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TW: Abuse, Abuse due to LGBTQ+ Identity
CW: Manipulation #DoBetterChurch (1)
CW: Manipulation #DoBetterChurch (1)
"I was terrorized by a leader of a Christian fellowship group at my school. His preaching focused very much on the 'end times' and eternal punishment. He convinced me I could be sent to Hell for any misstep and made me constantly question my salvation. #DoBetterChurch (2)
I was made to live in constant terror that I could go to Hell at any given moment and be brutally tortured for eternity. Not to mention I was in the closet at the time and he was EXTREMELY homophobic. #DoBetterChurch (3)
He spoke as though he was the ultimate authority on biblical matters. If we disagreed with him, we were rejecting God. #DoBetterChurch (4)
My friend was struggling with severe depression and when she reached out to him, he called her a 'bad Christian' because 'true Christians' don’t struggle with that stuff. #DoBetterChurch (5)
He basically said she was demon-possessed. Another leader there once said that if someone felt God was calling them to crucify, to kill themselves, they should do it. #DoBetterChurch (6)
Thankfully my mental health was stable at that time, because if he had said that during one of my depressive episodes, I’d probably be dead. #DoBetterChurch (7)
I still struggle severely with religious trauma and religion-focused OCD years later, and still cannot pray without feeling that fear. Prayer used to be such a source of peace for me, and I feel like that has been stolen from me. #DoBetterChurch (8)
This year’s chaos has triggered a lot of my buried apocalyptic fears and it has been really tough to cope. Thank goodness my family and friends are supportive and do not push religion on me. #DoBetterChurch (9)
My heart goes out to all who have faced religious trauma and abuse. Thank you for listening. 
" #DoBetterChurch (10/10)
" #DoBetterChurch (10/10)
