Help for Camping-followers

All is not lost

If you (or some of those you know) have felt let down by radio Bible answer man Harold Camping (or any other spiritual leader), here is a word of encouragement for you. It happens to the best of us.

At Provender, you will read about fellow believers who have found themselves trusting the wrong teachers and mentors, sometimes for years.

It's hard, at first, to realize that you've been part of a system that is errant or abusive or harmful. It can be a crushing experience to realize that you may have had a hand in furthering error.

Know that you aren't alone. It happens all too frequently. Sometimes we are deceived by connivers, sometimes we are led astray by sincere but wrong leaders. Sometimes our teachers mean well but have personality disorders. Sometimes, we help the self-deception along by our attitudes toward outsiders. Abusive groups foster a culture of "elitism," a feeling that no other group is quite like yours, that yours is superior to just about every other group out there.

By reading the stories of other Christians led into narrow, spiritual alleys; locked in tight spiritual closets; wrapped in constricting, religious graveclothes, you will see that what now seems like a unique and devastating experience isn't really all that uncommon after all. When you hear of survivors, the aftereffects they've dealt with and the challenges they've met, hopefully you will begin to see a place of healing and victory in your own life.

It takes time to heal from spiritual abuse. You will think you are over it, only to be thrown back into the negativity of it time and time again.

You can find places of safe understanding and sympathy among groups of former victims, and if you ever feel a need to share your story, there are forums available for that, or you can write directly to Provender.

Know that former victims of spiritual abuse are here for you.
  To visit the regular Provender spiritual abuse resource page CLICK HERE