Religion is fraught with controversy.  One religion's absolute truth is utter falsehood to another. Innovators and reformers are viewed with suspicion by the guardians of orthodoxy while those who claim to have received new light or recovered forgotten truth view the religious establishment as overly dogmatic, oppressive, and corrupt.  Of such are schisms and religious wars made.

From a historical standpoint it is apparent that many, if not all, orthodox religions were once themselves heterodox.  Christianity, for instance began as a Jewish cult that, over the course of a few hundred years, grew far beyond its origins to become the established religion of the late Roman Empire.  We tend to forget this amidst ominous warnings about "cults," an imprecise term that popularly serves to denote any religiously based group that deviates from orthodox norms.

However, as anyone who has paid much attention to the news over the last few decades knows, there are groups that abuse, and too often destroy people in the name of religious and spiritual truth.  There is good reason to be cautious when dealing with any movement, religious or not, that revolves around the personality of an idealized leader, claims a special "truth," and especially one that cuts members off from the outside world.  It has been repeatedly, sometimes tragically demonstrated that isolation from the cross-fertilizing and moderating effects of the larger society tends to result in derangement of some degree in groups as well as individuals.

But is there really a clear, objectively definable line between groups that misuse the human impulse towards transcendence and socially acceptable religious practice?  Early Christianity, which was viewed with alarm by the orthodoxy of the time, was centered around the personality of its founder, claimed to be the only true religion, and urged believers to radically separate themselves from the world in which they lived. These traits can also be found to varying degrees in contemporary established conservative religions of all types.  While I have reservations about the concept of "mind control" used by many anti-cult activists, any teaching that urges the suspension of individual judgment and critical thought makes me uneasy.   And it is difficult to deny the fact that most conservative religions do this to some degree.

People are very deeply affected, in positive as well as negative ways, by intense involvement in any tightly constructed belief system.   Some find membership in such groups to be very meaningful and personally rewarding.  There is a great deal of comfort in "knowing" that one has access to sure truth.  Where a skeptic might see denial, the believer is apt to experience a deeply felt faith which, I believe, deserves to be respected as such.  I have no interest in trying to undermine anyone's faith, no mater how much it may differ from mine.

But there are other people who, like myself in my experience as a former Seventh-day Adventist, at some point find it impossible to continue an involvement with a restrictive group or church which had previously seemed to be the epitome of spiritual truth.  Some seemingly simply walk away with never a backwards glance.  Others appear to be forever marked by the failure of a set of beliefs that once represented absolute truth as the shattering of their faith continues to painfully haunt them long after the time of its collapse.

One of the most effective ways of dealing with a difficult loss is to share the experience with others who have gone through something similar.  But people who leave a restrictive religious group are often very isolated by the nature of their experience.  Family members and friends still involved with the group are not likely to be supportive, and ex-members may have few social contacts who are not members of the group.  Even when there are connections to friends and family outside the group, people with no comparable experience generally have little understanding of the difficulties involved in leaving a restrictive group or the degree to which group membership can continue to have an impact long past the time of leaving.  Even professional helpers such psychotherapists and clergy may not grasp the significance of group membership and the process of leaving.   It can be a very lonely experience.

But the internet now makes it possible to connect with people all over the world who share a similar experience, and there is a tremendous amount of information available there for former members of all sorts of religious groups.  The links below are only a small sampling, reflective of my particular interests, of the many resources and information available on restrictive religious groups.  Many sites have a place for discussion and sharing experiences as well as links to similar sites.

The anti-cult sites in particular have a wealth of information on a great many groups.  If the group in which  you are interested is not listed, try the more general sites and use a search engine to locate other sites.   Sites about groups other than the one to which you belonged may be helpful as the similarity of experience with a restrictive group regardless of apparent differences is often quite startling, especially if you have had the notion that your group is unique.  Most likely you will find that you are not alone after all!

© 1999 James C. Moyers - May be copied and distributed with author and source citation.

Please feel free to contact me:
Jim Moyers, MA, MFT
2424 Dwight Way, #1
Berkeley, CA, 94704 USA
(510) 843-2424

email: jimmoyers@mac.com

As is often noted, quality of the material available on the web is extremely variable.  While I don't necessarily agree with everything on all of the following sites and have serious reservations about the tone of some, they offer a lot of information.  Remember that the course of internet searching, as in "real" life, is often anything but direct.  The internet is continually changing.  While I try to periodically check this list, some of the following sites may no longer be active, but in surfing through the list you will likely discover other useful sources of information.  Stay open to possibilities, follow your curiosity, and enjoy exploring!  Explore the links that most of the following sites provide.  Remember, you don't have to restrict yourself anymore!

There are also links to other religious/spiritual sites on my home page, Attending the Soul: Psychotherapy & Spirituality, along with information about my psychotherapy practice.

• Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance is an excellent source of objective information on a great many spiritual/religious groups both controversial and well established.

• My article on Psychological Issues of Former Members of Restrictive Religious Groups.

• A very accessible article by a scholar of religion on The Nature of Religious Experience.

• Rest Ministries, a Christian group, has an excellent site on Spiritual Manipulation & Abuse that is worth taking a look at even if you don't identify as Christian.

• Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion by Marlene Winell Ph.D. is the best book I have come across on the process of leaving a restrictive religious group. While Winell specifically addresses former fundamentalists, her insights can be applied to similar groups ranging from well established churches to New Age cults. The book also contains an  extensive list of resources useful for anyone seeking to broaden his/her horizons.  Dr. Winell does telephone counseling - see her web site for further information.

