I Grew Up In A Cult Without Realising | No Filter |
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- Опубликовано: 23 фев 2022
- Faith Elizabeth Hunter, who goes by Liz, was raised in Texas in a family belonging to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) - also known as ATI - an ultra-conservative Christian sect established in 1961.
As a child, Liz remembers that her family had no television, and weren’t allowed to watch films or TV or listen to any non-Christian music, cutting off their exposure to the outside world.
Liz told UNILAD that instead, her entire upbringing was centred around traditional ideas of a patriarchal Christian family, and that most of her education consisted of Bible study, and learning how to be a good wife.
Things eventually changed for Liz when she left her hometown to go to college. Her parents had expected that she would ultimately return home and educate her siblings, and eventually her own children, but after making new friends, and going to see a therapist she says she began to realise that something wasn’t right.
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Huge thank you to Liz for talking to us. You can see more from her, here:
www.tiktok.com/@thatlizhunter
Ew tiktok.
Can you do a story about how today men and women are supposed to be equal, but, that in Ukraine men are not allowed to leave the country, while women are able to.
How is that fair?
Men have the take the risks in life, yet get none of the rewards.
She seems to have a youtube channel too. That Liz Hunter
Whoa!! I’m pretty sure my family was in the same cult! 😧
She is a Heathen that has Turned Her Back On God! Blasphemy!
"wasn't allowed to cut my hair, or wear make-up" "wasn't allowed to wear green" seeing her with short hair, make-up and wearing green makes me smile.
i hope she has in high heels too
this is sad
came here to say this too
@@dontcallanimalspetstheyare7871 You dont need Jesus to be a good person.
@@dontcallanimalspetstheyare7871 you're really picking the video about a christian cult to evangelize? read the room dude
She cut her hair and is wearing a green sweater. Bless her heart ❤
Her haircut is so cute!
I noticed that as well and don’t forget the make up! She’s got a nice warm and subtle eye shadow but it’s a symbol of her freedom
the sweater brings out her eyes too!
Green looks gorgeous with her stunning eyes!
she looks so pretty! :)
her dad didn’t like the color green, but her eyes are green☹️that’s so hurtful and i’m not even her. so glad she’s out of it and discovered her independence & living for HERSELF not her father’s honor or sisters precedent or cult
I wonder if he was attracted to women who wore green?
@@dannwan8537 that’s probably what it is. there IS a color called “hooker green” maybe he’s too familiar with it👀 men like that are never as godly driven as they claim to be that’s why they make stupid rules or have unreasonable issues with their kids. i hate seeing parents treating their kids like villains bc of their own personal issues.
I like how she is wearing a green sweater too. Proverbial middle finger.
Green's definitely her color. Maybe he didn't like that it complimented her so well.
He must have hated going outside.
5:30 NO. You were not "stalked because you didn't know how to set boundaries." You were stalked because THEY chose to stalk you. PERIODT. I hate when people victim-blame themselves or others.
Right? She was stalked because creeps thought stalking her was ok. None of it was her fault.
Agreed
I'm not sure what she really means here. SIX stalkers is crazy, so I would have liked a little more clarity on what she means. Did it feel like stalking because the guys were clingy and the experience was overwhelming due to her lack of socializing... Or were they 6 crazy people that were following her around. And were they arrested or dealt with?
I think this statement really warrants more clarification, it could be she was being hyperbolic or said it to mean she felt like they were stalkers at the time because she had never experienced regular flirting. The latter would also explain why the friend would respond by recommending therapy over her childhood. Either way it strange she brings it up in such an off hand way though.
It's not her fault at all. She didn't ask for any of this abuse. It's never the victim's fault.
The idea that "bad things only happen to us because we've done something wrong" is such a destructive mindset.
Its completely counter to the core point of Christianity, that Jesus died and took the penalty of our sin. If you believe in Jesus Christ as the savior and King, you are freed from the curse of the Law.
Exactly, I wonder if they ever read the story of Job lol
I don't understand that philosophy either. It's definitely not a true Christian belief. God loves. He does not persecute us for our sin. In fact, He died for our sins. I have heard sworn to be Christians take this same idea to be true, that we are punished for our misdeeds. God works everything together for our good. Sometimes he says no, but for a good reason. Sometimes it's easier for us to blame ourselves, or God, for not getting what we want and think we are punished than it is to accept the truth.
Sounds like my mother 😀
@@xxpaigejj … your god sends people to hell. You can claim that he loves everyone, and that may be true, but your god will punish nonbelievers with an eternity of pain and suffering. It may be argued that, as I learned from the Catholic faith, that genuinely good non-believers may get to go to limbo, but probably not even purgatory. So, instead of pain and suffering, you live in eternity denied the love of your god, effectively a form of torture.
I LOVE that she wasn't allowed to wear green but is in green in the photos and interview. Winning!
And also that she cut her hair
Literally shows numerous photos of her wearing green, her dad just disliked the color...
But 1:37
Plus, green is definitely her color!
With that amazing natural
ginger- red hair !!!......
That's probably why he didn't want her wearing it 😔
She wasn’t allowed to wear green? A picture of her past with her family she was in a green dress…so…? 0:25
As a christian this absolutly makes my blood crawl, abusing someone for the sake of "religion" is not okay, following God should be a personal choice not because your parents forced you to. I'm so happy that she's free and wish her all the best and i pray that she can help so many others.
Btw no where in the Bible does it say that when you're sick it's God punishing you
PREACH IT!!!!🙏🙏🙏
Amen🔥🔥🔥
Right, what about Job? It specifically says he was righteous and sick at the same time. Bad things do happen to good people sometimes in a broken world. I’m chronically sick and God has used this to teach me, help me heal, and help others learn and heal. 2 people at church decided to stop sugar and stop grains because of me to see if it would help them. 😤
Her parents’ religion was fear-based instead of faith-based. I can understand being afraid because of the world we live in, but that’s like saying you don’t think God is sovereign or that He can use our good choices and bad choices to teach us and help us grow. I hate seeing this from Christians because we are supposed to show the world God’s love through our faith, and when we operate in fear, a) God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear b) people think God isn’t trustworthy because WE don’t even trust Him!
That bit of blame comes from the doctrine that god is all-powerful -> therefore everything that happens is god's will -> god wouldn't randomly hurt you with illness out of sadism -> therefore you must be to blame.
It's a pretty medieval viewpoint, but sadly quite popular among people who just can't accept that their religion can't explain having both an omnipotent god and suffering.
That's true
I’m A Bible believer and listening to this, how manipulative, abusive people twist and corrupt the scriptures to control
Others is so sad and disturbing.
I’m so glad she’s out and getting help.
I love her smile.
Yes, I've said this also.
Absolutely second this. It’s not right to use God’s word to harm others.
I am also a Christian and the bible is about boundaries and you are correct her parents crossed proper boundaries, I have met a lot of CHRISTIANS who twist the scriptures to assume authority that is not theirs to dominate and control others.
It's not twisting scripture when it is the scripture.
@@xxxhoodooxxx it is not, new testament is law old testament thrown out at the death of JC
The fresh hair cut, the little bit of makeup and the green sweater created the perfect metaphorical middle finger that just really made this video extra special!
From what I heard that there is a form of starting a clean slate. Japan has this thing where cutting the hair means letting go of the past.
The green jumper goes so well with her green eyes. She has a quiet appreciation of colour. It fits her personality
@@pashakdescilly7517 i agree on that
YES
It me happy for her!
I can’t help but wonder if her father “didn’t like green” because green is considered one of the most flattering colors on many redheads. It looks beautiful on you! Keep thriving, I’m so glad you escaped!
I thought the same, that it was about keeping the girls from dressing attactively.
Absolutely bet
of course that's the reason, he didn't want men looking at his beautiful daughter
My grandmother apparently had the idea that green was a prostitutes' colour - yeah, I know everyone else thinks of red and/or black as the colours associated with sex work.
So her father may have had a similar idea. Or, as the rest of you say, he just didn't want his daughter wearing a colour that looks good on her.
