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Permalink Reply by Keith J. on April 12, 2011 at 10:51am

That's really interesting, could you link to your blog or explain what the pastors did?

But anyway about your question, I can't relate to your experience because I never belonged to any church. But if I were you I'd treat your religious "hate mail" like any other hate mail and ignore it, delete, and block and un-friend gratuitously until it stops. It might seem callous but it'll work. If someone has something that's really important to say to than surely they have other avenues of reaching you than over facebook.

As far as the bitterness comments, don't let them get to you. After all, you'd only be fulfilling their accusations. You are rightfully bitter about certain things but also had valid reasons (I'm assuming) for doing what you did, so don't let others besmirch your motives by ignoring the merits of your story.

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Permalink Reply by LovelyGirl on April 12, 2011 at 12:05pm

Hey Keith, 

My blog is mycultlife.com Here's a specific link about what I'm referring to: http://www.mycultlife.com/im-bitter-and-angry/ I had an old church friend where I used to be a minister tell me I was bitter and angry, etc. After this post, she emailed me on fb and said, " Lisa do you still love Jesus with all your heart? Can you still crawl up onto His lap and cry your heart out to Him when you need to?"

 

It's just annoying. I don't still love Jesus. I've been pretty vocal about it--just expressing my own opinion. I've blogged a ton about it, said stuff on facebook, etc. She's been around for a long time on both of those areas and I think when she calls me "bitter and angry" she's actually saying, "I don't like that you're not a Christian anymore, so I'm going to call you angry." 

 

It's the typical--Atheists are angry at God thing. 

 

I'll answer the 2nd part later (at work now). 

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Permalink Reply by Keith J. on April 12, 2011 at 11:39pm

Right, she might be projecting her own bitterness onto you

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Permalink Reply by LovelyGirl on April 13, 2011 at 12:21am

That might be true. It's just so hard to figure these people out. I honestly wish they'd just go away. On the other hand, you can't win. They go away, and then I start chatting with a coworker at work who's a die hard Christian and found out I used to be one and assumes I'm not. So she puts down atheists all the time. I don't want to be too confrontational, but I guess I have to be.

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Permalink Reply by Firey Vixen on April 21, 2011 at 2:31pm

I fought leaving the church for so long even when I stopped going and became involved with an Atheist, I am my self while not Christian and not really anything definable more agnostic and yet what I find works the best when I am discussing things with people from my former church is oddly something I learned from the Cult experience I was in... You can argue anything with their own book and being able to do that tends to shut them up. When someone asks if you "still love jesus" Ask them if they could love someone whos leadings led you to being emotionally mentally and sometimes physically abused. If the answer is yes ask them if they would stay with a husband who did that. If they say yes you obviously need not continue the conversation because they are not willing to see anything useful. If they understand and say that the pastors involved were not part of God at least they have an understanding to go from. Does this make sense?

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Permalink Reply by Akshay Bist on April 21, 2011 at 3:00pm

Trying to give a rational explanation to these people won't do you any good. They are incapable of understanding your viewpoint. They just cannot help acting the way they do because of the behavior instilled in them by the cult. You just have to accept that & realize that you are better off now that you would have been had you stayed with them & take solace from that.

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Permalink Reply by Apple on April 21, 2011 at 3:55pm

I just read your story on your blog page.  I hope the best for your safe recovery to normal society.  It is scary how brainwashed some people can become.  For example, on your page a person named Nathan wrote: 

 

"I just want you and everyone reading this to know that Masters Commission is not the problem. Men that lose site of the real focus (GOD) are the reason for your hurt."

 

I'm sure that he's trying to imply that anything bad that happened to you in the cult was because of a person falling short of god's glory.  That is to say that people aren't perfect, but their Christian message is.  But now here you are on an atheist website filled with people who lack a belief in gods of any kind, and we're certainly nothing but supportive and understanding of your situation.  It should be clear how false his words are.  I am glad that you came to your senses and, especially, that you are helping others to do the same. 

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