Stories and Testimonies From
Child Survivors

 

It is not how many abusive details that a survivor can recount and describe in order for their story to be considered important. It is how the individual perceived their experience to be detrimental, or even life shattering, that counts.

Telling your story turns it into a history that can eventually be left behind and frees you to some extent, making it easier to create a new life for yourself. You have developed strengths because of all you have endured, and you are a unique individual with purpose.

These child survivors have written on subjects that are close to their heart and which they have felt would be helpful to others that grew up in Worldwide Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, or abusive offshoots. Many lives have been touched as others realize they are not alone in their feelings of pain and grief.

Pseudonyms are given for anonymity, unless otherwise noted. Stories are not necessarily listed in order received.

Also see: Testimonies and Writings by Exiters

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.  ~ Emily Dickinson

 

 What it Felt Like to Be Kicked Out of the Worldwide Church of God
  Stories About S.E.P. Experiences
  Stories About Philadelphia Youth Camp (P.Y.C.)
 Hard to Believe That God Loves Me
 
  My Entire Childhood Was Sacrificed
  Grew up in Philadelphia Church of God and Hated It     
  Wearing Masks
  WCG and Splinter Groups Are Destroyers of Mind, Body and Soul
  Will I Ever Trust or Have a Real Relationship Again?  
  Expelled by WCG for Marrying the Man I Loved
  It's Been a Long Painful Journey
  Worldwide Church of God Almost Destroyed My Life
  How My Life Was Forever Impacted by Both WCG and PCG
  Humiliated by Spankings Starting at Age 13
  Intense Feeling of Loss
  Free of the WCG Satanic Mess
  Occultic Family History Led to Recruitment into WCG
(This survivor was also in Philadelphia Church of God)
  It Still Hurts
  I Grew Up Sick in the WCG and Suffered For It
  The Spank Tent
  Glad I Didn't Have to Attend HWA's Cult Any Longer Than I Did!
  Unable to Share My Full Story
  School Memories After Parents Joined WCG
  Often Feel Lost and Alone
  My Talent of Music Was Never Appreciated 
  WCG Caused Me to Pass Up Music Scholarships
  Effects of Growing Up With "The Plain Truth of Child Rearing"
  I Grew Up in WCG With Much Confusion
  A Voluntary Outcast
  Christmas and Other Painful Memories
  My Memories of How Abusive Worldwide Was
  Overwhelming Sensation to Flee the WCG
  What Armstrong Said Didn't Add Up!
(This child survivor had the courage to rebel against the WCG madness)
  Growing Up in "The Church" Was the Hardest Thing I Ever Had to Do
(Raised in WCG and later in PCG; mentions Philadelphia Youth Camp)

  Struggling to Reclaim My Family
  Abused in Every Way in Worldwide Church of God 
  I Wasn't Sure God Loved Me  
  Still Confused  
  Can't Even Describe What I Went Through
  Still Working Through the Anger
  I Still Carry the Pain of Herbert Armstrong's Teachings
(Impacted by Church of God International, although father was first in WCG)
  Always Assumed My Childhood Was Rougher Than Everyone Else's
  Getting Kicked Out of Philadelphia Church of God Caused Me to Start
     Investigating
(This survivor was raised in WCG and then in UCG & PCG)
  Openly Threatened by Philadelphia Church of God Minister
  The Emotional Impact is Still With Me
(This survivor also had confrontations with Gerald Flurry when Flurry was a minister in WCG)
  Foundations of a Soul Rocked to the Core
  Emotional Abuse Can Be Very Subtle
 Growing Up in WCG Caused Me To Almost Give Up on God
  I Still See the Branches of the Cult in My Life


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If You Would Like to Email Others

How to Recover After Exiting a Deceptive, Abusive Group

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