Back in the day it was common for men to lay down weird rules for their families. If I remember correctly, it was Virginia Woolf's father that forbade his family to use nail brushes - and woe betide you if your nails looked too clean! The father of one of my mother's friends insisted that you had to brush your teeth starting at the gums and then move towards the edge of the tooth, so brush down only on the top teeth and brush up only on the bottom teeth. As a result of a lifetime spent doing this she needed surgery to remove the excess gum tissue.
Then there was the guy I worked with who had a telephone set up with a lock so that only he could make calls on it, the rest of the family had to do without. I know now that is abusive, at the time I just thought it sounded abusive. (There was another guy in that department who was really nice but I would argue that his wife abused him.)
Probably something along those lines.
I was also raised under the Bill Gothard’s teachings… the clothes, the magazines, the hair cutting, I wasn’t allowed to wear black, the food, the books, the no dating… I just got out of it a year ago. It’s a long hard haul to get out of it, but you are so strong! So proud of you
I'm glad you got out of it. I hope you're able to live your life to the fullest, and under your own control, with a healthy support system. You deserve freedom and autonomy.
The church I was raised in was quite similar. As we’re expecting our first child I’ve been digging deeper into my childhood and the issues stemming from it in order to try to raise my children in a more healthy manner. I’m so thankful I’ve established a healthy relationship with God now and am able to embrace Christianity for how it truly is!
@The Duke is every belief system a cult to you? That’s truly a sad perspective on life. I’m very thankful for my healthy relationship with God! It’s taken ages to get here and your judgement of someone you don’t even know is unsettling.
@@ashtonsquires3102 how do you have a relationship with an imaginary friend? answer : its an imaginary relationship
she is like a bird that has been caged being set free, and thriving, you go girl
the way you worded it is like the poem and book by Maya Angelou
@@daniellagregorio1869 I was thinking that too!
I hope she finds joy, happiness and peace.
But sadly if the birds been in the cage it’s whole life, that means it never learned to fly. Aka her never getting to experiment and discover herself.
@@mikayla7260 But good on her for deciding that even if she wasn't taught, she won't be stopped from trying to spread her wings. I grew up JW, and at a point, you have to just tell yourself to cut your losses, let go of the pain and disappointments and expectations you had, and just start today like it's the first day of the rest of your new life. You can't unmake the past, but you can make your future, and sometimes the main key to that is... let it go and start new.
As a middle teen, my father and I were driving home from religious services, just two of us, and he told me that I was now old enough to make my own choices. He explained that he, as a man of science, saw enough order in the universe to believe in God and that he felt compelled to bring me up in a religion. And the religion he chose was the one he was brought up in because it seemed to fit the bill. And he went on: I was free to choose another religion or none at all, and I would still be his son.
I cannot express how much love I have for my father because of that. He has since passed, but my love for my father is eternal. He gave me permission to think freely, and that might be the greatest gift a parent can give a child: a mind free of shackles or guilt.
That's how it is done. Not forcing your child and giving them a choice. Good on him! I bet he's smiling down knowing your mind is free
I'm appreciative to find another story quite similar to mine. My mother too, didn't force me to be part of any religious activities (though I was welcome to watch/talk about them if I wanted to); I basically told her as a kid that "I was too young to make an important decision like vowing to be faithful to a God, or Gods" and she respected that. She always waited for **me** to want to talk about it. I wish to offer the same to my children as well. True love sets you free.
Glad to hear a story similar to my upbringing. Forever grateful for my devout Christian parents for giving me the choice to believe or not. I chose to stay within the faith on my own volition and not forced by my parents, but I will forever be grateful for what they did. I feel horrible when people talk about their childhood in cults and knowing that they could have been raised by better people break my heart. I'm so glad they're free and happy :)
now that's a father. i grew up attending church regularly with my mother, who is a minister and i remember vividly the day she told me she did her part raising me with religion but i was my own person and free to choose to walk the same path as her, or not. i never set foot inside the church again, she respected my decision and beliefs and we have the greatest mother/son relationship i could have asked for. it's kinda sad realizing we're fortunate to have parents like that.
I’m a dedicated, practicing Christian. I watch a sermon or religious talks every day, pray, etc because I’m hungry for God & Biblical knowledge. Having said all that, you canNOT force or beat religion into people. We can see from families who force religion into children that many grow up to hate God & church or they are just social Christians who don’t really believe or understand the reasons for things within their religion. When it comes to government forcing citizens to practice by law, we can look to Iran’s abusive Muslim government, & it’s NO coincidence that Iran actually has the fastest growing Christian Church in the world & also has many closet atheists. When you abuse someone with religion, you destroy the love, safety, & comfort of God for those people. I think it’s one of the most evil things that you can do to people.
I follow her on TikTok, she's one of the people that helped me really realize that how i grew up wasn't okay, the things my parents did weren't okay, and that life doesn't have to be the way they laid it out. I didn't grow up in the same cult she did, but the "Fundie" cult, and got away when I was just about 18. If you're reading this and you got away, or even if you're still in and questioning things: You're seen, you're valid, and you are so loved. There's other survivors out there, and you can do this.
Wishing u well
whats her tiktok 😮
What is fundie ?
@@PetiteLicorne it’s short for “fundamental”
@@PetiteLicorne Fundamentalist Christian there's several cults of this not just specifically one.
Huge respect for Liz! I grew up a Jehovah's Witness, which is also a cult, and hearing her story really resonated with me. The happiness and self confidence these cults strip away in the name of religion is abhorrent and I really wish Liz all the best as the much stronger human being she now obviously is. This was a really inspiring video to watch.
many don't realise the Jahovahs witnesses are a cult
Same here. I’m 42 and still socially awkward due to the way my parents locked us down. I was basically discarded at 13 for not complying.
@@deekee4818 I was 16 when I first broke free and was disfellowshipped. Its a tough road as a teenager to be cast aside, glad you are older and wiser now despite the damage they do do us.
@@jasonotoole1822 I have disfellowshipped friends and they had very rough teenage years because of it. My heart goes out to you. I wish you all the strength and love in life and hope you both do well today! ❤️
I grew up Jehovah's Witnesse too . Currently disfellowshipped
As a mother this just breaks my heart. What parent tells their child it's their fault that they're sick.
Those who actually believe it.
Exactly because children tend to idealize look up to , and listen to their parents.
@@testack8806 Yeah Exactly cult people don’t know there in a cult.
My husband's family is catholic, and whole heartedly believe this very thing. I am a childhood cancer survivor. My husband's sister straight up told me that it was my fault that god gave me cancer...at nine, and then again at ten.
@@meggielizabeth A yes, just like in the book of job except the opposite of that.
I went to college with her. Feel bad she went through all this stuff and had no idea her past with a cult. Glad to see she’s doing well.
Really? You must've had some interesting conversations.
@@knoahbody69 not that much really. I just wish I’d known about this. She always came across to me as a very nice person with a kind heart. I just as a Christian hate the fact that her past is one from people who profess to be Christians abused her. It’s sick. No one deserves that.
@@lwconley2005 no disrespect intended, but the assessment of a cult is very subjective. As a non believer of the supernatural (deities, religion, ghosts, spirits, spiritual plains, karma, etc.) I see most religions and supernatural sects as cults.
The title of this video says so much, but few will recognize its depth. "Without realizing" is the nature of most religions due to the vast majority of members who were indoctrinated from birth. The majority of members who joined later in life came from another religion that had already conditioned their brains to require a spiritual authority in one form or another.
Each religion has its own set of rules that do not inherently benefit the species, community, or individuals; they serve only to bolster loyalty and support protectionist viewpoints.
Just to be clear, this is not about the decision to believe, that is a personal choice that each individual should be allowed to make without undue influence, it's about the associated dogma and organizations who take advantage of this belief for power, status, or wealth.
