Quote:
Originally Posted by Trapped
That's the point of a hurting church kid though. They see this kind of post and go, (again, respectfully), "YOUR conviction doesn't mean anything to me. I need to know for ME why I should believe it is true that the Bible is God's Word."
We are quick to offer our personal beliefs and testimony of our beliefs, but that's not what church kids need. They need to be heard and understood and allowed to be where they are. Everyone being firm on the matter with no response even understanding where a church kid is coming from......then, like I said, this forum won't help but a restricted few.
I've done everything in my power to cling onto the belief in God and that the Bible is God's Word. I didn't want to be one of the many church kids who threw everything away, truth and lies, just because they left a place that lied about most of it. But for what church kids go through in leaving and trying to recover afterwards, trying to keep a grip on that ends up being exhausting and oftentimes painful. It's not enough.
I have discussed this type of thing with people in organizations who, in part, deal with victims of abuse in various settings, one of them sometimes being a church. They get it. They acknowledge the pain of losing everything when leaving a controlling group, and then the second layer of pain from the silence of a God who seems to like to hide Himself a little too well afterwards.
I remember a couple years ago a hurting church kid came to the forum and she wrote an intro post which indicated she felt completely abandoned and ignored and overlooked, and we all responded in ways that......completely ignored and overlooked her. She was regaled with stories of Philip Lee and Daystar and people's personal beliefs, but no one acknowledged or validated her. We (me included, at first) didn't hear her. Once again, that's my worry.
Trapped
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My convictions provided me with a pathway to healing, sanity, salvation during times of seeking and crisis. Many others have also. What became my anchor may not be yours. The benefit of an open forum is to hopefully provide some empathy and encouragement from multiple directions. None of us are professional therapists, but we can do our best, and God has often blessed this place of care. But you are right, many do not receive good counsel here.
I have literally had hundreds of followup PM's from other posters based on some helpful reply I had made. Perhaps you have too. I was a Christian before the LC, whereas you were raised in that system. Your path is admittedly more difficult, but you can thus speak to other "church kids" like I could never do. I don't see this as conflicting, but as complementary "
helps." (
I Cor 12.28)
Many leaving the LC's have decided that "secular" counseling is the best path for them. Great. Often a wise therapist has been recommended on the forum. I have mentioned a Christian counselor whose videos had benefited my wife and I when we exited. Personally my goal is that all those who leave the LC could have a healthy relationship with the Savior Jesus. That's my prayer. Sure, I am "biased." Some may not want this when they first post, but perhaps after some healing, their faith is rekindled. Many have reported this over the years.