We often say that god is an abuser, but I rarely see the explicit connections made between Gods behaviour and abuse so I wanted to state it with clarity. Let us be in no doubt that the bible portrays God as the groom and the church as his bride. Keep this in mind as you read. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, havi
Forum: Destructive Churches

Humanists UK have launched a helpline in support of people leaving high-control religious communities. "People who leave high-control religious communities might face social isolation, profound loneliness, severed ties, and potential estrangement from family and community. The mental toll can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Some apostates confront workplace discri
Forum: Destructive Churches

Excellent video here that explains some of the issues with the bible and why it's important. It's also quite a fun video. If the presence of Satan makes you feel uncomfortable just remember Job uses Satan as a framing device too. Even though its a fun video they interview bible scholars and it's all based off readily available evidence. It's important to understand that bi
Forum: Destructive Churches

When you read the bible its riddled with contradictions. As an example look at Ephesians (attributed to Paul) which teaches that we experience a kind of heaven here on earth whereas 2 Thesselonians (which is also attributed to Paul but it contradicts Ephesians and is also thought not to be written by him) preaches that this is an age of suffering. It can't be both. First Thesselonians warns
Forum: Destructive Churches

"But as Christians we are told to Read and Study the Bible and rightly divide Truth from error" How do you do this? Genuine question. The reason I ask is that according to scripture, the God of the bible is no longer an interventionist god. He will not be tested (Deuteronomy 6), There are no miracles like the Bible alleges there were 2000 years ago, prayer doesn't work (in fact ou
Forum: Destructive Churches

I found this resource and thought I'd pass it on in case anyone finds it useful. A lot of websites about cults are atheist or neutral but this is a Christian website. Couple of interesting quotes: "Sociologists looks for patterns in human behavior and in social institutions. As you read the following pages, a profile of pastoral and spiritual abuse will emerge. Abusive churches,
Forum: Destructive Churches

QuoteI can see I think there's an element of looney tunes in most churches especially of the pentecostal variety. I've been reading some of the reports about abuse in the churches recently, Link here, UK link here . Reading "victims were frequently blamed as being responsible for their own sexual abuse;" is just awful. "the impact of child sexual abuse, often lifelong,
Forum: Destructive Churches

Sorry about your experiences. Most other Christians don't understand the way pentes do things; telling them about being slain in the spirit, speaking in tongues or spiritual warfare and you can make their eyes boggle. Do you think all pente churches fit the description of cults? I don't keep in touch with any Christians any more. It was too hard. It was painful leaving the faith beh
Forum: Destructive Churches