@@CRuM770 I don’t see any disrespect here. Thanks for your input. I would agree the word cult is subjective. Any religion can be considered a cultus for sure. I just mean whether you’re religious or not or whatever you are, no one deserves to be abused like she did. And I personally think her parents should be ashamed of themselves. I think even from a very subjective take on Christ and the apostles’ teachings we can see this type of behavior isn’t the way Christ intended for his following.
I fully agree, but would take it a step further. We need to start defining the line between harmless religious and cultural practices and abuse. It will be a difficult process given the broad spectrum of beliefs, but at the moment, the courts are too lenient on psychological and emotional abuse even though they have greater long term effects on the victim.
This really made me grateful for the overtweezed eyebrows I had in middle school, and the terrible bleach job I did on my hair sophomore year of high school, all the bad haircuts, the bad outfits I look back on, weird first dates, and just all the awkwardness of early adolescence. You forget how much you should cherish those things because unfortunately, not everyone gets the opportunities to make the dumb mistakes to laugh at in five years. Thanks for telling your story!
The green with her red hair is beautiful! So happy she escaped the cult.
My boyfriend’s family was like that. They weren’t in a cult (I don’t think) but he got cancer and they drilled it into his head that he did something bad that god gave him cancer. I felt so bad for him.
I hope he’s okay!
That’s evil beyond belief 😮 I hope he’s okay now
Four year olds get cancer too. I wonder how you explain to a small child that they did something against God to be punished.
That's not even a Biblical construction. I don't know where people make this stuff up from.
😲😲😲
People who escape cults are some of the strongest people alive. They literally have to learn how to survive in an alternate reality to what they were raised or indoctrinated into. The men in this cult are the weakest most insecure little worms who exist and I hope they all get what they deserve one day. She literally has green eyes and red hair, green is one of the most flattering colours she can wear but her controlling toddler of a father didn't like it so she couldn't wear it??? Disgusting! Good on her for proudly wearing green now.
You know who's really strong?
Professional Weight Lifters
And they have to figure out they are in a cult . Wild
Yes, it takes a lot to turn around and accept that you were sold lies. I was raised JW. I remember the moment I realized I wasn't going along with the cult out of belief; I just feared Jehovah. Then I became an apostate after learning of the Governing Body's(the supposed anointed heads of the JW org.) corruption & hypocrisy. I dislike their control tactics too.
She's right about growing up ab*sed as a child. You don't understand or realize your situation until you're older & away from the parent(s). You only focus on not angering your parent(s) and survival mode.
If you think about it the same can be told about our reality today, capitalism is a cult that makes us believe that is the only way possible
@@Andrea-fd2bw What makes you say that?
Very good interview. I’m glad she was able to go away to college, and find friends who cared enough to suggest therapy. Wishing her continued healing.
So proud of you, sweet girl, for breaking free of that demonic cult and using that beautiful voice to speak out on the dangers of this cult❤️
As a Christian, this really bothers me that this type of mindset is sooo strong in certain churches and it is FAR from how God wants us to view Him and how we should live our lives. Yes, holy and pleasing to Him, but He also wants us to live life and enjoy it. To be able to express ourselves and to not be so sheltered. To be about FREE WILL and not suppression.
All you have to do is study the origins of Christianity. All the way back. Really study not just to “gaurd your doctrine” and you’ll see it’s mostly cults. It is the anti of what “Christ” came to teach. Broke free!! No more lies. To know the Creator without all the religious trappings. Christian friends I know, would call that demonic. My dad was a preacher. So glad to be free.
@@lmorgee5 nah ,I love my Orthodox Christianity
Poor girl , the brainwashing will be hard to get over but I'm glad you got out and could talk to someone .
God Bless you , LIZ-- brave Girl!!!!!!!!!!
god bless you Liz ( bravo for Seeking counseling!!)
I have faith in her. She's seems to be dealing with it well. Many don't.
Everyone please go to Jesus he is very much real I seen him and he appeared to me he loves you very much and he died for you. Please don’t go away from him because people misuse him. Please also pray the rosary it saves lives and reliefs stress.
@@dontcallanimalspetstheyare7871 no more fairy stepbrother. No more fairy tales for me. Seek professional help for your delusions.
There’s something her parents either skipped in the Bible or ignored: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath” that includes holding on too tight :|
Definitely. My stepfather even tried to change the verse, instead of " do not provoke your children to wrath" he went "You see? Do not provoke your PARENTS to wrath"
Why would he change that? Bc he was emotionally abusive, and used to tell me he doesn't care if he gets hated for it yadayada. Jokes on him both of his "children" hates his ass very much.
Everyone please go to Jesus he is very much real I seen him and he appeared to me he loves you very much and he died for you. Please don’t go away from him because people misuse him. Please also pray the rosary it saves lives and reliefs stress.
If you don't randomly pick which pieces of the bible support your version of the cult, you can't function, and your head would explode as every directive has multiple opposing directives.
LIKE MOST CHURCHES THEY PICK AND CHOOSE THE VERSES THEY FOLLOW!!!!!!
Those people forgot Mateo 22:39 (Matthew in english, I think). And since they forgot the second one most important and a fundamental pillar of the whole new testament then... everything else just failed, terribly...
Honestly, these people should be in jail, they're dangerous... didn't Charles Manson, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite and Jim Jones taught you NOTHING? ='(
She is amazingly confident and because of healing from the trauma and sharing her story, she is inspiring others. Sad though to have to cut off from her family to be able to be an independent and healthy person. I hope others in her family will follow so she has some family support down the line.
It would be great if she had some healthy family, perhaps distant relatives, but sadly families often bask in the same toxicity. She may be able to help her siblings detox.
@@pashakdescilly7517 So True. Yet sometimes another sibling sees the one and also wants freedom!
"She is amazingly confident and because of healing from the trauma" - Trauma is subjective, a matter of self perception, and I did not hear any evidence or testimony of trauma in her story until she went to college. It sounds like "therapy induced trauma" to me. Impressionable young people suddenly perceiving themselves as traumatized because they are told by some authority figure that they should feel traumatized.
@@michaels4255 While a few people are told erroneously they have trauma, by therapists who capitalize on it. It is quite common for survivors to have amnesia about trauma while they are enduring it. It is one way some survive. Also, if everyone is being treated the same in a cult it does not feel as bad as if one is singled out and alone. But that still doesn't negate the abuse.
This cult does sound traumatic and repressive. Only bible oriented, no control over her own life, other than planning to be a wife, her parents have total control over her life, very sin and punishment oriented, very limited schooling, and traumatic to be married off literally as a child. I'd kind of doubt you'd feel this wasn't trauma if it was you who was forced to live such a constrained and controlled life. Really it's her life so her perceptions are what count.I stand behind what I said above too.
@@michaels4255 everybody's journey of recovery from abuse is different. It sounds like you think you are entitled to define how she should feel.
i feel you. born and raised, growing up as a christian... we had so many rules. when i got to public school, i felt that awkardness. like i really don't know where to begin. this has to stop really. it's giving psychological trauma.
The guys at her school that were stalking her weren't doing that because she didn't know how to set boundaries. It's because some people can spot and prey on someone they perceive as vulnerable and easily submissible to their will. Doesn't have to happen inside a cult.
True but that doesn’t mean she didn’t know how to set boundaries. And someone who can’t set boundaries can be received as vulnerable.
@@regan3873 True, I'm just saying it's not on her, how those creeps behaved.
@@Erinski Exactly. Framing it as her not being able to 'set boundaries' puts the blame on her. It's not her fault.
yikes men are weird
Agree, those guys we’re just a bunch of idiots and creeps! The only good they did was help her drive to therapy
My mom grew up in a doomsday cult. She said she wasn’t allowed to wear makeup, eat non kosher foods, celebrate holidays, celebrate birthdays, have toys, or color her hair. My family left the cult when she was 15 and she immediately started branching out to goth, punk, and grunge music. She dyed her hair bright red and started expressing herself as she wanted. I’m so glad I didn’t have to be apart of that cult. She said she isn’t traumatized by it, she even laughs about the ridiculous beliefs they had. But I’m so lucky that she made sure we could choose what we believed.
she wasn't allowed toys?? wow
@@pamelam1101 nope! When my brother and I were growing up, her parents bought us so many toys. Mom laughs about to saying they’re just trying to make up for all the years they couldn’t buy toys for her and her brother.
