Non-Believer Former Members of the Worldwide Church of God

New York, USA
Sueshestone@aol.com
Age: 46

My Name is Sue. I grew up in the WCG from the time I was 18 months old until I rebelled about the age of 14-15 years old. I figured by then I was going to burn in hell but it was going to be a more fun life for the time being. I somehow always rebelled in the back of my head. Being an only child (born 1959) and having to wear skirts below my knees when the miniskirt was in and not being able to attend birthday parties or celebrate Christmas, no rock music, no TV, this only scratches the surface. I could write a book. If you were sick you had to have an anointing cloth put on by the ministers. Medication was the practice of Satan. I had Satan drilled in my head so much, I felt like a loser by the time I was age 4. I was stealing candy successfully, I might add. I had a yearning for candy all the time. Candy was forbidden and a sin. I would have nightmares of Satan holding and shaking a box of Captain Crunch at the foot of my bed with fire balls exploding from him. Really, this is the "plain truth." Hey remember that magazine? Hey, the only good thing I can attribute to WCG is that till this day I have great smile (teeth) from no candy.  Oh, whole wheat bread too. I became an alcoholic at the age of 15 and through my higher power (no thanks to this crackpot-cult) I found a higher power but it is not remotely what any religion is about. Religion is a bad word. In the 60’s the highlight of my year was going to the Feast of Tabernacles shindig– I guess it was around the fall sometime. My parents would go (and me of course) to Big Sandy, Texas. Other times Jeckle Island, Georgia and the later times in the Pocono’s, Pennsylvania. I grew up feeling doomed from the start because I battled with the stuff they were brainwashing everyone, including me. Satan was what they preached. WCG used fear to control. The ministers were living in Westchester while I would look out my Bronx bedroom window and wondered why I lived in the slums. My father tithed his money to the church. I can’t believe I found this web site and I can’t believe that they actually still exist. My parents are still alive and regret ever raising me that way. I love them and through my power of understanding have accepted that they thought they were doing the right thing at that time. I used to see ministers’ wives take the children of others and spank them. Oh, spanking was very popular. It was the norm to get spanked in front of people. How humiliating! That was okay. Not taking your children to doctors and getting the anointing cloth was the Lord’s way. I’ve seen dying babies die. I’ve seen so much child abuse– including myself. I was beaten to a pulp with my father’s belt.

Got Church?

I don’t think so…well thanks for letting me take off some steam about this ungodly place they call church. No wonder why Carrie is my favorite movie.

At least I maintained my sense of humor….

Regards,

Sue

This entry was posted on Monday, April 18th, 2005 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Personal Story. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments must be approved by the moderator before they will appear.