-
-
Popular Posts
- Belts and spatulas: a story of spanking, fear, failure and redemption
- A mandate of freedom
- I was spanked as a child and I turned out ok. Didn't I?
- You shattered my darkness
- The New Misogyny: "bro-culture" pastors, sexist Christian comedians and abuse apologetics disguised as female empowerment
- Book Review: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Who is Elizabeth Esther?
- A day in the life of EE {daily routines, systems and time management for my life as a writer}
- Why we left Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
- Do Christian women have a responsibility to dress modestly?
Category Archives: Cults
When God is your abuser
I was being abused and I asked Jesus to help me. I was a little girl–the age of my own twin daughters–and I was away at Bible Camp. I asked Jesus to help me. I prayed over and over. I … Continue reading
Posted in CoDependent Issues, Cults, RecoveringFundamentalist
28 Comments
Don’t engage the crazy
Here are some thoughts on the futility of “helping” people who are still heavily invested in their harmful belief systems or who believe they are on a mission from God Himself.
A former religious extremist explains how radicalization happens {plus, a theory of how suspected Boston Marathon bombers were radicalized}
How do two sons of a political asylum refugee grow up to be terrorists? Their father loved America. Their uncle and aunt and everyone that knew them–including their neighbors and school mates–were shocked to hear these young men were suspected … Continue reading
Posted in Cults, Current Affairs, Religion
11 Comments
Precious and Free
I took the children to a park we haven’t been to in a long time. When they were little, we went almost every day. The park looks different now: old, weathered, worn-out. Two of the slides had been torn out, the … Continue reading
Is my church a cult?
I grew up in a cult. Yes, it was a cult. I call my childhood church a cult because because we operated like one. Cults aren’t about beliefs so much as they are about behavior. Plenty of churches share similar beliefs but … Continue reading
Posted in Cults
28 Comments
Recovering from cults and abusive relationships
Take Back Your Life is a fascinating book about recovering from cults and abusive relationships. There are moments when I’ve had to put the book down because I’m crying so hard. Other times I break out in a cold sweat. … Continue reading
Posted in Cults
16 Comments
Why I’ve Stopped Living Like Each Day is My Last
Recently, I had a jarring insight in therapy. Our marriage therapist was remarking on the fact that we have a high tolerance for living in high-demand, high-stress environments. We’ve been living like each day is our last since we were … Continue reading
Posted in Cults, RecoveringFundamentalist
28 Comments
Love until it hurts
I spread my life out on the table. My editor and I sifted through the pictures, newspaper clippings, poems I’d written as a child. We were looking for the stories, the driving questions, the point of conflict, the resolution. And … Continue reading
Posted in Cults, Michael & Debi Pearl
35 Comments
Bring on the blood, bring on the gore, Halloween doesn’t scare me anymore
It only took me 35 years to dress up for that evil, pagan holiday called Halloween. I was the proverbial Alice, lost in (Fundamentalist) Wonderland. I used to think Christians celebrating Halloween was comparable to Jews celebrating Hitler’s birthday. That … Continue reading
Posted in Catholicism, Cults, Faith
19 Comments
PTSD & Spiritual Abuse
This is such a fantastic video explaining why survivors of spiritual abuse experience flashbacks in church settings.
Posted in Cults, RecoveringFundamentalist
5 Comments
