I just came across your wonderful website today. I grew up in the Worldwide Church of God and experienced the entire range of abuses as described by your contributors.

I first counseled with a WCG minister concerning possible baptism into the WCG in 1982--but I could never quite go through with it, because I just wasn't "good enough." I continued to attend WCG for years into my adulthood, and although they appeared to have strong theological arguments, something never quite seemed right to me.

Outside of the very unusual practices concerning seventh day Sabbath observance, holy days and such, the people were not that much different than anyone else.

And God forbid if a person in WCG ever experienced any financial or job related difficulty. Though a small amount of cash assistance was occasionally available to those financially distressed, along with very bad advice from the "local administrator of the government of God," the basic attitude toward any such person was one of harsh judgment and condemnation--a "pull yourself up by your own boot straps or starve" mentality predominated. (After completing my education in 1983, I had great difficulty entering the job market--it was an ongoing problem lasting several years.)

Also, a double standard existed for those who were fairly well off and those financially distressed. The latter were kept on a much shorter leash and judged much more severely for every infraction.

The road to freedom began with the doctrinal earthquake occurring in 1995. Two years later, the last full time pastor of the local WCG left and that local church continued under a non-salaried pastor. In 1998 after having incorporated locally and purchasing an existing church building, the congregation by a near unanimous vote severed its ties with the WCG and became a non-denominational Christian church (Church at Canoe Creek), with basically orthodox Christian beliefs.

Regrettably, the inevitable formation of factions within this new church and the tensions associated with it, along with a self-centered focus; i.e., "This is our church and it is here for us" sent this church into a state of decline. The mortgage was paid off, but attendance is now in the high teens on a good Sunday. The tremendous opportunity this new church had to reach people who had grown up as children in the WCG was lost.

I personally took a new job and moved and am now a member of a mainstream Christian church. I must say, its good to be home. This church, in my opinion, is a very good place for me and I am now actively involved in its ministry.

Personally, though, I still wonder who is going to reach out to the many people I knew who grew up in WCG, and to this day have not embraced Christianity because of that horrible experience. That first church I attended had that chance---and they blew it for lack of interest, and because of conflict among themselves. How tragic!!!

Thanks for the opportunity to tell my story.

By Paul  - Child Survivor of WCG (first name used with permission)
January 12, 2002

Articles For Those Who Were Emotionally and Spiritually Abused

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