@@pamelam1101 Theres an entire KIND of RUclipsr that dissects and covers Cults:
Atheist-RUclipsr.
Genetically Modified Sceptic is really not the Only One who got praised to no end for his
Cult-Coverage. This is a whole brand of channel doing great work for this.
What a cool mom💖
Your mom is an icon!!
I’m so glad she’s out of that situation and in a wayyyyy better and happier place.
My family was also involved with this cult growing up and I’m so thankful we realized what it was before we got in too deep! My family didn’t follow all the “rules” as closely as her family did, but it was a very controlling and isolation way to grow up. Thank the Lord for his grace and forgiveness! All 4 of us kids have adjusted to normal life very well. we all have a relationship with God, instead of faith based on rules🙌 it’s so sad that people twist the Bible in order to control other people, and it makes God look bad😓 if people would actually study the Bible for themselves, they wouldn’t fall for these stupid cults😥
The biggest thing about being raised in a cult, i'd assume, is that you'd never know you were in one, since you'd have no knowledge of the outside world and how other people live outside of your group.
Same goes with religion, its just situated knowledge. Always apply critical thinking.
@@Mogambosa “same with religion”- you can’t really say that. Do you know what the definition of a cult is….? A cult is defined as a gathering of people worshiping / idealizing / following / etc one thing or concept. So either a god in the sky or a priest on the ground. Doesn’t matter. Religions are cults. Separating the two is part of why they can get away with awful stuff. For example, Catholic Churches and their extensive rape histories throughout the WHOLE religion worldwide? Is that better than a cult Charles Manson started just because it’s more widely “accepted” as ok?
tbf i dont think most people joining cults as adults know that they're in a cult either
Or you can be raised in a cult and have knowledge to the outside world but still think your upbringing is normal and pretty much what everyone has unless you go to their homes and see it's not.
I was raised in a cult, but went to a normal school. It was still very hard to see the world as something to learn from, I saw anything from the world as evil, temptation, immoral. Including education unfortunately.
My mom used to blame my illnesses and also world wide disasters on me “sinning.”
So evil!!! 🤦♀️
You have to consider that your mom was most likely brainwashed when she was young. The majority of older religious people are complete psychopaths so your moms peers could have been vile. It's a domino effect but I'm delighted to hear you have broken the chain
My parents do this to this day. Knowledge is power and there's sadly a lot of people who ignore science if it contradicts their personal biases and beliefs. I'm sorry you went through that too.
& kind of stupid
Funny how people who claim to be so religious completely ignore one of the Book of Job's lessons, which is not to assume that suffering = Divine retribution, as Job's friends did.
i didnt grow up in a cult but i did grow up in an abusive christian household. my stepfather would fly into these violent rages, mostly verbal but often physical, with usually my mother as the target. afterwards he would gather us all together for a "family meeting" where we would read out of the bible or pray for the devil to stop attacking our family. it wasnt until i was an adult that i learned that he was addicted to cocaine and these rages were the result of his withdrawals. "the devil" was never the one tearing apart our family, it was him. the devil was always just him
It is definitely a cult and so wrong. What a courageous and strong young woman! Thank you for sharing! God bless you!
I'm sorry, but to you and many others I must point out that this is just a "parachurch" organization and as such would have a very difficult time meeting any reasonable definition of "cult." It is unfair, unreasonable, and misleading to attach such a pejorative label to it.
My parents both were narcissists and all though we were not super religious, they brainwashed us to never question their actions, beliefs and authority. I used to think my parents were amazing super hero's. Now I embraced my role as a black sheep and I'm destroying that narcissistic environment from inside out. At first I decided to go away and take them out of my life Now I'm back pointing out all of their abuse and bullshit. Over the years life showed to all of us that I have the most survival independent skills as well as being the most adaptive. Now it's clear to me that they didint want me to succeed and over the years they did horrible things to ruin my life. But all that made me strong and fearless. I'm an introverted empath and nothing in life can scare me and disapoint me. As I already went trough hell, my parents lack of love and rejection is the most painful think, and this made me powerful. Now I'm fully self realised emotionally independent individual and I'm fully aware of the trauma I went trough and I don't associate my self as a victim. I also have a child and I'm an amazing dad. I try my best to not continue the generational abuse cycle.
She is so warm and likeable, and doesn’t complain once or put her parents down. I hope the rest of her life is amazing.
Raised in a mormon Cult all of this applied for years LD$>LatterDays>Fear driven Saints- FLD$- LD$-RLD$
She should.
Also what the hell does this happen to do with anything??? There are plenty of people who absolutely should and who are RUINED by parents and their abuse
@@raing8942 y'all need to chill G.
@@raing8942 yeah, agreed
Being blamed for your own chronic pain or health issues is beyond evil and small minded. I’ve had this happen to me
Or the pinheads refusing medical help for family on religious grounds waiting for a healing. Simply put, God gave you a gift of smart people with modern medicine to solve these problems and by refusing you are denying Gods wisdom poured into them to help you. Their logic is twisted and definitely abusive.
This and it’s called ableism.
What makes this even worse is how God knew stuff like this might happen and allowed Job to go through terrible stuff to show that not every bad thing that happens to us is because of something we did.
Same and medical neglect is evil too
@Yunai Seonu - You misunderstood my comment but it is OK. Doctors are blessed and that is a fact. Be certain if you do not believe in God because I would not want you to be shoveling coal for your uncle lucifer for all eternity :D Its one of the more terrible jobs I hear.
That was also my childhood. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that there are others out there who grew up under the same evil system. I thought it was just my family. This is so validating and cathartic. Thank you for sharing.
Don’t ever delete this video, revisit it in ten years, then twenty. Reflect.
Of course her father gave her the speeding rule..so a cop wouldn’t ever stop her and think something was off and prospectively investigate. So calculating and cruel. Horrendous. I’m so happy she’s free. Beautiful and stunning inside and out
no offense but what parent would tell their child its ok to speed?
@@Red4350 i mean, in a lot of places (in america at least), a lot of speed limits were set from 1926 - 1956 when the highway system was expanded. many of those speed limits are quite slow by modern standards because of how much slower and how much more dangerous cars were back then, so generally speaking its fine to drive like 5 (or even 10 depending on the situation) mph over the speed limit
@@Red4350 My parents told me it was fine to speed up to 10 MPH over heh.
@@Red4350 No kidding! I speed myself, but I would never advise a young person to do it. They are too reckless without any encouragement! Sometimes I wonder whether we should even issue licenses to persons under 25. When I was young and occasionally found myself in a vehicle with one of my peers behind the wheel, some of them had me so scared out of my wits that I was praying under my breath!
Even cult members can care about their kids and want them to not die in a car accident. That was the one part that didn't worry or shock me
I'm so happy she overcame all of that trauma to become a happy and healthy adult.
She is so beautiful. I'm so happy she was taken under the wing of a very informed and obviously wonderful friend. I personally do not believe in the teachings of the bible, because my religion is different. But I very much so respect it and the wonderful Christian people that have helped me grow spiritually. I am just happy she is full of life and has just blossomed and doesn't have hate towards the abuse. She took it and became someone, who others who desperately need to hear that it's okay, can be that voice.
As another person with Red hair it’s a shame she was told to not wear green cause it brings out our eyes !
💞
I swear he knew that! and used it as another way to keep her down, control her, and probably thought if she doesn't look pretty she won't think too much of herself etc HORRIBLE
Indeed. Green is amazing for us (and also my favourite colour).
@@vanefreja86 I know! I think the same thing
Brings out your eyes? Not all redheads have the same eye colour
Oh god…after growing up in religious extremism and abuse ( and spending years and thousands of dollars in therapy ) I can so identify with her. Her bravery to speak out is astonishing and im sure has cost her so many relationships ( even if toxic, it’s super hard not to have a family! I know…). So grateful she is speaking out now!!!!
