We are. Bill Gothard has fallen and his organization is in shambles, nothing but a paltry shell of what it used to be. Doug Phillips has been run aground, with his affairs and pompous arrogance. The Pearls are struggling to stay current with their abusive how-to's for parents and wives being discussed in public now, rather than in the shadows. The Duggars are simply charicatures of what used to be the movement, giving it lip service, while doing everything they can to stay relevant - watering down the message.
But that isn't to say we can be less vigilant. As the Duggars water the message down, they are accomplishing a new victory - making it look cool. You can now wear skinny red jeans, as a boy, and your girls can be stylish in relatively form fitting clothing. They make a family that lives this way, look happy as a clam, hiding the hearts of the young people who have tasted freedom and want it.
As those of us who have broken free know, that freedom is not allowed and will get yourself ostracized, many times, even cut off from all family and friends. This can be a death sentence, being that the martyr complex causes these families, that are as different from modern society as the Amish, except with electricity, to retreat from society and become a community amongst themselves. Once you break a rule in this community, you're out.
And now you have no one to lean on.
We must keep winning in the theater of ideas. And we also must pay attention to the young people breaking out.
Love,
I. C.
But that isn't to say we can be less vigilant. As the Duggars water the message down, they are accomplishing a new victory - making it look cool. You can now wear skinny red jeans, as a boy, and your girls can be stylish in relatively form fitting clothing. They make a family that lives this way, look happy as a clam, hiding the hearts of the young people who have tasted freedom and want it.
As those of us who have broken free know, that freedom is not allowed and will get yourself ostracized, many times, even cut off from all family and friends. This can be a death sentence, being that the martyr complex causes these families, that are as different from modern society as the Amish, except with electricity, to retreat from society and become a community amongst themselves. Once you break a rule in this community, you're out.
And now you have no one to lean on.
We must keep winning in the theater of ideas. And we also must pay attention to the young people breaking out.
Love,
I. C.
I was raised from about 5 years old under the teachings of Bill Gothard. In my recovery process since breaking free I have learned about the concept of Second Generation Adults (SGAs). SGAs are those whose parents decided to join an organization such as this cult. The parents that choice the cult come in with previous filters from their previous life experiences whereas their children are more of a blank slate. The blank slate is covered with black and white concepts that then govern everything about how that child thinks and will continue to guide them as their base filter. You are absolutely right, the young people breaking out need the attention and care. They understanding that they can be ok as they are, as a human. I included two websites you may have seen, one is called “Recovering from Grace” which my brother and I reconnected over realizing some deep rooted pain that had never been dealt with, the other is an article about SGAs. I thought you might perhaps find them interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Katie
http://www.recoveringgrace.org/tag/ati/
http://www.icsahome.com/articles/sgaworkshop
Thank you Katie!
DeleteYou're very right. I have had to struggle with the black and white concept my entire adulthood. I'm slowly working away from it. My current lifestyle easily jumps all curbs that used to prevent us from doing anything pleasurable or "gray".
Thanks for the links!
I have actually written for Recovering Grace and I will check out the other link.