It is not how many abusive details that a survivor can recount and describe in order for their story to be considered important. It is how the individual perceived their experience to be detrimental, or even life shattering, that counts. 

Telling your story turns it into a history that can eventually be left behind and frees you to some extent, making it easier to create a new life for yourself. You have developed strengths because of all you have endured, and you are a unique individual with purpose.

These child survivors have written on subjects that are close to their heart and which they have felt would be helpful to others that grew up in Worldwide Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, or abusive offshoots. Many lives have been touched as others realize they are not alone in their feelings of pain and grief. 

Pseudonyms are given for anonymity, unless otherwise noted. Stories are not necessarily listed in order received.

More stories can be read on:

Stories and Testimonies by Former Members of Worldwide Church of God and Offshoots

Stories and Testimonies by Former Members of Philadelphia Church of God

Personal Stories About Grief (By survivors of Armstrongism)

Email ESN

If You Would Like to Email Others

How to Recover After Exiting a Deceptive, Abusive Group
 

Stories About S.E.P. Experiences

 Stories About Philadelphia Youth Camp (P.Y.C.)

Hard to Believe That God Loves Me (This survivor also wrote a letter to Tkach Jr. which is posted on the Articles. Several of her updates have been included at the end to encourage others)

Predators--How Dare They!!! (Although Mike was in PCG, this story is so good, we have linked it from this section)

Healing From the Lies of WCG  

My Entire Childhood Was Sacrificed

Grew up in Philadelphia Church of God and Hated It  (mentions PCG's earlier youth camps)

My Story of Getting Over Worldwide  

Wearing Masks

WCG and Splinter Groups Are Destroyers of Mind, Body and Soul

Will I Ever Trust or Have a Real Relationship Again?  

Expelled by WCG for Marrying the Man I Loved

Worldwide Church of God Almost Destroyed My Life

Intense Feeling of Loss

Every Day is a Struggle

Hypocrisies and Inconsistencies

Born, Raised and Brainwashed in WCG

Free of the WCG Satanic Mess

Occultic Family History Led to Recruitment into WCG (this survivor was also in Philadelphia Church of God)

Very Hard to Break Away Emotionally

It Still Hurts

My Captivity Memories in WCG

I Grew Up Sick in the WCG and Suffered For It

Concerned About Reaching Those That Grew Up in WCG

The Spank Tent

A Broken Remnant of a Person

They Shattered My Faith  (this survivor was in both WCG and PCG)

Unable to Share My Full Story

Life Devastated from Submitting  to WCG Government (started obeying HWA's teachings from a teenager, but we link here also, as this is an amazing story)

School Memories After Parents Joined WCG

 Often Feel Lost and Alone

My Talent of Music Was Never Appreciated 

WCG Caused Me to Pass Up Music Scholarships

Long Term effects of Growing Up With "The Plain Truth of Child Rearing"

I Grew Up in WCG With Much Confusion

Effect of WCG on My Family

A Voluntary Outcast

Feel Desperate and Lonely for Love

Christmas and Other Painful Memories

Humiliated by Spankings Starting at Age 13

My Memories of Worldwide

Overwhelming Sensation to Flee the WCG

What Armstrong Said Didn't Add Up!
(This child survivor had the courage to rebel against the WCG madness)

Disillusionment with WCG Led to Dumping the Whole Scheme

Growing Up in "The Church" Was the Hardest Thing I Ever Had to Do (Raised in Philadelphia Church of God after age 9; mentions Philadelphia Youth Camp)

Suffered as an Only Child

Has Taken Thirty Years to Recover to a Reasonable Level

Taken Ten Years to Say I Love Myself

My Childhood Was Horrible

Struggling to Reclaim My Family

I Was Emotionally, Spiritually, Physically and Sexually Abused in Worldwide Church of God

I'm Still Afraid  

Still Confused

My Relationship With God Was Intensely Colored by Legalism

Had Constant Nightmares in Worldwide Church of God

Have Grown Spiritually Since WCG, but Still Have Regrets  

Very Difficult to Integrate Myself Into the Real World (this survivor attended Imperial School in Bricket Wood, England)

Can't Even Describe What I Went Through

Still Working Through the Anger

I Still Carry the Pain of Herbert Armstrong's Teachings (impacted by Church of God International, although father was first in WCG)

My Opinions Didn't Matter

Always Assumed My Childhood Was Rougher Than Everyone Else's

Getting Kicked Out of Philadelphia Church of God Caused Me to Start Investigating (this survivor was raised in WCG and then in UCG & PCG)

Openly Threatened by PCG Minister

The Emotional Impact is Still With Me (this survivor also had confrontations with Gerald Flurry when Flurry was a minister in WCG)

How My Life Was Forever Impacted by Both WCG and PCG

Glad I Didn't Have to Attend HWA's Cult Any Longer Than I Did!

Foundations of a Soul Rocked to the Core

Emotional Abuse Can Be Very Subtle

Abused by Worldwide Church of God When I Decided to Leave Their Fellowship (shows ongoing cultic mindset in WCG - 2007)

Growing Up in WCG Caused Me To Almost Give Up on God

I Still See the Branches of the Cult in My Life


 

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