Recovering From Spiritual Abuse (link)

Found this website on spiritual abuse, which, it says at the bottom, is run by Christian Recovery International. Below is a snippet of an article written by Barbara Milligan, about her experience in a spiritually abusive group. It was so close to what I saw in Elim, I couldn't stop reading! Click here for the entire article. Here are a couple of paragraphs from it. I hope I don't get sued for this:

"John and I soon began to notice, however, some other things that disturbed us. First, there was the gradual and steady disappearance of the more spiritually mature people in the church. And no one seemed to know why any of them had left. Then there were the subtle beliefs that originated with the pastor. There was the belief that if you are truly serving God, either you are in “full-time ministry” or you are preparing for it, and the rest of us working folks are a disappointment to God. (Don’t ask who was funding the full-time ministries.) And that God wants to heal you emotionally or physically, but if the problem isn’t gone after we’ve prayed for you two or three times, then you must be doing something wrong. And that the best way to heal an emotional need is to get busy for God—never mind your troublesome feelings, which aren’t important anyway. These beliefs were never publicly spoken, of course; in fact, I believe Richard would have said quite the opposite, if pressed. But the actions we observed revealed his true colors.

Not surprisingly, all the ministries of the church had to endure Richard’s invasive micromanagement. And the central feature of any meeting involving the pastor was hearing him lecture for an hour or more. Then there were the self-serving claims Richard made in the church newsletters: Because the church was obeying God, he had blessed it by multiplying its numbers and enabling it to spin off several other churches and numerous highly successful ministries. A gross exaggeration. In addition, we learned that there was no one within the church whom Richard and Jill trusted as intimate friends. Whether they had intimate friends outside the church, I don’t know, but Richard’s persistent attempts to bring under his authority the pastors of other churches in the area made me wonder if he trusted anyone but himself and his wife.

Part of the overall problem was that any attempt to confront someone in leadership had disastrous consequences. Anyone who expressed an opinion that the pastor didn’t like was understood to be unsubmissive, if not outright rebellious. Worse still, the associate pastors aspired to become clones of the pastor and were afraid to challenge him on anything. But none of this was common knowledge; it happened in secret.

Stunned by what we were discovering, we tried to communicate with a few people who had left the church. But we were disappointed when they wouldn’t talk to us about their reasons for leaving or their feelings about it. We soon woke up to a startling realization: We had become members of an oversized dysfunctional family, governed by the unspoken rules Don’t talk, Don’t trust and Don’t feel."

--- Barbara Milligan is the associate editor of STEPS and the author of Desperate Hope: Experiencing God in the Midst of Breast Cancer (InterVarsity Press, 1999). You are invited to visit her Web site at www.desperatehope.com. This article orginally appeared in STEPS, a publication of the National Association for Christian Recovery. All rights reserved.

A CHRISTMAS WISH...

Got this message a couple of weeks ago. My apologies for the late response:

"hello!
i really love this site. it speaks of TRUTH! hahaha! not like the lies they come up in El**. hahaha!
I hope you'll post something new this Christmas season as your gift to all of us who left and who awakened to the truth! :D hehe!
do you know anything about the Elections of 1998? about nene pimentel leaving the group?? ooops, i said too much.. they might get mad at me! haha! but who cares! hahaha! :D
so can you please grant my simple Christmas wish?? :D
Thank you so much! merry Christmas!
i have a trivia for everyone! i heard from Reliable sources that the person that evil ones ask to pay for the center's electric bill left the cult already! hallelujah! and buti nga sa evil ones! hahaha! atleast now, magagamit na rin ang tithes niyo! hahaha!"


-- unfortunately, i don't know enough to speak about the nene pimentel issue, but i will ask around. there is one glaring thing we should not miss about this entire fiasco. the demi-leader prophesied once that BAGO's (Elim's) candidate will win the elections in 1998. biblically, we judge prophets by their prophecies. so sa tingin mo, prophet ba talaga? claro ba?

-- were you there when someone went onstage after the huge loss and said "even if we lost, we won!" haaay. saang planeta ba sila nanalo?

-- were you there when people at the top fled the country and left the members to pick up the pieces on their own? now what kind of leadershit is that? ay sorry, leadership pala.

-- to the electric bill financier: nice one! congratulations, ma'am! you're free to do as you will, without that conniving, beady-eyed thief looking over your shoulder, making sure your money goes to her and her family. dun ka na lang sa grupong marunong mag-accounting at magbigay ng expense breakdown-- dun sa mga taong nagsasabi na ang tithe ay maari ring ibigay sa mga kamag-anak na nangangailangan, or charitable institution na iyong napupusuan.

-- to all the people who drop by every now and then, thank you! may each day bring you closer to freedom and healing from the clutches of the evil ones and their crazy cult!

The day the demi-leader complained about the soap...