I'm so sorry for your past pain.
Loving Jesus and religious extremism are so very different.
God wants a relationship with his children, but people keep trying to get in the way of that by playing god and trying to be the authority. And people always end up being harsh and cruel. God is love, never a tyrant.
Religious freedom should end, where other people's freedom ends. If ones freedom limits the freedom of others, then that goes against freedom.
@@allmigthygoddess939 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
I've been watching these all morning. There are hundreds on RUclips and many more elsewhere. How is this astonishing when it's common? Are you astonished often? Then you go on to assume her relationship status based on your personal experience which is just silly. You say you want to get away from religion. Start with being rational.
GOD didn't create religions. People did. That's why it's called "religious extremism".
So many people think that,
religion= believing in GOD..
But one doesn't need religion to believe in GOD.
Infact, most religions are the opposite of what GOD can ever be. Religions were created by some people for their own self motives and selfishness.
She is so warm and resilient, I’m glad she was able to heal from her trauma and share her story 💜
This is so interesting, you never really think about people more specifically children growing up in cults like this, like what is their perception of it all. Thank you for sharing this Liz
I’m so glad she got out, who ever that friend she met in college that suggested her to see a therapist on her child hood, I hope that person is doing wonderful things in life! Many of us that don’t see these things on a regular basis would probably be like “whoa that’s nuts! Well I’m glad you’re okay?! lol” or “maybe you should talk to the cops about these guys stalking you!” Not “hey it might be beneficial for you to talk to a therapist so you can figure out why you’re so prone to things like this in your life” like actually recognizing there’s more to it than her not setting boundaries and these whacko guys stalking her. I feel like most people would feel it’s “not their place” or something. On that note! Thank you for being an honest yet caring person! And Faith! You look stunning in green! It’s my favorite color and I thought I couldn’t have another reason to love it but now I do!!
I also give a ton of credit to the roommate. Rather then being like "thats a cult, thats child abuse" etc and taking the risk of Faith not believing her and getting into an argument, she convinced her to see a professional who could be trusted. Sometimes people don't/can't hear certain information from just anyone. They would laugh it off thinking its a joke. Yet hearing it from someone with training and more knowledge is such a different experience.
@@fidelianerina Completely agreed! Approaching situations like that especially can so quickly turn into a fight about how “you don’t know me or my life” kind of thing. She handled the approach and the subject as a whole so respectfully! I didn’t even recognize that aspect of it until you commented that! Thank you! Yes you’re so right! Your approach to a person about anything can change how things go 100%!
The "umbrella of protection of a man" is a recurring theme in several (interprations of) religions. Best of luck to you Liz! Great to see you built your independence
It a recurring theme in anything where Men are scared of independent Women. After all religions are just prime example of way to control people.
Feminists love to pretend they don't need men yet their political views are lists of things they demand the "government" provide for them. Free healthcare. Free housing. Free childcare.
@@bradjohnson1229 what good is a system of government if it’s incapable of providing these things to its people and isn’t striving to change that?
@@TheWiseWombat It's your very way of thinking that keeps most of the world in poverty and in third world status.
Western men don't look to the government to provide things for them. That isn't the role of government. The government exists to protect your civil rights. It is up to you your family and your community to create the wealth that you desire.
@@bradjohnson1229 We found the mysoginist! Give yourself a hug.
She looks amazing now, she's almost glowing. Her eyes are so stunning!
I relate to a lot of this. Especially being told it was my fault whenever something bad happened...my mother thought she had cancer several years ago and she told my siblings and I that it was our fault for being "bad".
I also only began to see the truth when I went to college and 2016 was the final straw for me. I finally managed to leave in 2019.
She’s 100% right about abuse from religion. I remember the night before my father passed away. I was 17 and crying. He had been in Hospice for a few months, so his death should have not been a shock. The pastor of the church was there to “comfort” us as Dad was in a coma. I remember the exact words he said, “I was being unreasonable and wrong and an overall horrible person for being so upset and not wanting my Dad to pass away”. No, I didn’t want Dad to suffer and be sick and in pain. I wanted him healthy and happy. To this day, I don’t like organized religion. If you’re a heartless and horrible person there’s not a single church out there that will keep you from judgement and going to hell. That was in 1996 and I still remember how that felt to be told that at 17 and right before he died. 😡
Gross. I pray that you healed from that.
That's such a traumatic thing to hear.
That sounds horrible.
Well, if you feel people of any religion is the same as that 1 pastor nobody can change your mind about it. But, he sounds like a douche and shouldn’t be leading a church at all. As you said it was 96, perhaps he’s long gone now.
I'm so so sorry that you had to deal with that. And I'm sorry for your loss.
My evangelical in-laws shunned me for not “pulling the plug” on my husband earlier.
They still refuse to speak to me. We had been together 25 years.
Also a cult survivor: I'm genuinely surprised she got to go live at college. I wasn't even allowed to do that.
Probably bc college opened her eyes to so much and how her life had been hurting her. Your family probably didn’t want that
@@mikaylastinson6327 Right, that’s why it’s *surprising* that this young woman *was* allowed to go to college, and live away from home. Cults don’t usually allow that, because that’s how you lose cult members
She went to Bob Jones in South Carolina which is a notoriously insanely strict evangelical school. The entire biology faculty are young-Earth creationists. It didn't even become a federally accredited school until 2005 and didn't join any secular accreditation groups until 2017.
@@isaelfers5509 that makes it EVEN MORE insane that people around her agreed that her parent's cult was abusive and bizarre, if people being educated in a evangelical creationist school thinks you had a fucked up childhood it must be some next level shit
Makes you wonder if her parents are as bad as she portrays given that she was allowed to go away to college.
One of friends experienced religious abuse from his parents, particularly his father. They weren’t in a cult but he was very traumatized as a child & teen from the things his dad would tell him like “God will punish you or you will go to Hell for XYZ.” He told me he used to cry worrying about people in other countries who believed in other religions because he thought they were going to hell but didn’t know better.
Poor kid, I'm so glad she's out from under all that. Religion continues to prove itself to be the worst thing ever created by humans.
The Duggars follow the same thing as this woman's family, this Bill Gotthard training up a child stuff. I'm so glad this woman got out and is speaking out. So brave and admirable.
Check out Funday Fridays coverage of these principles and The Duggars
And the Bates. I agree, Fundie Fridays is really good 👍
Bill Gothgard is one of the last people I would take advice on morality from. He has some very unChristian ways about him. The man is a predator who resigned from his own organization because of allegations of sexual harassment and molestation. His rules have a big emphasis on how a woman presents herself, starting in childhood. The Bible doesn't teach any of this is the way to live.
Glad most of their children left!. Apparently their mother could be singling to leave also
@@ThatGirlJD I actually know someone who Gothard tried to groom when she was a teenager. Iirc, her parents got wise to it though and got them all out. She’s a stunningly beautiful woman who is now thriving. You can see exactly why these sorts of patriarchal principles would lead to women being abused and molested by men when these men believe (and raise young women also to believe) that men have absolute authority over them and are more more morally righteous by nature. It is evil teaching that has poisoned churches for years and years and doubtless lead to countless incidences of abuse.
I am very familiar with this cult program. Liz's and my family were in the same area. And I recognize some of the pictures and people in them. I too have spent hours with mental health professionals unpacking and fixing the damage caused by Bill Gothards cult.
Ex JW here, while my experiences weren't as extreme, I do wish you nothing but healing as you move forward in your new life outside the cult. Unpacking is tough work so good on you for taking that on.
How hard did Bill get, though?
@@nobodyanon sending you warm, kind, supportive energy. Proud of you.
Sending good vibes to you! Vibes of healing and peace and knowing you are a valuable human!
How many children are still living like that?! Crying... Praying for all the best to Liz.
