Dennis & Sara
A husband & wife team chronicling their adventures of faith, RV travel, and trauma recovery.
Why I Still Believe After Getting Hurt By Religion
I don't always get GOD, but I love Him anyway.
written 3rd day, 22 June 2021
How does a person live through a religious Closed, High-Demand Group experience, escape from it, and decide to go back to believing in GOD again?
First, I'm reluctant to say I “went back” to anything. The way I practice faith these days is so different from what I was taught and how I was . . .
Posted in: bible truthchristian cultsex2x2ex2x2sfaith
What was the proverbial "final straw"?
This is what it took for me to "wake up"
written Sabbath, 19 June 2021
How did I know there was a connection between my challenges and my exposure to a Closed, High Demand Group?
There wasn't really an “aha!” moment. It was kind of a hidden knowledge that I denied knowing at first. I had to gradually un-deny it and slowly get used to it in bits and pieces. Then . . .
Was it abuse, or not? Part 2
Trying on terms, and exploring the concept misused by the group
written Sabbath, 3 July 2021
Was that really abuse? Is that just my made-up story about it? Is that just the lens I'm using to justify my hurt feelings? What is going on here?
I already posted that I find it difficult to use terms like “abuse” to describe my childhood environment. My conscious experience of . . .
Was it abuse, or not? Part 1
I have a problem with the word "abuse."
written 10 July 2021
My husband uses the word “abuse” to describe the cause of my struggle the past few years. He has been the most up-close-and-personal witness to my recent self-exploration. Others who grew up in the same Closed, High Demand Group and later left also use that word. I understand why they would. However, I . . .
Posted in: bible truthc-ptsdchildhood traumachristian cultsex2x2ex2x2smeetingswilliam irvineworkers and friends
A Necessary Apology
Apologies are few and far between around here (it's a new rule I have), but this one is heartfelt.
written Sabbath, 17 July 2021
I don't want to get too far into this without acknowledging my actions in the group.
For about 12 years, I was a consenting adult member of the CHDG I was born and raised in. For nine of those years I was a member of that group's leadership. That means I took an active part in supporting the group's . . .
Dueling Imperatives
Two incompatible "musts" my childhood required of me
written Sabbath, 26 June 2021
Moral versus Developmental Imperatives
imperative1
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adjective: absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable.
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noun: something that demands attention or action; an unavoidable obligation or requirement; necessity. (emphasis mine)
The issue at the root of my . . .
Posted in: bible truthc-ptsdchildhood traumachristian cultscsaex2x2ex2x2smeetingsworkers and friends
(re)Introduction
written 15 June 2021
Hi, there. My name is Sara and I have been alive for 39 years. My first thirty three years were spent living in a Closed, High Demand Group. My parents are members, so my first decade of life was spent in that culture by default. The next 10 years were spent participating “willingly” by my . . .
