Photo: Image by StockSnap from Pixabay By Jonathan Grisham I woke up this morning in a panic. I had another dream reminiscent of the cult I left so many years ago. It’s been so long, why does this still bother me? I’m sure if you have left a cult- like church, this feeling resonates asContinueContinue reading “Surviving Religious Abuse Led Me to Advocacy”
Tag Archives: IFB
Ableism in the Church: Part Two
Photo: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay By Rebekah Palmer Content note: mention of child sexual abuse I’m left in my bottom bunk in my dorm room in tears and panicked breathing, again. Curled up as small as I can make myself under the covers, I feel ashamed because I need more medical care and accessContinueContinue reading “Ableism in the Church: Part Two”
Growing up fundamentalist and queer
By Eleanor Skelton When part of your identity is considered to be a sin, it’s easy to ignore how deeply it shapes who you are. I’m bisexual and non-binary. This means that I experience attraction to people who identify as male or female or neither. It also means that I don’t particularly feel like aContinueContinue reading “Growing up fundamentalist and queer”
Statement on the “Let Us Prey” documentary covering abuse in the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement
By Vashti Initiative Staff The Vashti Initiative wants to announce that we are offering support for anyone who is processing their experiences in light of Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals, a new two-part documentary from Investigation Discovery that aired Nov. 25 and 26, and is now available on various streaming platforms. “Let UsContinueContinue reading “Statement on the “Let Us Prey” documentary covering abuse in the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement”
I found true peace walking away from the church
By Lydia Joy Launderville What is peace? If you asked me as a fundamentalist, I would have answered “a peace of that passeth all understanding,” which because it was far beyond understanding, I never truly did, well, actually, understand it. I never felt peace in abuse. I never had piece of mind either. I justContinueContinue reading “I found true peace walking away from the church”
They Told Me I Would Never Be Happy. They Lied.
Photo: Image by phfilipposarci from Pixabay Editorial Note: The following is reprinted with permission from Laura Launderville’s blog. It was originally published on July 31, 2023. By Laura Launderville I recently attended a workshop that the nonprofit that I volunteer with hosted. It was a writing workshop and I had never done one before. So I didn’tContinueContinue reading “They Told Me I Would Never Be Happy. They Lied.”
It’s Not Fair: Living with Chronic Illness
Photo: Image by StockSnap from Pixabay Editorial Note: The following is reprinted with permission from Laura Launderville’s blog. It was originally published on June 25, 2023. By Laura Launderville One of the things I feel that has helped me with my own battle with facial pain is helping others. I volunteer with a nonprofit that supports patientsContinueContinue reading “It’s Not Fair: Living with Chronic Illness”
Why do you say you left fundamentalism?
A Bob Jones University van in the parking lot of Grace Bible Church in Colorado Springs in spring 2013 | Photo: Eleanor Skelton Editorial Note: The following is reprinted with permission from Eleanor Skelton’s blog. It was originally published on January 15, 2015. By Eleanor Skelton The biggest question that surfaced during the series on why I left fundamentalistContinueContinue reading “Why do you say you left fundamentalism?”
From Trauma to Triumph: Coming out and being expelled from Bob Jones University
Photo: Image by Michaela from Pixabay By Andrew Pledger Have you ever felt like you don’t belong in your own family? Like you are different from everyone else and no one understands you? That’s how I felt for most of my life. I always felt like an outsider, a misfit, a stranger in my ownContinueContinue reading “From Trauma to Triumph: Coming out and being expelled from Bob Jones University”
Discovering My Gender and Sexual Identity in a Cult Through Books
Photo: Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay By Alex Kenderdine The Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) cult that I grew up in had insanely strict rules and regulations for what we were allowed to read. Most books I read were classics because they deemed those safe. However, it was through the classics that I discovered partsContinueContinue reading “Discovering My Gender and Sexual Identity in a Cult Through Books”
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