Hi liz, well done for speaking out. I hope you enjoy a long and happy life doing everything you want to do. Peace and kindness 💛
I'm so happy for her that she had a friend who recognized that there were issues she needed to talk about and that she took her friend's advice. She could just as easily have said that she didn't need therapy and that she was fine because she didn't even recognize how bad it really was.
It's so strange how, even though they read the bible so much, the "umbrella of protection" was so narrow for the cult that every illness was a punishment and if you broke one rule god would abandon you to death.
There are multiple parts in the bible that address the fact that sometimes bad things happen to good people through no fault of their own; there was a whole book about it (Job) so it really doesn't make sense outside of being just part of the training to make people conform as much as possible
Correct. Different sects interpret things differently. It appears that cults hone in on no more than a handful of things that make them different and better and more correct, and branch into laws and rituals from there. They preach what makes them different and better and here we are. Though it seems certain eras/geographical areas have different cults that share some of the same differences to whatever is the mainstream religion. It isn't the first time I've seen that umbrella in this video.
The umberella of protection, I have never read any good-quality English translation bible such as the NJKV or NASB. As a child of God I feel so free. I don't worry about what people think of me. I enjoy pleasant and goodly things. I love the Lord and I obey his helpful instructions and where there are no instructions I have the Holy Spirit to guide me and protect me. It is my desire that all cults become exposed and their followers simply walk away and find complete healing and fulfilled lives.
Ikr, these cults talk about how sickness is a punishment but so many times has the Bible said otherwise, many of the times the Bible talks about certain sickness and affliction either being torments from evil descents or tests or other reasons, the times in the bible where God actually refused to help the believers were in the old testament when they started serving other gods and only came back to him when things went bad for them which is a very different case from being devoted and being punished for a single sin which shouldn't be since we're in the era of the new testament which teaches love and mercy, which is where many geniune churches teach from in addition to the messages from old testament, but these cults simply prioritize the old testament and leave out the new testament in their teachings coz they're hiding their lies from their members
Sounds almost like the right-wing religious zealots to me!
Cults like this typically have altered versions of the Bible (if we consider the KJV to be the most correct/complete) and will not only use different phrasing to help support their beliefs but will omit entire books from the bible
I love how brave and happy she is even after all she went through
Such a beautiful, well-spoken young woman! Good for you for getting out! Stay strong! God bless you 🙏
I didn’t realize how cultish I was until college. Actually all the youth from my generation left but 2, who ended up married of course. Most of us are living our best life outside of the church/ cult. Like the women who could never play sports, wear only long dresses and skirts, no makeup, no heels, approved hairstyles, no dating as god or father would provide your husband. This is exactly what OP lived says and she learned she was in a cult.
As a man I couldn’t show my shoulders with a tank, no shorts, church 3xs a week, no flirting, no ‘worldly’ friends/ music, art. It took so much to get my mom to let me listen to jazz so I could do better in jazz band. She made me listen to “Christian” jazz.
Anyway, college seems to be the eye opener because that’s when the vast majority of us got away for the brainwashing and rules and got to experience the world as it truly is.
Be cautious, the next generation might get told that college is bad for them since your generation went and had an eye opening.
None of those rules make you a better person. Wear what you like, eat what is healthy and continue to worship your God. Edited to say all music is good music.
I'm so glad I didn't have the dress rule, but it was similar for me. I wore mostly boys clothes as a kid so I could help my dad outside. I still prefer boy clothes, but I've had gender dysphoria since I was 4, I just hid it well. But the music was really strict for me. There was a series of movies about "dangerous music," and it was basically anything with drums, so even Christian rock and stuff was off limits for a while. But that was more an idea that a few people in my life at the time were getting sucked into, and I'm glad my dad wasn't as careful with it. Like, he though Skillet was bad, but now I've been listening to more industrial and EDM type stuff, and to me, it just does something different.
@@jlbeeen drums??? What??? What??? I know there is no logic behind any of this cult crap but SERIOUSLY??? DRUMS???? WHAT????!!??!?
Cults are bad, but so is running around having a bunch of wild sex in college. Both views are way too extreme
I’m really surprised her parents allowed her to attend college, I beat they regret it now and will warn others in their church about it. I’m so glad you discovered your way, I just do not like religions at all, to me it a way of control.
There are other religions; such as Wicca and other mytstical or neo-Pagan traditions, schools of certain Eastern religions, and humanistic ones like universalism, (in fact there’s even a very progressive Christian denomination that comes to mind) that people with mainstream religious or cult trauma seek out for liberation… but I get your point.
hey, not all religions are like this. it's important that we make a clear distinction between a cult and a religion and not generalize. i know many people who are religious that are an absolute delight to be around, who are just normal people just like everybody else. please reconsider your thinking as not every religious person is a radical cultist, when that's the case, be sure that the person has stepped far away from the religion into something else completely different.
@@thisorthat7746 totally agree with you here. Having faith is beautiful and can bring lots of peace in your life. Unfortunately, some mentally sick people just spoil it for others.
@@switchbladejimmy7655 yeah and it is sad that religion had to change in order to keep its followers.
@@thisorthat7746 religions are just older cults that have been accepted into society after many years.
If those religions never existed, and someone walked up to you and told you all about this middle eastern man 2 thousand years ago that you should worship. And then he says you and your family must mould your lives around him, read and study his teachings your whole life and go to a building every week to worship him. You bet your ass that would be seen as a cult.
You are so beautiful. Listening to you tell your story was heartbreaking. but the way you are so beautiful,positive, and smiling through it it's really inspiring. You went through so much and you didn't let it bring you down, or ruin you you just continue to grow and blossom.I think you are so incredibly strong.
I grew up in ATI as well but more on the fringes. But the courtship thing, yes. And it has impeded me in adult life beyond belief. I appreciate you sharing this. It all sounds so familiar.
I was raised in the same cult. My parents took me to the ATI seminars and week long programs, we followed the rules, went through the school programs, as I was also homeschooled etc. I no longer follow, anything, from that cult. It really messed me up as a woman, because our bodies were seen as "Sinful" and that we could cause men to "stumble" by what we wore and how we acted. Basically, if a man committed a 'sin' and lusted for us or raped us, it was because of something the woman did. It was our fault, and we were punished. The rapist would be forgiven, as that is commanded in the bible, and everyone would gather around a rapist and 'help' him get better
Holy shit that's awful. You absolutely don't have to answer this at all, it's just my curiosity but how did you respond to the outside world after first leaving the cult? What are the best things you can have/do now that you've left the umbrella of controlling bullshit? Is there anything you think people who've never experienced anything like what you have take for granted?
I hope all is getting better for all of you… how devastating.
Wow! This is why I believe the bible is a load of nonsense and written by a controlling man.
Sounds just like the Duggars did with Josh.
@@pjv59tn51 They are in the same cult as her family.
As a librarian, one of the parts of Faith's story that most horrified me was the censorship that she described. Her family went so far as to turn magazine covers around so that other grocery store customers couldn't see the contents. They completely controlled Faith's access to information, from her education to TV to books and even music. In doing so, they deprived her of her rights to know about the world and to form her own opinions based on that knowledge.
Because knowledge is power and having personal agency makes the abuser’s power crumble. Keeping someone ignorant is the easiest way to keep them in check, too 😓
Her father knew.
I was shocked that they allowed her to go to college!! The part that kills me is… her mom blaming her for getting sick!! Such a terrible thing to do to your own child!!
Although discouraging pointless celebrity-following is probably a good thing, so it's not _all_ bad. :-)
Eh, agree and disagree. A good parent SHOULD shelter their kids from adult content. A 6 year old can’t form an educated opinion on basically anything because *they aren’t educated* and their brains are still developing. My parents would turn magazines around (like when the women were barely clothed), limit my brother and I’s tv/books/movies, etc, and I grew up to be grateful for it. They did it to keep our childhoods innocent as long as possible. They never shied away from honestly explaining adult subjects, they just wanted us to stay kids for as long as we could. They were also very clear that *while we were children* they were responsible for us, but once we were of driving age that we could get jobs and buy any of that with our own money. I own a LOT of things (books, bongs, etc) as an adult that they don’t approve of. They’re aware and don’t judge me for those things bc they know my brain is fully developed and I’m capable of making my own, educated choices. And I respect tf out of my parents for that.
