Thank you for your blog, I have wondered for years what were others feeling?
I am an ex WCG member, from San Jose Ca. I was born and raised in this crap. I was at the Holy Day when Fred Culter pulled his stunt. Even as a little kid I always had questions about the church. Seems everything was dictated to you. You were not entitled to your own thought feelings and emotion. They were dictated to you.
As I grew up in the Y.E.S. and then the Y.O.U. program this brainwashing became more and more evident. It was also becoming very clear that lip service was essential. As long as you sounded good and looked good, you will be praised by the pastor. Most of my time was under Leroy Cole. Nice man but definitely only taught what he was told to. Of course before him was Ron Reedy, now there is a piece of work. He came to my parent house with Fred Culter one day and drew all over my face and took measurements, and proceeded to tell my future. None of which came true. I may still have the audio tapes of this.
I basically had no childhood. It was so imperative that we stand out and be different. My father took this to the extreme. Our hair was crew cut and we had to wear cords when jeans were popular. We had to do the opposite of what the rest of the world was doing. It didn’t take long to figure out the families not in the WCG were much happier. They celebrated the holidays and enjoyed life, while I sat in the back of the room completely confused, and embarrassed. I did question this one time with my family and I was beaten unconscious. When I came to I was ordered never to question church authority. It was at this time I learned what lip service was all about. Life was not fun as a kid. Thanks to finding my dads booze locker at a young age I found a way to numb my feelings. This leads to a whole different story…
I guess one advantage of having a family so dedicated to the church was travel that took place. I did go all over the country for the Feast, Even got to go to Thailand and Hawaii. But be rest assured you had better have you tithe and offering in order.
My parents divorced and were ordered to remarry during the whole DNR thing. Sixteen years later we snuck out of my bedroom window and escaped from a very abusive man. He believed we had to be beaten into submission. Of course the pastors were always giving sermons on how you men are to control you family. Taught how the wife will obey, and nothing as to how the man needs to respect his wife. Such a one-sided church.
After the divorce we moved to the Portland, Oregon area. Yep, the same was being taught. The gal I was dating was told her family would be disfellowshipped if she continued dating me. All because I had no intention of going to AC. It was at this time I went right up to the Bastard and questioned his very authority. I got a mouth full from him (Glen White and the associate pastor, Bill Davis.) It was suggested I keep my mouth shut.
I went to school in Arizona only to find Mr. Cole had been transferred. Now as an adult, I began to really see the corruption in all of this. I stopped paying tithes and offerings and started to really question church authority. I was eventually asked to stop coming and was denied the monthly newsletter.
I have questioned all this scary God stuff for years. I also questioned the different teachings that were going on. Why were they allowed to go to school dances and play school sports in the San Francisco and Oakland ares, but under the San Jose leadership that was a sin??
I stopped going when I was asked to leave, I was never actually disfellowshipped, as the church staring to separate at that time. This must have been 1993-94.
Need less to say my head was seriously messed up by all this.
I refuse to have anything to due with religion today. I have taken a spiritual approach to life and since I have done that, I have now found happiness.
If you find this appropriate for you blog feel free to post it.
Jeff