The writer/producer of the
previously mentioned film, "Paradise Recovered", has written a piece called
"We Are Spiritual Abuse Survivors" to "honor those who have been hurt by high-demand churches and cults". Excerpts below:
We are spiritual abuse survivors.
... we believed a dangerous lie that closely resembled the truth. And we have paid dearly for that belief with the sacrifice of our very souls.
...
We thought we were specially called by God. We learned later that we were just a means to an end, with the end being the elevation of our leader.
...
We were taught or reconditioned to fear everything that contradicted our leaders’ edicts. We believed dissent to be wicked, evil, and Satanic.
And then we learned something about our leaders that made us question all that we built our lives upon.