A Homeschool Apostate: Two Years Later

Moving away from a bad situation was the best thing I could do for myself.

When Siblings Become Swords: Trista’s Story

“The patriarchy damages its victims in many ways. In my case, it removed the joy of having those I call family.”

Man Shares Personal Testimony of How Bill Gothard Used Bible Verses Which Led to the Abuse of Children: Part Two

<Part One HA note: The following is reprinted with permission from Julie Anne Smith’s blog Spiritual Sounding Board. It was originally published on March 31, 2015 and has been slightly modified for HA. The following is Part 2 of Dash sharing how the teachings of Bill Gothard influenced his parents to “spank” his siblings. Although I know Dash’s identity, he has asked to

Pleading for Death: Trista’s Story

HA notes: The author’s name has been changed to ensure anonymity. “Trista” is a pseudonym. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes/Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies/Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee/In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. I sat between two graves, softly singing this verse over and over. Going

My Elaborate Plan

“Five years ago, on my birthday, I left home. Obviously, there’s a lot of backstory to this, and, I guess, this is that story.”

Depression and I: By Kierstyn King

“I’ve struggled with depression since puberty. That’s about as far back as I remember anyway. At the time, I had no words for what I was feeling/going through, my parents dismissed it as ‘adolescence.’ I thought it was normal — normal to hate myself as viscerally as I did and continued to (on new deeper levels as time went on).”