leaving the message

articles about the affect & fears of leaving the message

The decision has been made. You’re leaving. Now what?

Now you’re dealing with feelings you’ve never experienced before. It was bad enough trying to sort through the questions and issues of your faith. This is now where you know you can’t hide; you’re going to be the one that everyone feels sorry for. You’re going to be the one who never “had it”, who “couldn’t live it”, who was listening to the wrong voices and spent too much time reasoning.

What now? How do you move forward?

articles

20/20 Perspective: Cults Within Cults

Early in my post-message life, I would have other former members approach me suggesting their experience was significantly different than what I experienced. Likewise, there were times when I would read someone else's testimony and...

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20/20 Perspective: Shunning

Who Shunned Who? Honestly. This is a question I've had to really reflect on. In the immediate aftermath, it could be well documented in my writing on this website how the message folk effectively 'shunned'...

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Barriers of Exit: The Exodus Story

The following article is part of my “Barriers of Exit” series. These barriers are cognitive hurdles that make it extremely hard to question or leave the Message. For a questioning individual, they may have...

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Morning Mercy - Conformity

It Wasn’t About You: It was About a System

What is a System: “An organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements (components, entities, factors, members, parts etc.). These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity...

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