College Isn’t For Girls (And Other Lies My Parents Told Me)

All I needed to do was have my parents sign the waiver. They refused.

Escapes and Rescues: A Call for Stories

For our next open series, we invite homeschool alumni to share their stories about leaving cults and controlling households.

Words from God: Danica’s Story, Part One

What nobody told me was that cults can happen within Christianity, in good churches, under the noses of diligent leadership.

I Fight These Demons So I Can Explain The Scars: Shiphrah’s Story, Part Two

“I fight for the people I love and for people I don’t even know because I desperately want them to know that they are worth it. I fight my own demons to give my children a healthy mother and so I can explain the scars to them someday.”

I Fight These Demons So I Can Explain The Scars: Shiphrah’s Story, Part One

“I was never good enough. From as far back as I can remember, I was never good enough. I was told I was selfish, lazy, prideful, rebellious and argumentative.”

And The Music Was There: glor’s Story

“The music was there. It was there as I burned out the bitterness, screaming my tears of pain to the heavens. It was there as I sobbed in my friend’s arms. It was there the nights that I woke up screaming from the nightmares of the pain and the terror.”

Grace is For Gothard Only

“There’s a new Facebook page for defending the poor, persecuted Bill Gothard. It’s run by people who think calling Bill Gothard out for a history of sexual harassment and molestation is pretty much the equivalent of stoning Stephen or persecuting Jesus himself. But don’t worry your pretty little head about whether or not that’s legitimate theology. Just get back under your umbrella of protection.”

On Feeling Betrayed, Validated, and Brave: Jeri Lofland’s Thoughts

“Last week a shocking new series of revelations appeared on the Internet, exposing Bill Gothard, our cult leader of days long past, for the pathological fraud he was (and is). Reading the story as it dribbles out in serial form has been surreal. With each installment, I can picture my bedroom in Oak Brook, picture window facing Gothard’s office across the driveway.”

Nightmare in Navy and White — Experiencing the Dark Side of ATI: Selena’s Story, Part Three

“At 16 years old, I left ATI. I was never my mother’s daughter again. They left the cult shortly thereafter, reluctant and angry that I had ruined their happiness again. I would never outlive the title of black sheep. I was able to tell my mother some of what happened before she passed away recently, but it will never truly be resolved.”

My Mind Wasn’t Lost, I Had PTSD: By Susannah

“Like the society in Shyamalan’s ‘The Village’, the world I was raised in had been hemmed in by fears: fear of God, fear of Satan, fear of persecution, fear of government control, fear of strangers or nosy neighbors, fear of vaccines and unhealthy foods, fear of ourselves. Though I had left that world years earlier, the patterns of anxiety were worn deep in my psyche.”