My wife, children and I were members of the PCG from 1997-2002, in Auckland New Zealand. During that time we witnessed the smiles on our children’s faces turn upside down–permanently! It’s as though they could see something was wrong, but we couldn’t. PCG doctrine doesn’t allow kids to be kids….it expects them to sit up straight in services (lasting anywhere between 1 1/2 – 2 hours), and listen carefully, without so much as a fidget. PCG doctrine expects parents to keep a very tight reign on their children, and forces them to do as they’re told. Non compliance meant severe retribution from the ministry.
It took 5 years for me to realise that the PCG had stolen my life and filled it with fear!! Fear of being disfellowshipped from “God’s true Church,” fear of being thrown into the lake of fire, fear of questioning doctrinal inconsistencies, fear of not doing everything the ministry compelled me to do. The Bible tells us, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind,” yet fear reigns supreme in the PCG–so much so, that even the members are afraid to speak to each other for fear of saying something that may be misconstrued.
We were instructed to seek ministerial counsel on every decision we made, no matter how trivial, and never question the soundness or biblical basis for any decisions made on our behalf. These truly were the worst, most fear filled years of my life, and I am now happy to have escaped. My family and I are now rebuilding our lives in the wake of “Hurricane Gerry.” I strongly urge anyone thinking of joining the PCG to read the testimonies on this website before you lose your life to the lies and deception that is PCG.
By Douglas
July 20, 2003
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