Now that former NFL player Daniel Muir and his wife Kristen are in custody, details are emerging about the extreme religious group,Straitway Truth Ministries, that recruited Daniel Muir and his wife to join.
Muir eventually became a pastor, and he can be found in several YouTube videos preaching the rhetoric of the group.
Indiana State Police have charged Muir, 40, with domestic battery and obstruction of justice, and his wife Kristen Muir, 38, is charged with obstruction. The couple was arrested following a police search of their home located on a religious compound, in which authorities found their 14-year-old son, Bryson, who was reported missing almost three weeks ago after his grandmother reported him being abused and pictures of him with a black eye surfaced.
The couple is being held with no bond and can’t have any contact with their son.
Is Straightway A Dangerous, Radical Religious Cult?
As TSL previously reported, authorities in Tennessee investigated what many are calling a “cult” lifestyle followed by Muir and his wife after they were reported to have been recruited to Straitway by Muir’s former Green Bay Packers teammate Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.
Straitway Truth Ministries is a religious group in Tennessee that some online participants familiar with it describe as a cult. According to Straitway’s website, the group is a “nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers; obedient to Yah (God) and our savior, Jesus the Christ.”
Muir’s involvement with this organization dates back to his time with the Green Bay Packers, and he has embraced the religion. He can be seen preaching on various topics, including intimacy and strength of faith, via the group’s YouTube channel.
NFL Connection At Straightway:Green Bay Packers Teammate Got Muir Into Straitway
Former Packers star Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila joined Straitway after he denounced the Christian religion, and in December 2019 he reportedly was almost arrested after he sent his two armed friends to a school Christmas program. Fortunately, the men were arrested for trespassing.
The intriguing background nugget is that Gbaja-Biamila allegedly sent Muir videos of Straitway’s leader, Pastor Charles Dowell, and Muir found himself agreeing with the rhetoric of the pastor.
Muir Started Recruiting For Straitway
As documented by Sports Illustrated, Muir then introduced former Colts legend and teammate Robert Mathis to Straitway following the 2018 season after a conversation that began with a coaching job and ended with Mathis asking Muir about his T-shirt that read: “HEBREW”
These two are still linked up and expanding their connection.
In his LinkedIn profile, Muir lists himself and Mathis, a five-time Pro Bowl player, Super Bowl XLI champion, and Colts all-time sacks leader with 123, as co-founders of The Gridiron Gang since 2017.
Their company provides athletic development and high-level training performance for football players of all levels from professional athletes to kids.
Pastor Daniel Muir Was Deeply Involved In Straightway
Muir’s home in Logansport, Indiana, is listed as owned by a religious organization linked directly to the Straitway church, The Servant Leader’s Foundation. The estate called “Straitway Goshen” names Muir by the title “Pastor,” and the former defensive lineman is listed as the contact and leader of Straitway’s Indiana location.
The Muirs have had to totally change their lives since joining the church. A life separated from mainstream society. According to reports, Kristen stopped wearing makeup, began wearing a head covering and sold her Louis Vuitton and Gucci purses and wallets on Facebook to submit to Straitway’s teachings of a simple life.
Straitway has chapters around the country, with Gbaja-Biamila heading up a Wisconsin extension – Straitway Praiseland. Reportedly, his association was red-flagged when he sent two armed members to a Christmas pageant at his children’s school, leading to the members’ arrests for trespassing and carrying concealed weapons, with Gbaja-Biamila getting caught up in the legalities.
More details to come.