• wikiHow article: "How to Leave A Religion" offers some very useful and succinct  guidelines.
  

• I am a former Seventh-day Adventist. You may be interested in my story, Leaving the Garden: On Being A Former Adventist, as well as my articles with a historical focus:  The Apocalyptic Background of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: Zoroaster to William Miller and Ellen G. White & Adventism: From the Great Disappointment to a Worldwide Movement.

• Ellen White Exposed has a wealth of historical information about Adventism and its prophetess Ellen G. White, much of which is not available elsewhere.
  

• New Perspectives on Seventh-day Adventism has a great deal of information about current controversies within Adventism along with beautiful artwork and great quotes from the likes of T. S. Elliot and Plato.

• While it seems like the discussions have died down from what they were a few years ago (the posts seem to have become few and far between),  Adventist of Tomorrow Discussion Forum has had both current and former Adventists, as well as interested non-Adventists, posting on a variety of topics relating to SDA with lively, often heated discussions.

• Spectrum is a liberal Adventist journal with no official ties to the denomination that has published dissenting views and scholarly studies that sometimes diverge from the official General Conference line.  
  

• Some of the many sites run by former Adventists who have adopted an Evangelical or Fundamentalist perspective which basically regards Adventist doctrines as heretical:
  • Truth Or Fables
  • Former Adventist Fellowship
  • exAdventist Outreach
  • Life Assurace Ministries
  
  Also check out the many links from the above sites.

• The Ambassador File has information on a group that shares many beliefs with Seventh-day Adventists.  There are also links to information about the Philadelphia Church of God.
  

• Progressive Alternative Network for JW's & Ex-JW's is a good place for questioning JW's as well as ex-JW's who are uncomfortable with the extreme views advocated by both JW's and many of their critics.

• Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site is "for people who have left the Jehovah's Witness Organization; who are considering leaving; or simply for those interested in the JW's."
  

• Free Minds Inc.

• Recovering JW Web Ring

• Watchtower Information Service

• Advice for Recovering JWs
  

• Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Whistle Blower has an angry tone and lots of information about a great many controversial aspects of JW.

• Recovery From Mormonism has a wealth of material.  Click on "Articles and Links about Mormonism" for other sites for questioning and/or former Mormons.

• REVEAL: Leaving the International Churches of Christ (ICC) includes information and resources for people who have been involved in ICC or other "discipling" groups.

• The Association of Former Pentecostals has information and resources, including discussion forums, for anyone who has questions about Pentecostal or non-denominational Charismatic groups.
  

• Not all forms of Christianity limit believers to "Thus sayth the Lord" pronouncements.  If you "find more grace in the search for meaning than in absolute certainty, in the questions than in the answers, have religious interests and longings but cannot accept the beliefs and dogmas you associate with Christianity, and are repelled by claims that Christianity is the "only way," you may be interested in The Center for Progressive Christianity.

• Biblical scholars who approach the Bible as a historical document have come to some conclusions that present a serious challenge to the idea that the Bible is the inerrant and literal Word of God.  PBS "Frontline" a while back did an excellent series, "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians" on early Christian history.  The series, based as it was on history rather than dogma, was not well received by fundamentalists.  Much of the material from the series is available online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/.  More recently "The Bible's Buried Secrets" on PBS' "Nova" was an outstanding program about the Hebrew Bible, the "Old Testament" for Christians.  Material related to that program is online at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bible/.

• Southern Baptists - A History of Controversy is a good summary of controversies in the denomination that for some represents the fundamentalist establishment.

• Spiritual Abuse is an article by a former fundamentalist who also has a book on her experience of dysfunctional religion. (Although this article is on my site, I don't agree with all of the views expressed by the author.)

• People United for Religious Freedom has information on TV evangelists.

• Humor is a great way to recover from religious abuse.  If you can laugh about it, you are no longer caught in it.  For a very well done parody of "holier than thou" Fundamentalism, visit the Landover Baptist Church.  (NOTE: this is not a real church!)

Judaism

• Jewish Survivors of Spiritual Abuse
• Cults, Missionaries, Sexual Victimization and the Jewish Community
• Clergy Abuse: Rabbis, Cantors and Other Trusted Officials

• Nori J. Muster is a former member of the International Society for Krisna Consciousness who has written a well balanced account of her experiences in the group.  She also has an excellent online "Cult Survivors Handbook."

• International Cultic Studies Association - taking a scholarly approach, ICSA has over time assumed a more open minded stance, recognizing that not every cultic group is destructive.

• Rick Ross, an anti-cult activist, has an extensive on-line archive of information about a great many controversial groups.
• 
  
• Spiritual Abuse Recovery Resources is a conservative Christian site primarily concerned with Bible based groups.

• Ex-Cult Archive
• 
  
• Refocus

• The Nitty Gritty On Cults has a lengthy list of links to information on all sorts of groups.
  

• Advocate Web has a wealth of information promoting "awareness and understanding of the issues involved in the exploitation of persons by trusted helping  professionals" including abuse by clergy.

• Women and Men Against Sexual Harassment (WASH) has helpful information for anyone who has been subjected to abuse by religious leaders.  However the site apparently has not been updated for a while, and a sister site, CEASE, brings up a Google warning about possible malware infection so I am no longer listing it.
  

•  Clergy Abuse: Rabbis, Cantors and Other Trusted Officials (also listed above under "Judaism")

• Ann Lammers, Ph.D, MFT is a Vermont psychotherapist and colleague who specializes in working with survivors of clergy sexual abuse.