is my prayer that you sense the urgency for believers in Christ to come out of covenant with false gods.
All in all, I'm grateful that this experience has allowed growth in the areas of:
living a life of daily repentance
forgiving myself because God already has
practicing righteous judgement
prioritizing the Gospel above all
Does this mean that you, a believer interested in a BGLO, should still pursue it in order to learn these things? No. If anything, there's now no excuse to do so because you've read the warning. But the decision is now yours.
If you're interested in learning more, I'd suggest that you look into:
The establishment and breaking of covenants in the Bible
The presence and ceremonies of BGLOs and other secret societies at important functions such as weddings, funerals, births, and baptisms
The generational consequences of forming such covenants (hint: it doesn't just affect you).
The chants of BGLOs vs. The Bible
Other occult groups - BGLOs, Eastern Star/Masons, etc.