http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/03/more-testimonial-from-ex-members-of-mars-hill Comments On: More Testimony from Ex-Members of Mars Hill by Brendan Kiley en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sat, 18 May 2013 17:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by SHIT SHOW]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:04:05 -0800 The Stranger
I was a member of a Church with similarly abusive tactics to MH, and they were so subtle, what started as a pursuit to serve God and love his people on my part incredulously became a war in my mind and a perpetual habit of shame, doubt, fear, second-guessing myself, self-harming and being too terrified that 'God' would abandon me just as my erstwhile "Church friends" did when I was in that situation. I was being "punished" first by my support network, second by myself, (third I thought by God) and then fourth by people like you who made me think it was my fault for missing the signs beforehand. They were not evident signs when I entered what was a welcoming, warm, loving, faithful and seemingly-normal community. In fact, I witnessed many people's lives be changed for the better and even participated in furthering a vision I really believed was of God and from God. A lot of the outreach programmes and ministry arms of such Churches are lifelines to marginalised members of communities like the homeless, substance abusers, unemployed etc offering support, resources and good moral advice and provisions in areas neglected by local government and other charities. Lots of these initiatives are good and positive. Most people who stay out of harm's way can successfully impact thousands of lives whilst attending abusive Churches without enduring any abuse themselves.

I am not stupid, naive, less worthy of acceptance, the benefit of the doubt or the respect of people like yourselves and even non-believers just because I attended a Church which increasingly became cult-like. I could not possibly have been expected to foresee that as the Church began to grow the loving community would turn into a mega-prison. It all happened really fast. My reasons for joining the Church were sincere and pure, and what went on inside there was not immediately suspicious. Had it been, I would have left. Once I started to have questions, my whole life was already locked into the "system" and the fear of getting out was worse than the fear of staying in. I would have also let a lot of needing people down. I joined an abusive Church because I wanted to make a difference to peoples' lives. I still do.

The only thing worse than being abused by those you trusted and loved is when you have the courage to walk away from it all and endure the slander to your name, loss of reputation, standing, relationships with family members who stay in the system and loss of friends; and then outsiders who were not even in that situation come on line and label you as another "religious dumb sheep" who "should have known better" or imply that you are someone who was "probably asking for it". It adds insult to injury, and makes you feel how I would imagine a victim of rape feels on a stand when the Defence Attorney asks for the hundredth time whether the person they KNOW assaulted them, "really did it".
Posted by Spiritual Abuse Victim]]> Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:49:57 -0800 The Stranger http://santitafarella.wordpress.com/2012…

Check out this thread. Interesting one. Andrew didn't tell the whole story....
Posted by Skeptical observer]]> Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:37:17 -0800 The Stranger http://flora-s-poste.blogspot.com/2012/0…
Posted by Aspasia]]> Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:41:49 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Tawnos]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:13:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Brendan Kiley]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:20:11 -0800 The Stranger Posted by undead ayn rand]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:59:05 -0800 The Stranger Posted by attitude devant]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:37:18 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Teslick]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:32:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by jgrant3919]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:20:16 -0800 The Stranger
It seems like this is largely a situation that adults have put themselves in, and they are allowing themselves to be bullied by what appears to be mentally ill people.

If I had been foolish enough to get involved in something like Mars Hill, and wanted to leave it, I would do just that, and not care about what the church thought, or what contractural obligations they felt they had over me. This all reads like some stupid high school drama, or the sort of thing that happens when one leaves a fraternity (which I did. Twice)
Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:12:39 -0800 The Stranger The Fellowship.

(Douglas Coe, C Street house, National Prayer Breakfast, etc., etc.)
Posted by rob!]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:10:59 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Senor Guy]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:07:38 -0800 The Stranger
*popcorn*
Posted by Helix]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:06:15 -0800 The Stranger Posted by AmyC]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:04:35 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mahtli69]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:56:32 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by Genghis John]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:54:51 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Brendan Kiley]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:27:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by metardtard]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:21:56 -0800 The Stranger Posted by sikandro]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:19:49 -0800 The Stranger Posted by internet_jen]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:17:03 -0800 The Stranger
Sounds like Occupy Wall Street.
Posted by Kinison]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:57:50 -0800 The Stranger Posted by TVDinner]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:40:29 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Actionsquid]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:32:49 -0800 The Stranger