The Demi-Leader (whose feet deserve DAW to be shod in Ferragamo Shoes) on a very rare occasion, wandered into the common loo at the second floor. Lo and behold, when he exited, he immediately berated a restroom "volunteer" (They don't actually volunteer. They just think they did.) because the hand soap was too small. I can still remember her face when she told me the story. She was trying not to have an outburst, but I think the poor woman and I were thinking the same thing:

You ungrateful H-O-B (husband of a *@#%). How dare you complain about the soap when you can't even cough up the small amount needed to buy it? It was the poor volunteer's hard-earned money that was used to purchase that soap!

I couldn't believe it then, and I can't believe it now. This freeloader (who has deluded himself into thinking he's a leader) had the gall to complain!? ANG KAPAL! Ano 'to, fiefdom? Saka saang planeta ba may sabon na hindi nauubos?

Amazing how he betrayed himself just by doing that. Nakaasa na nga sa pera ng ibang tao, nagrereklamo pa. Gusto mo ng sabon? Humingi ka sa asawa mo. Nasa cabinet lang naman niya lahat ng kinamkam niyong salapi.

Justice Served

Thanks to all the people who left their comments. I know you've been waiting for an update, so here is a short and sweet one:

PI caught wind that her former best friend is getting married this July. So what did she do? She hurriedly found someone to marry para hindi siya maunahan. Well, you know how it is when you buy something in a hurry. You usually end up with a lemon. Sabagay, sino ba namang lalaki in his right mind ang makakatiis sa ganyang sitwasyon. Anyhow, let's just say that I know people who know PI's catch much too well (so well they regret it, as do their gaping pockets). I'm so happy these two found each other. THEY REALLY GO WELL TOGETHER. HAY. HOW SWEET IT IS. Congratulations, boy, MAYAMAN KA NA!
To the other crazy cultists, my sympathies. Nadagdagan na naman ang mga palamunin ninyo. You have to work harder. Or leave the cult.

digital age na ngayon. real time na ang karma.

:-)

What On Earth Are You Teaching These Kids?

It’s camp time once again for the youth of the Crazy Cult. And as always, they’re going to hold it in some place far away from Manila, accessible only by plane or boat.

I can imagine the kids who can’t afford the expenses, racking their brains, looking under the bed, under the table, under a rock, praying for a miracle so that money will turn up somewhere, or someone with money will turn up and pay for everything that needs to be paid, just so they can attend their bloody camp.

I can also imagine the parents of these kids who can’t afford to go because there’s no money for it. Why oh why do they like to hold these blasted things so far away?

Baka naman meron lang gustong gumimik at kailangan nila ng “banal” na dahilan para gawin yon.

You see, in these camps, the Crazy Cultists pay for the travel and/or the lodging of the Evil Ones. And not only that, there are also people assigned to fan them while they eat, much like those old illustrations of Egyptian Royalty being fanned by their slaves with giant feathers. Ugh! Disgusting! And they like to call themselves SERVANTS OF THE LORD?

(Take note: It is highly possible that the people who fan the Evil Ones paid thousands of pesos for the camp fee, travel, board and lodging, and the expenses of the Evil Ones themselves. And what do these people get in return? They get to fan the Evil Ones and watch them eat. And if The Evil One is in a good mood, she’ll say they’re holy. If she’s not, she’ll have someone assign them to the toilet ministry.)

Ah these bloody camps and conferences. Some of the Crazy Cultists are so desperate to attend that they scrimp on food (di bale nang magka-ulcer basta makapunta), walk instead of taking the tricycle or the jeep under the scorching summer sun, and practically turn blue throwing hints at the rich cultists to take pity on them and sponsor their trip. And one other thing they do: they set aside their obligations so they can save up for the bloody camp. Yup. Nevermind that there are bills that need to be paid. Nevermind that three months worth of rent is due. God will take care of it. I am serving the Lord. He will take care of it.

This in essence is what they teach. Walk by faith. Rely on the Lord. Stretch your faith. Spend that money on the bloody camp. God will pay for your bills.

In the meantime: you’re going to get kicked out of your rented apartment. You’re going to lose the electricity at home. Your parents have no more money to cough up. But go to the camp and serve the Lord, and while you’re at it, pay for the expenses of your Evil Elders. Nevermind if you have responsibilities. Stretch your faith.

Stretch your faith everyday, every week, every month, every year.

Then you get older, and by some stroke of the ridiculous, you think you’re ready to have a family. Nevermind that you’re still living off someone else’s hard work. Nevermind that at your age, you still depend on someone else to feed you and maintain your lifestyle.

“Kuya M, how do you feed your family?” said one questioning young man.

I say, yeah, MAN, how DO you feed your family?

And you *____, how can you afford your RAV4 when you don’t even have a decent job? Heck, you're not even qualified! You don't even have a diploma for crying out loud!

And you ____, how can you afford all those Mont Blanc Pens when you don’t even own the house you live in, and can’t pay for the electric bill?