The truly horrifying part of this video is how the parents were SCARING their children into believing what they believed. “if you read these books, you’ll be out from under of the umbrella of protection and God won’t protect you anymore” and “you’re sick because you sinned”.
Not to mention that as a woman, she’d always be under someone’s umbrella (either her father or husband), and always at risk for ‘sinning against’ a man.
Good parents SHOULD censor what their children are exposed to.
Thank you Elizabeth for showing those of us that thought our parents made our lives a living hell were actually in a different cult than you. I got a stomach ache as you told your story. Thought provoking
conversation. We need you to tell more stories
about life in a religious
cult. Thanks again for opening my eyes. 👀
I hope you are enjoying
your new life. Would love to hear how you broke free.
She seems like such a sweetheart and a total ball of sunshine.
I am meeting more and more survivors from this cult every year. It gives me hope that I’ll one day find my old friends who were married off and never seen again. Thank you for sharing your story! There are so many of us out there.
Do we know what the cult is?
@@stephanievizzi9147 IBLP
@@stephanievizzi9147 it's the duggars and bates cult, IBLP
@@stephanievizzi9147 Christianity.
@@stephanievizzi9147 IBPL, ATI, or Gothard Christians. Lots of names but they’re pretty easy to recognize once you know what they preach.
Yes Liz! We were in the same cult, and attended kind of like the finishing school(excel) that ATI had together. So happy to see her thriving!
And how are you doing if you don't mind me asking,if you do I'm sorry and ignore it. Hope you're OK.
@@thatsthat2612 I'm doing well, all things considered! It was only about 3 years ago when I realized how much of a cult it was...like we always joked about it, but then it became real. I still haven't gone to therapy yet, because I'm worried about trying to find a therapist that could really understand everything I went through and how they could help me. Not to mention in this cult, therapy is considered "taboo", so there's still a lot of mental hurdles to get through
@@sarahwest1400 I was raised in a fundamentalist, home school Christian environment-not quite the same, but similar. I spent years avoiding therapy or going to a couple sessions only to stop after I saw that the therapist didn’t really “get it”. About 3 years ago, I finally preserved through the anxiety long enough to dig a little deeper in therapy and found that they absolutely understood the heart of the matter. A well trained therapist will know how to gently guide you through unpacking some of your trauma even if they’re not familiar with the specifics. I just wanted to share in case that offers any sense of encouragement. I’m sorry for what you’ve had to go through, and I wish you a lot of joy and freedom ahead.
@@sarahwest1400 I am sorry for that. The therapist that I consulted with is a Christian, so I talked to her not only about mental health problems but also related to religion. We've done online talk therapy and it really helps. Maybe you can start with that, a lot of them are providing online video call which you don't have to meet them personally. All we need to do is to open up to them (you can done it slowly, at your own pace how much you want to disclose), or else they can't help us. Hope this helps.
@@sarahwest1400 Check out Recovering From Religion. They have many resources that are specifically geared to your type of situation. They have therapists that understand cults.
I’m glad to see she’s flourishing now and making positive strides to move past the awful past she had to endure
Liz, I’m really glad you emerged from Bill Gohards cult as whole as you are. I feel like you’re a miracle! I went to several of Bill Gothards seminars in the mid 80’s in Nashville, bought the books and followed the principles as best I could, since I was an orphan and had no brothers or relatives to be my “umbrella” some of the concept fell apart. I’m now a happy liberal Christian....wishing you all the best!
she’s got a great energy.
@George Hori Kapu shut up george
I know ! I'm happy this didn't break her spirit
It's awful that her parents will likely believe the "mistake" is not the extreme control and abusive religious practices but that they should have never let her go to college.
Anytime anyone refers to education as "indoctrination" it's a massive red flag for not wanting kids and young adults to learn anything outside of their own family's influence.
This type of thinking extends far beyond established and recognised cults. Masses of grown Americans believe that colleges are indoctrinating their kids with "liberal" views.
Education is the antidote to religion. Better eduction worldwide is why religion is in steady decline. Interesting TED talk about how this works: ruclips.net/video/YtAR_OGzlcg/видео.html
This 💯
Most of today "education system" is indoctrination. Only the technical fields tend to avoid this pitfall.
Funny. It says you have four replies, but I only see one.
Bravo !! Thank you for this, and I will remember your name forever "Faith Elizabeth Hunter, Liz the Healer"
You are so strong. Thank you for sharing, you were a very big help. Best of luck
She's a gem. So glad she got out of that situation, and is speaking out about it. What a Badass
THIS is why, as a teacher, I'm always pushing for students to ATTEND college. A degree really isn't the point, it's about learning about yourself through the interactions w/others.
Sadly that's not positive in the education system either it's just as twisted and unrealistic even there it's still not real life and not a realistic example it's just as bad, there's still other ways and these days we do not have to go into the education system anymore and people need to break out of that too, we have the internet now and so many online courses we can do...
It's still not positive or realistic interaction when you still can't think the way you do in schools or college... and if you have disabilities or are higher iq it's even worse so people need to also rethink "education" too and telling them it's somehow a good idea to be there it's just more expectations and pressure to do things that isn't any help to anything, i don't know how anything could learn about themselves still in that environment when they still don't give you a real chance and only want you to see things the way they do and shamed for who you are if it's not how the curriculum says, it's just another form of "what the bible says".
I finally just stopped going 7 years ago but i can't tell you the struggle i still do through with my mental health cos of it... i don't go out or do anything cos i've no idea where to even start we need a lot more but we don't need to be traumatized to learn about ourselves and "the popular culture" does not teach us about ourselves, if i could say anything it's go somewhere you can learn about yourself that doesn't influence your every decision and thought that lets you truly make sense of things uninfluenced otherwise it's useless when you can't express yourself without being told you're still wrong.
@@catleigh1540 truth! It's AN option.
Idk about you but I dont got money for college and I can interact with ppl with out having to stress over not getting kicked out of school for grades. Please dont force kids to go to college instead show them what they could gain from it and also tell them about consequences because college isnt always fun like in movies
So you can go find yourself for the low low price of...a lifetime of crippling debt; while you try paying it off by working at Starbucks. Nice advice there teach.
college isn't a feasible option for everyone even if they want to attend. joining clubs, activist groups and meeting ppl can be done without college and you won't end up owing tens of thousands of dollars
4:46 obviously this case is extreme. But I think there are a lot of young adults who get trapped like this when their childhood has been too strict / spoonfed. Your whole life everything has been done for you, and then suddenly you need to make decisions of your own, which you can't because you never learned how to, and that's how anxiety forms leaving you paralysed.
I know someone who had EVERYTHING in his life dictated and I feel like that's why he ended up the way he did. Not because he's a bad person, but because he just didn't know how to live life as a responsible adult.
I wish this woman nothing but happiness and love for the rest of her days.
As a Christian, this breaks my heart beyond words... Using God as an excuse to abuse, manipulate and scare your children is so unbelievably stupid and cowardly. So happy that she realized everything and is now living a different, free life🤍
I wish most religious people doesn't do that but it's really the majority in the households.
@@avourrito1819 I see so many Christian rules that are there to control people, nothing to do with morals. It's all about control using threats of sin and hell.
@@tulam1645 this is a huge generalisation. majority of christian households are nothing like this. there are bad christians but true christians do not follow these princippes and aren't extremely religious - Jesus' cruxification was ordered by religious people - his own 'people' turned on him. Jesus' greatest commandment was to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Sadly many christians have not changed their ways and misrepresent the love of God and Jesus.
