Elizabeth Lyn Vargas Was in a Cult as a Child, and Faked Speaking in Tongues

"I grew up in complete fear, anxiety, anguish," Elizabeth Lyn Vargas told Braunwyn Windham-Burke in a recent episode of RHOC titled "A Submerged Secret." 

Elizabeth's family had strong ties to a religious organization, and she was encouraged to join as well. But which cult did they belong to? 

Born in West Plains, Mo., Elizabeth joined the Faith Bible Tabernacle at an early age. 

"I was raised in a very, very religious situation, where I was told to absolutely not open my mouth, or tell the truth about what was happening, and I have a very, very hard issue with stopping the compartmentalization because I grew up in this horrible situation," Elizabeth revealed.

"It was very, very hard for me. I was always scared for my life because we were beaten so bad that I thought for sure I was going to die one day of it," she added. 

Earlier on in the episode, she also shared a few snippets of information about the role her relatives played in the day-to-day running of the Faith Bible Tabernacle. 

"My grandmother was the leader of the church and my father was the preacher and my family really wanted me to be a preacher," Elizabeth revealed in a confessional. 

However, she realized that it was best to approach their directives with a pinch of salt, and that sometimes, feigning interest was the best strategy. 

"When I was eight years old, my grandmother asked me to speak in tongues in front of the church, and she says, 'The Lord needs to speak through Elizabeth.' And I just faked it, and they all bought it — in fact, even a member passed out," Elizabeth revealed. 

Although Elizabeth is regarded as one of the most affluent cast members currently appearing on the show — as the ex-wife of Norwegian businessperson Bernt O. Bodal, she receives $31,000 in monthly spousal support — she wasn't born into a life of luxury. 

Previously, she described her childhood as disagreeable, hinting that she was raised in an unhealthy environment. 

It's understood that Elizabeth developed an understanding of the complications arising from financial deficiencies at an early age — and she claims that the lifestyle she and her family led was far from opulent. 

"I grew up garbage-can poor. We were country hillbillies," Elizabeth remarked in a crucial scene of the Season 15 premiere, titled An Unexpected Secret.

The name of Elizabeth's grandmother has not yet been shared. But there are several churches with similar-sounding names in Missouri, making it somewhat more complicated for eager fans to track down which of Elizabeth's family members belonged to the Faith Bible Tabernacle. 

Catch new episodes of RHOC every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.