high-control religions
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DARVO
Read more: DARVOGreat post about DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender), a tactic frequently used in high control religions to prevent their adherents from leaving.
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Red flags
Read more: Red flagsThe best dating site, in my opinion, is OKCupid, because you can ask and answer questions about your dealbreaker issues. Then you don’t need to go on a date with some idiot who believes stuff like “women should submit to their husbands” or “pregnant rape victims should carry the foetus to term”.
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Rapping about the rapture
Read more: Rapping about the raptureI’m thankful that I was not brought up with the nonsense about the rapture, but I recognize that it is still traumatic to think about for a lot of people.
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Deprogramming with Gillian Jenkinson
Read more: Deprogramming with Gillian JenkinsonJust got an update from Gillian Jenkinson: Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army BBC2 27 July and 3 August 9pm I had the privilege of being filmed delivering Post-Cult Counselling in a Recovery Workshop for a documentary “Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army” with four amazing survivors. This was filmed at my house…
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High control covens
Read more: High control covensThere’s a new article from Storm Faerywolf on The Wild Hunt today talking about the warning signs of high control groups and covens. Members of these damaged covens are often instructed not to socialize with others outside the group, or lineage, or are otherwise told certain individuals to avoid. Information is often restricted; leadership oftentimes…
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Be like Cathy
Read more: Be like CathyWhen I was 14 or 15 years old and still a Christian, a boy who was older than me (17, I think) told me that God wanted me to be his girlfriend. I didn’t reciprocate but I was worried enough about it that I asked an older female friend, Cathy, what she thought. Luckily for…
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Review: An Apostate’s Guide to Witchcraft
Read more: Review: An Apostate’s Guide to WitchcraftOnce upon a time, Christendom labelled the Emperor Julian “the Apostate” because he reverted to Paganism. Nowadays, the title is applied to people who leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Moss Matthey left the JWs in order to live his truth as a gay man—as many others have left high control religious groups for the same reason.…
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Deconstruction story: Richard Swan
Read more: Deconstruction story: Richard SwanA friend shared a Facebook post by Richard Swan (in the fun group Dull Men’s Club) today, talking about how vanishingly few people are tone deaf, and most people can sing. I take the view that singing is an outpouring of the soul and one of the cruellest things a person can do is to…
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A healing journey
Read more: A healing journeyA new book from Moss Matthey, An apostate’s guide to witchcraft: finding freedom through magic, explores his personal journey from fundamentalist Christianity to witchcraft. Moss writes: This book is about my journey from a fundamentalist Christian cult to the joyous and freeing world of Witchcraft. Blending my personal experience with gentle exercises, this book is for anyone who is…
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State funding removed from Norwegian JWs
Read more: State funding removed from Norwegian JWsIn Norway, subject to rules about not being coercive or oppressive, all religious groups can apply for state funding. Due to the JWs’ practice of disfellowshipping and shunning people who leave, including children, the Norwegian government has removed their funding. Friendly Atheist: Norwegian court upholds ban on state funding of Jehovah’s Witnesses
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LGBTQ+ religious trauma
Read more: LGBTQ+ religious traumaReligious trauma still haunts millions of LGBTQ Americans. Some mental health experts are advocating for religious trauma to be considered an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Religious trauma occurs when an individual’s religious upbringing has lasting adverse effects on their physical, mental or emotional well-being, according to the Religious…
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What’s your focus?
Read more: What’s your focus?Esoteric versus exoteric religions Esoteric religions are ones that locate the primary source of religious or spiritual authority in the human heart, the conscience, or the higher self. Teachers are seen more as guides than as authority figures. They are only an authority on the topic of the particular path, as they are further along…
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The exclusive Plymouth Brethren
Read more: The exclusive Plymouth BrethrenThis blog post was originally written in 2006 and posted on my old blog Nemeton. Some friends had asked why I tended to make statements about the awfulness of Christianity. Don’t be fooled by the cranky exterior of the Exclusive Brethren. They’re the religious equivalent of Vogons. I know because I was brought up in…
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High glycemic religion
Read more: High glycemic religionReligion can be divided into two types, high glycemic index and low glycemic index. High glycemic index gives you a big rush where everything seems really great and then you come down with a big crash afterwards. Low glycemic index is slow and steady, nourishes the soul, and keeps you going through the hard times.
Changing Paths 