Yes exactly
@@ohsoyoujackiedaisy4155 yeah I see enough of judgmental Christians who do many of these these. I had to cut out a lot of toxic Christians out of my life. They way they treat people with their "Im better than you because I'm a Christian is sickening". Seen enough damaged kids group up so messed up. That's why they turn their backs on religion. Even there concept of heaven and hell is laughable as new rules are added by those who keep adjusting to control their followers.
The better, moral people I know don't use religion as a guide to their lives. Instead they are more welcoming, treat others as equals, and don't fell the need to do good because they want a place in heaven, but do good because they want to.
I went to therapy as well not for a cult but for a gas lighting narcissistic mother. My brother committed suicide due to her and I was bound and determined that was going to outlive her. I had a very hard time in therapy putting what my mother did together with the word abuse because she also did some great things for me. There always seemed to be a price. I wish I had done what she did much much earlier and I am now still learning to set boundaries and make my own decisions. It's not easy but I will get there I am almost there. :-)
I'm deeply sorry to hear about your brother's past and about the childhood you had to endure. I wish you the best of luck in life.
Keep going Elizabeth!! You deserve a happy life 💙
I would like to speak with you more if that’s ok my mother is also a narcissist. I often find it hard to understand if my decisions are ok not even with her but just with myself it’s crazy.
I can relate having a tough parent and a sibling that committed suicide as well. I now live 14,000 kilometres away in another country so I different life now for me
Same! I am nearly 30 and just realizing the extent of my moms abuse cause it was so covert
I’m a southern Christian & I absolutely am so saddened by the false prophets that walk around & get away with this kind of torture.
Being a Christian is supposed to be filled with love & joy. Not whatever they make it.
I’m so sorry you experienced this.💗
genuine question: what do you think of lgbt people?
@@tigersandflowers it’s my place to love all people, know matter the race, gender, or whatever. I’m certainly not perfect in any way, I have no rights to judge.
@@wonderfullymade4645 I love how you responded to the question that was asked as a daughter of Christ I completely agree!
@@wonderfullymade4645 nice, nice
@Flowever well cool, because literally no one is forcing their own identity on you, or anyone else for that matter.
Just watched the Duggar docuseries, and knew I should finally watch this to see if it was the same. As soon as she started talking a bit I was like AHA!
Liz is the type of person I'd want as a friend. She comes across as very brave and extremely likeable, the type of person you want to give a big hug to the first t ime you meet them. I'm glad that she listened to her college roommate and got the therapy.
This is one of the reason a complete home schooling isn’t always good. Children need to be exposed to outside of the family or community
Edit:
Instead of let you read so many comments, I’ll gather my comments from below here.
Children need multiple places/social platforms that they can belong, so they can find at least somewhere feel safe.
They need those somewhere outside their family/community.
(Ex.Even if they have home schooling groups, that whole group can be under the influence of a cult. like this girl’s case)
They need to socialize, and to socialize; humans also need to expose themselves to people who has different background.
“i DoN’t AbuSE mY chIlDrEn!” ?, yeah most abusers don’t realize what they do is abuse.
Abuse or not, children should have various places/people they can go like schools, clubs, community centers, church, gym etc.
Both attending schools and homeschooling has pros and cons, it depends on situations.
but in both cases children need other platforms they can belong.
I was abused in school, so I will never send my daughter to a school.
@@camerokid78 Schooling is a great experience for many, though. I understand your fears but if you raise your child to be able to be comfortable telling you things, they should tell you if they’re having problems at school.
@@beth3153 thats crap I got bullied in school and telling my parents didnt stop it.
No this is why cults are bad. Someone homeschooling doesn't mean they aren't exposed to anything outside the family or in the community.
Uh no kids actually DONT need to be exposed to strangers and their ideas until they are adults. Parents and family- the individuals who know, love and care for the child should be the main influence on their kids. In fact homeschooling wasnt this girls problem- her problem was that she was in a cult and the homeschooling was a faction of that. If I had school age kids today they would be homeschooled becauase public school doesnt teach reading or math or history- they just dumb you down with marxist propaganda
It was so moving to me that her friend had the wisdom to not only suggest therapy, but how she worded her response to her, making it seem just casual and removing some of the anxiety. "Ya know, just to discuss your childhood and how that's affecting you now" was such a brilliant response in a moment where this girl could have thought there was something wrong with HER and not her parents.
Many of us didn’t even get to go off to college. I’m so glad you got out so early! I was nearly 30. I’m still a Christian… but I got out of my parents homeschool cult and am so thankful!
What a amazing Brave Young lady You are 💛 Keep being YOU and hope you can heal from your traumas
I was tied to my siblings as well, we weren’t allowed make up or piercings, and even at the age of 19 I was not allowed to decide if I was not feeling well enough to eat and was forced to stay at the table until my food was finished. Physical punishments were used frequently as well. I hope anyone going through this wakes up to it faster then I have.
The important thing is that you survived! I'm proud of you ♥
I think she was incredibly brave to even want to go to college. It was a world she knew nothing about.
But this is why many conservative religions do not trust colleges: unless they are specifically religious colleges, they seem to go out of their way to alienate the students from the religion of their parents, telling them things like, "Your religion is a cult!" - cult being a pejorative and very ambiguously defined word as commonly used, more like a slur than a description which is why sociologists of religion rarely use it any more. Contemporary college campuses seem to lack respect for either particular religions or people who take their religion seriously.
Good comment!
Thank you Sweetheart for your willingness to share your life experiences and expose the truth to others.
Hi Elizabeth 😊🌺 thanks for getting your story out! I’ve ended up in bawling tears watching your story! I totally understand everything… I didn’t escape my cult family until I was 31 and had four children with the man my dad ‘allowed’ me to marry. He also was abusive like my dad and I was so belittled and downtrodden. After I escaped the situation, and healed a long while, I realised my picture of God was so damaged… I searched for truth and found true faith. Faith is very personal and if anyone feels their faith being dictated by a mere human being - get out of that situation!! God is the opposite of a CULT!!! He is Freedom Love and Truth. 💕 you’re an awesome & strong woman!
You need to stop projecting. Her story sounds nothing like yours. She said nothing about being abused (as that word is NORMALLY understood) or belittled. She sounds like she was reasonably happy and well adjusted until some liberal college "therapist" convinced her she was a "victim" who had been raised in a "cult." Many people would consider themselves lucky to have had her "problems." But at least her college experiences did not convince her that she is "non binary" or that she needs an expensive sex change operations that would make her sterile and dependent on hormone supplements for the rest of her life. Young people are getting persuaded of the strangest things these days. "Recovered memories" of past abuse used to be very popular, but researchers eventually concluded that in most cases these "recovered memories" were being planted in the (usually female) patients' heads by their "therapists." Many people are quite suggestible, especially when they are young, and many humanistic therapists are hostile to traditional religious lifestyles and moral precepts.
My mom was raised in a cult and even though she got out in her twenties, her trauma (which she never had any help for) has effected her deeply to the point that even me and my siblings are affected by it to this day. I am really glad this girl managed to get help, no child should ever have to go trough this.
She can still ask for help? If she wants it ofcourse. Its never to late 😉
I’m really sorry, I can’t even imagine how any of you must be feeling, sending my love🖤
@@roos4522 I’ve told her many times but she is the type of person who will try to help anyone but herself. She’s 64 now and even though I wish she would seek help, I don’t think she will.
@@Cupidssatan That is really sweet, thankyou ❤️ Sending you much love back
Transgenerational trauma. I am so sorry that your mom and you have been effected by such a traumatic past.
My husband and i were both raised in very strict religious homes. After ten years of marriage we have deconstructed and decided our kids will be raised in a loving and open home and they can make their own decision about religion when they’re older.
How do you do it for your children? Do you teach them about all religions so when they are older they can choose to follow 1 or to follow non?
Ok you may not like religion. But teach them about Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. Huge difference
@@rachel_espinoza he is also part of a religion Rachel your comment makes no sense
@@rachel_espinoza What?
I respect what you're saying but will you present religious teachings? What I mean is, how can someone decide when they don't know the options?
She's amazing human being and very brave woman! I'm glad she's doing well! 💖