Your parents reaction to joining a CULT

[cheranne]

When I think of what I put my parent through. Straight out of high school and into a cult! Geez!!!

Those soul searching tender years of why am I here? Got cha.

I was thinking while reading about the children that grew up in twi as they were running from it at 18

here a whole stampede of l8 yr olds were running to it!

My parents reaction at first to "twig" was Oh thats nice your making friends in college(in the bible belt in OKC

at that,..a biblical research class didn't seem that weird)

But..in time...things were a changing..PFAL did it.

I had to take the class and THEY would not give me the funds! Huh ?so began the "adversary" thing with parent

against young green 18 yr olds!

Rebellion and I am this and that NOW because I am a 'Believer" (well I learned the hard way thinking I was doing the work of the ministry for that freakn clown to get fat and spread the WOW and screw people over)

Should have stayed in college (it would have been cheaper than therapy!)

So ....what about you?

Edited June 23, 2009 by cheranne

[GeorgeStGeorge]

I was in graduate school and paid my own way, so no need for parental "funding."

They weren't happy about it, but they figured I could make up my own mind.

At least it got me out of Roman Catholicism!!

George

[waysider]

I signed them up for the class. :(

Edited June 23, 2009 by waysider

[cheranne]

I signed them up for the class. :(

Ouch! How old were you?

My parents would have sent me to college,bought me a car and all that jazz

IF only I would get out of TWI.

At the time "Nothing was gonna stop me" like the song went I was Born Again and was gonna serve!

During that time in 78 (Jonestown happened)then the choice was leave or get out of the house.

Which was really easy to go live with other believers until I went wow and it just fueled the flame

more!

On the field is when I learned TWI was a company and we were working in the slaughterhouse of what

was truely biblical research!

[waysider]

Ouch! How old were you?

22

[Ham]

I didn't have parents, or even pseudo parents at the time..

[mstar1]

My Pop was good about it. He knew right from the gitgo that it was a cult and told me so. He didnt get angry or upset about it, just told me that I should leave which of course made me indignant and made me even more "committed" (blehh--

I was sort of a wild kid so his thinking may have been that at least it was better than the other phases that I had been through and I would eventually figure it out.

He even showed up to the ROA when I finished my WoW year, not to support TWI but to be a supportive Dad to ME.

He never waivered and he was of course right.He was kind, gentle and truthful during the whole episode. When I left, there were no "I told you so's" or anything but support.

It took me way too long to realize that he was a whole lot wiser than I gave him credit for when I was young. I wish that I had learned it earlier in life--but better late than never...He is 92 now, whenever I need to know something, or get my head back on straight he is now the first one I call

[cheranne]

When I left home,my dad would leave that back door open at his house just incase I was hungry and wanted to come home.

Frequently I would go there and eat tunafish and oj when they were at work(knowing they would not be home)I was kinda torn but I just thought it was "Gods Will" for me to follow TWI! I was hard headed about it too and becoming

more numb about my earthly family!

When I left twi my sister took me in (and also another ex wow)would feed us everynight and she was great to us.

We didn't stay lomg until we both found a way to live. (job wise..then we split up and went separate way but the

support was much needed to exit cult life)

[Oakspear]

I don't recall the word "cult" being thrown around until after the Jonestown tragedy, which took place less than a year after I joined up. I think that my parents were more upset that I wasn't a Catholic any more than anything else.

If I remember a lot of the anti-cult literature back then, it focussed more on doctrinal issues; a lot of the bad practice that we discuss on GS wasn't widely known then.

At some point my parents, according to my sister, talked to a deprogrammer, but decided to forgoe that option.

They tried to be supportive, visited me during my WOW year and even attended some fellowships during the 90's.

[cheranne]

I don't recall the word "cult" being thrown around until after the Jonestown tragedy, which took place less than a year after I joined up. I think that my parents were more upset that I wasn't a Catholic any more than anything else.

If I remember a lot of the anti-cult literature back then, it focussed more on doctrinal issues; a lot of the bad practice that we discuss on GS wasn't widely known then.

At some point my parents, according to my sister, talked to a deprogrammer, but decided to forgoe that option.

They tried to be supportive, visited me during my WOW year and even attended some fellowships during the 90's.

My parents were also upset I was not following there ways in the Catholic church(there were alot of Catholic people

that took PFAL just because they didn't know the bible and wanted to!)

My sister was the one who reached me when she helped my friend and I by staying with her,but..not soon after that

I returned to TWI(like a dog to it's VOMIT!)and went Military Wow.

The only thing that broke me physically out of twi was getting married to a believer who also got out.

My parents LOVE him.