And you ____, how can you afford your Ferragamo shoes when the people who gave you the money to buy them can’t even buy decent shoes for themselves? (oops, I answered my own question)

And you ____, how can you afford to put up businesses in expensive places? Where did you get the capital? Aren’t you, your husband, and your children completely dependent on your parents? (oops, I answered my own question again, hehe)

And you ____, ah well, you. You married a rich man. Very smart! A word of advice to you: don’t wear backless gowns and cover them up with see through shawls. It emphasizes your back fat.

You Evil Ones, why don’t YOU stretch your faith? Stop asking for everyone else’s money. No one forced you to “serve the Lord”. Why are you charging people for your "services"? Why are you placing your responsibilities on other people? Why do you insist on being such a burden on people who can barely get by?

Look at the kids under you. Growing up to be as irresponsible as you: getting married and making babies, and then dumping the burden on someone else. You’ve fooled them into thinking that a miracle got them through, when actually someone else is paying dearly for it all.

You’ve even fooled yourselves into thinking that you’re being blessed for what you do. No, you’re not. You’re fakes. You’re irresponsible, spoiled, co-dependent brats. You’re thieves, and you’re merely enjoying the spoils of your best con ever.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully turned service to the Lord into the biggest excuse to be rich and lazy.



*brownie points if you can fill in all the blanks! ;-)

Are You Sure It's Catholic?

Hi people!
Do you give to the weekly basket offering in Church? I hope you do, and I hope it's not some thoughtless handful of coins, but something you feel came from you-- from the heart.
I'm not into the giving-till-it-hurts bit. I'm more into the giving out of love, with a happy heart.
And here it goes: at the crazycult, i've actually heard a teaching that you SHOULD TITHE FIRST befor you pay any debts: as in forget paying the debt if it means you wouldn't be able to tithe.
Every week someone goes onstage and reminds everyone of their duty to tithe and give "love offerings". They exhort everyone to give with a smile. And you know what? You're not the only one smiling. They're laughing... all the way to the bank (which isn't actually a bank, but the evil one's cabinet in her bedroom).
A priest once said to me that the Catholic Church says Catholics should tithe only to ordained ministers of the Church. Read: priests and higher. Which makes the system of the crazycult ultra dubious. You see, the evil one and her family, believe that as self-proclaimed priests, they are entitled to ten percent of the income of the people in their cult.
As i found out from ex-crazycultists, the evil ones treated ten percent of my hard-earned money as theirs, in the guise of me, offering it up to God. And so, there is never any public accounting of all the money turned over to them. No matter how much people gave, the roof of their center still leaks, and richer cultists still get surprise calls from their facilitators asking them to bring 100 thousand pesos to the center (where the evil ones live) that same day, because meralco is going to cut off the electricity to the center.
The center, which was "loaned" to the cult, is being used by the evil family as their personal home, where two of their private businesses are housed. They're the ones who use the electricity so why on earth do they have to squeeze out money from their members for these things when they already have the hundreds of thousands of pesos turned in weekly in the form of tithes and love offerings?
Because they're busy shopping in Shangri-la, Podium, and Rockwell; buying fifteen thousand peso eyeglasses, montblanc pens, rav4's, x-trails; opening restaurants in makati, and vacationing abroad when someone gets a broken heart.
Yup, they're really crazy over there.
I pity the naive ones who fall for it every single week.
When they sign their names on the tithe envelope, they unwittingly tell the evil ones how much they make and how much more can be squeezed from them, while the people they entrust with their hard earned cash greedily take, and are answerable to no one.
And that is why PI always over dresses on every occassion.

FISH TAYO!

what did i tell you?
would you believe i can tell the future? o ha! o ha!

the same morning i posted "mental telepono", a crazy cultist texted me, asking me to stop writing about the crazy cult for peace's sake. the cultist said it was foul to do such a thing. here's my answer to that heart warming message:

dear CC,

this is my blog, for my friends to read (and i don't have friends who belong to your cult). in case you don't understand, let me explain what blog means ha. a blog is an on-line journal. it's like a diary, but it's on the net. it's a personal journal. it's a tool to express oneself. i'll say it again, you have no control over this. your idea of peace is pure bull. peace isn't when your little bubble of lies and double standards remains unchallenged. peace isn't about the reign of one family going unquestioned. don't threaten me with peace. you don't know what it is. but, you seem to have a good grasp of martial law.

if you can't take seeing these things on the internet, would you prefer to see them in the papers? or on TV? because if you do, i'd be more than happy to oblige :-) mahilig naman kayong lumabas sa TV diba?

merry christmas! and thank you for patronizing crazy cult!

ps. i have a gift for anyone who can give me the right answer to this question: sino ang nagkaroon ng bagong kotse pagkatapos mag-tithe ni a.d.? sino-sino ang nagkaroon ng mont blanc pens pagkatapos mag-tithe ni a.d.?