New to this forum… questions
Date: May 16, 2021 09:51PM
So, I’ll give u a little background. I grew up evangelical. My parents split when I was 8, and my mom married my stepdad. He was involved with extreme/abusive religion.
He had problems previously with alcoholism and in trying to get better he started shopping around for a church and found one he got involved with in Louisiana called Mt Zion Bible church. The pastor had very extreme views on modesty and gender roles.
By the time he moved to Texas and got involved with my mom, some of his views were very strange for the time (mid-90s). He didn’t believe in bathing suits, Christmas, Easter, public schools,etc. At first he’d try to influence my mom and she wouldn’t listen, but I think she started giving in after she had the older two of my younger half siblings.
I think this is where I should explain that my father had custody over me and my older brother at first. He started acting weird after the divorce and started abusing us. He molested me from right after (age 9) to right before I left for my mom’s (age 14).
Two things got me in trouble and got me sent away to mom’s. First, I accidentally reported my dad. I just wanted someone to talk to and I didn’t know the school counselor had to report it. I lied so I wouldn’t get taken away. Second, I was depressed and I told them I wanted to hurt myself and they got mad and told me I was being sent away. I was 14.
I was pulled out of school and moved to Washington from Texas. By that time my mom was part of the quiverfull movement (think of the Duggars or the 19 kids and counting family). I was forbidden to speak to my old friends, had to start wearing nothing but skirts and dresses, was forbidden to date or befriend boys, and could only make friends my mom approved of, which were only people at church. I was homeschooled and could only go to the store for mom, and otherwise wasn’t allowed to leave without anyone else.
I’m wondering if anyone knows any resources to help out with leaving this stuff. It’s difficult and almost no one knows what I’m talking about.