When Homeschoolers Turn Violent: Charles Carl Roberts

“When Homeschoolers Turn Violent” is a joint research project by Homeschoolers Anonymous and Homeschooling’s Invisible Children.

When Homeschoolers Turn Violent: Joshua Komisarjevsky

“When Homeschoolers Turn Violent” is a joint research project by Homeschoolers Anonymous and Homeschooling’s Invisible Children.

Bill Gothard Resigns from IBLP

Today, David Waller — the Administrative Director of the Advanced Training Institute — sent out an email to families involved with ATI and announced that Bill Gothard has resigned from the Institute in Basic Life Principles and all its affiliated organizations.

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.”

How I Lost My Faith — Reflections of God’s Love and the Power of Indoctrination: lungfish’s Story, Part One

“I once called myself a Christian. I thought I was a child of God among the children of Satan. A shining light in a world of darkness. I was convinced of the absolute truth of the Bible and no amount of human reason could convince me otherwise. I believed the Holy Spirit lived within me, allowing me to be a reflection of Jesus and his love. But, when I finally looked into that reflection, I could not stand what I saw.”

I Was A Problem To Be Ignored: Krysi Kovaka’s Story, Part Two

“I know I’ve made some mistakes, but then again, so have the responsible adults in my life. What happened on my CFC internship definitely messed with my head — I learned that nothing in life is permanent, that people will eventually abandon you, and that talking about trauma is unacceptable (and even punishable.)”

I Was A Problem To Be Ignored: Krysi Kovaka’s Story, Part One

“The next morning we three were nursing hangovers, but we drug ourselves to the motorhome and tried to pretend that we were fine. I’m sure that one or two of our fellow interns noticed, but no one said anything. That was the culture we lived in – pretend that everything is fine, don’t make waves, and ignore problems. I was a problem to be ignored.”

From Hell to Heroin to Here: Jezebel’s Story

“When I was shooting up heroin and stripping, I didn’t care about my life. I would overdose or get beat up and it didn’t matter to me. I felt like I was a fuckup and that my life wasn’t worth living. In rehab I did the hard work of processing everything that had happened with my family, and as awful as it was, I’m a more whole person for all that.”

The Queer Elder’s Son: George

“My parents still love me. They are from a different time, a different age, and aren’t quite able to cope with the entire truth. But they know who their son is, and they love him anyway. They love him enough to lose friends, to be removed from a church, to question their own deep biases. Sure, things could be better. But they could also be a lot worse.”

I Can’t Tell My Story Without A Trigger Warning: Elizabeth’s Story

“I’d take beatings severe enough to leave obvious marks during just summer vacation over getting those beatings several times a week around the year. I’d take just being raped over having the crap beaten out of me then being raped. I’d take being brutalized for the first 7 years of my life over being brutalized for the first 20 years of my life.”