Sunday, April 29, 2012

Another Living Church of God Horror Story




This is from one of the public Facebook pages for WCG survivors.  Another sad story of lives being destroyed by LCG:


My ex-wife joined LCG two years ago in Greenville SC, then at Braselton, GA, now Tallahassee...Since then I have been alienated from my children, often denied visitation, and denied communication with them. The kids started acting differently...vague answers, dismissal and redirection when questioned, unemotional and sometimes trance-like. I don't know how much of this can be traced to the church, but my ex is now facing contempt of court charges and a custody suit. My attorney is very interested in hearing similar stories of isolationism practiced in LCG, preferably in th Ga/SC area. He also asked me what the major tenets of this religion are.....I have read the restored truths and the official website blurbs, but the wording is too wordy...it seems difficult to pinpoint exactly what are the practices and beliefs of the LCG. Certainly the survivor stories I read mention practices and beliefs that I can't find in print. Can someone fill me in on the "real" practices and beliefs of the LCG?
 
Thank you to all of you for the resources and support. Admittedly, the amount of information available is nearly overwhelming, but I have been studying this church for two years now, so I have a general knowledge of its works and I expect to study and learn more in the coming months... Martin, as for not knocking the "wisdom of the world"- believe me I don't. Me and the rest of my family know that "something fishy is going on here". Prior to court intervention my son was kept from me for two years, and it was beginning to start with my daughter as well...I didn't get to see her for a year and a half. I was shocked when my nine year old son called me and started telling me he didn't want to see me anymore- even more shocked when I heard the indoctrinational phrases coming from his mouth...he is intelligent, but it is obvious he's just repeating what he has heard. My kids are pushed to develop their "own" opinion about me- the ex forced the nine year old to tell me that he didn't want to have summer visitation with me- but I believe the kids are just saying what they are told to say.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was a child traumatized by such pressure in the church. The guilt they make you feel for even associating from a non-church member is overwhelming.

What you experience is typical, and your children will mourn these lost years.

I hope you get them out of there; it has truly destroyed lives like mine. If only someone had rescued me...
I only wish

Mickey said...

At age 11 I was pressured into telling my non custodial Father that I would no longer be keeping Christmas with him. The pressure came from my WCG member Mother. The church itself didn't "make" my Mother do this but it did convince her that participation in Christmas was an abomination to God. As any parent concerned with her child's eternal fate she took it from there.

Anonymous said...

This was on the ExitSupportNetwork.com: I too am a child survivor of the Worldwide Church of God. I attended the London church from the age of 5 to 14. My father was not in the "church." I was always made to feel like a second class citizen at services because of this. I didn't have the "model church family" and in the pecking order we were the lowest of the low. I was seen as being in a single parent family. I remember my friends used to ask me "do you love your dad?" because he was seen as virtually the devil. I used to see these large Stepford-like families with their own Bible hymnals and well groomed kids and wish I could live with them. Outside the WCG I also felt like an outsider not being able to go to my friends' birthday parties or not ever see them on Saturdays. I became judgmental of them and felt a sense of guilt when I associated too much with them.
_______________(end)_______________
My note:
I was an Ambassador College student from the 1980's and they tried everything possible to kick me out of the college and church(some illegal) because they thought I was a spy for Stanley Radar, previously Mr. Armstrong's attorney, and spying for others trying to "take over the church".

They bugged phones, had people stalked and sent their own Ambassador College "spys" to try to get you to say something against the church. I laughed when someone tried to warn me of "spys". They would pretend to be disgrunteled and try to egg you on to agree and say something against the church. One of the spys sister's told me what was happening, and their were wierd people saying wierd things with such very bad acting skills.

Lots of desperate things happened at the college that didn't happen out in the feild. I've learned that these can be very dangerous people.

I went to another college later and in a speech class a girl gave an introductory speech telling the class that her parents (WCG)threatened to shoot her dead for leaving the church because they wanted to save her from the "Great Tribulation".

She fled in the middle of the night to another state. I fled to another state also because my mother kidnapped my three year old for three months so she could take him to what they cal the place of safety - a desert in Petra,Jordan.

Last year, she tried again to have child services take him away from me when she found out I was moving to Europe.

Fringe churches attract an inordinant number of psychotic desperate people. Any child is in danger potentially. That was my 15 years of experience. Being raised in the church is especially traumatic because you cannot choose your beliefs as your parents were able to choose. It is the only true church and if you leave you will burn and since they won't let you have friends outside of the church, leaving the church means you will also have every person you know shun you. The guilt your children are plauged with since you are a non-member, is phenominal.

I pray you save your children from the nightmares I experienced.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe in celebrating Christmas,Easter, or Birthdays. It is worldly I also believe in keeping the sabbath and I don't think anyone can be forced to stay from family or friends on the Sabbath.

Anonymous said...

Right on anonymous!

Anonymous said...

I was a baptized member of WCG from 1975 to 1994. I had four children to whom I can only say that I'm sorry for putting you through this madness. If you are attending this cult organization keep in mind that Christ will return when He's damn good and ready to. Get out and save your kids, you won't like what you see if you don't.