Hi Sallie,
no I am not mocking you.Some cult groups are more severe than others.You obviously were in a very bad one.
And I too was raised in a cult.
I am also sure you are correct: iamworried will not be back.Your posts have probably made sure that iamworried is scared to post because they will be attacked, and that person has now lost a source of information.
Things like abuse of money,having to buy religious acceptance,, having to follow all the leader says as being correct without being able to think for yourself, moving when the leader says to, being cut off from your family because they are not spiritual enough: not good signs in a religious group.And that seems to be what iamworried is describing.
If you were in a group that went bad from originally a normal religious approach, then you too can understand why iamworried is concerned about where things are going.

I know that at the moment you need your anger. Being able to be truly angry at those who have hurt you is part of healing.
Just mellow a little on other people who are also hurt and working through their own journey.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2007 03:09AM by yasmin.

Her post was a joke. She is describing main stream Christianity. Adult baptism? Tything? A cult is a group of ''followers'' whose human ''leaders'' have divine insight into the spiritual realm. This woman says her family refers to the Bible????? Um. That's a book. A book. And they are apparently not afraid to read it which is a good sign. Cult leaders tell their followers(even the Christian cults)..NOT TO read the book because it is to hard for the ''followers'' to understand. She is having fun and this is not a funny subject. You think my post scared her? If so then she must be incredibly shallow. I am genuinely concerned about my loved ones and a contrary post is not going to scare me away from researching and seeking help. This woman is worried? Sounds like she is a control freak(live where I tell you to and baptize when I tell you to and believe what I want you to)....sounds like she is a candidate for cult leader. Cult leaders are about mind control. I was told I COULDN'T read the Bible and I SHOULD perform certain rituals...etc...etc...
You were also raised in a cult? Then you know what it is like to have a depraved sociopath tell you when to dunk and what to eat and where to live and what to think......
And you can't tell this person is mocking us?

If the woman was truly hurt by her Bible reading relatives then I am glad to apologize. I would however like to 'nicely' suggest that she count her blessing. It could be worse.

Thank you, Yasmin for your great use of words and for sticking up for me. You are correct. I will go elsewhere to find more information and help/support. I do not deserve to be attacked nor my words twisted into ways I did not intend. I was going to ramble on, but it's not worth it here. Chalk up a victory, Sallie....do you feel any better now?

OK now I know you are a bologna artist. Boo hoo poor me I'm so hurt I'm going to run away? I won't play anymore? You are full of bologn and you know it. I was almost..almost willing to consider the fact that these wretched Bible readers offended you to the point of heartache. Now it is me. My post has you weeping? How old are you?

Incidentally an ''attack'' is like....being thrown out of your house because you won't bend to the rules of some man who just ''spoke to god''. You think an ''attack'' is being told...."um...reading a book doesn't make you a cult follower".
Don't make fun of real people with real problems. You don't like that? You are offended? Grow up.

A cult tries to control thoughts, emotions, behavior. One way to control thoughts is to dictate which 'thought/words' injure and which are acceptable. AKA good thoughts/words vs. bad thoughts/words.
A cult revolves around an authority figure/person. This is why they will DIScourage/prohibit any individual reading and interpreting the Bible(or any other book).
A cult leader does not teach in the finality of death/heaven and hell. Souls don't disappear or go back to a Creator according to cult leaders....no no..souls hang around and ''talk to'' the cult leader.

iamworried. What you described is not a cult, but it could be a destructive church. There are many churches that are basically okay, but they have overbearing leadership. There is a difference.

One good way to tell if a church is OK is that its pastor has meaningful accountability to church members through a democratic church government (board and officers elected by the general membership to fixed terms) and financial transparency through annually published and detailed financial reports disclosing all salaries, expenses and compensation paid out from church funds.

Also, if a church has denominational accountability that may serve as another safeguard.

The more checks and balances a church has the safer it is likely to be and less prone to serious problems.

Every day people leave there churches for a number of reasons.

We dont see people coming in here say investiage the Epicipalians because they endorse gay marraige which goes against God. I would class that as a destructive church.

The ICOC follows the bible, and they have a passion to help the lost. It is a great church to belong to, if your willing to put in the extra moile to help a lost sheep.