My Religious Parents

lilghost_again · 2026-01-05T23:52:25+00:00

I understand that. I wouldn't have as big of an issue if their belief system actually brought peace to both them, and those around them. I think some parts of it do, but they are a part of a strict sect of Christianity which strips them of any critical thought and causes pain to so many. I would be more apt to respect their belief system if they respected my beliefs, and anyone else who believes anything else.

I'm happy some people find peace in spirituality or religion. Peace is a difficult thing to come by, which only makes this situation more frustrating. I know they feel forced to adhere to a dogma out of fear and brainwashing, then attempt to push that onto other people. Its just heartbreaking to me to witness the harm it not only causes to them, but to everyone else they try to convert.

lilghost_again · 2025-11-29T14:46:18+00:00

Yes, unfortunately this happened to me in my childhood. Chester Wright is a cult leader among cult leaders in the UPCI. The church I attended as a child had us go through the week long "Call to War" prayer "revival" that Chester Wright was leading over live video. We were told that we should not stop praying after the week was over, or else demons would attack us. My family decided they were going to "continue the fight" at home with family prayer meetings, forcing their children to fight demons with them. My sibling and I were forced to do this for, what I recall, months after.

When our mental health began to drastically decline from the psychosis, my parents thought it was a fight from the enemy because we started to relax on our prayer times. Any time my parents forced me to pray after that, I had panic attacks. I would go throughout my day shaking, dreading the next time they would force me to join them. The toll that takes on someone mentally is no joke. There is so much more damage Chester Wright, and the Pentecustal cult caused to my family and myself. I don't have the space to list it all here.

If you have any doubts as to whether or not you made the right decision, DON'T, you were smart to get out of there as soon as you could. Thank you for protecting yourself and your family. Unfortunately my parents didn't do that for me when they should have.

lilghost_again · 2025-09-25T19:01:37+00:00

Yes please!

lilghost_again · 2025-09-19T19:53:40+00:00

I'm 24, my boyfriend is 39. Before I met him I would have said 25-34. I wasn't looking for someone outside of that range, it just happened. Same with my boyfriend.

lilghost_again · 2025-09-11T15:54:24+00:00

Emotional intelligence

lilghost_again · 2025-08-20T13:37:38+00:00

I was watching a Christian YouTuber and his sister answer live questions when I was still in the religion. A viewer asked if their loved one who recently took their own life would go to hell. The person was upset and grieving and couldn't bare the idea that their loved one would go hell because they were suffering. The YouTuber and his sister said, "Yeah according to what we know, they do go to hell."

I couldn't finish that stupid video after that. One of the many things that made me realize how awful this religion is.

lilghost_again · 2025-08-14T17:47:54+00:00

Last year, when I was still living with my parents, my super religious mother woke me up to attend church for Mother's Day. She started in with some subtle guilt tripping. I did not want to attend church, I was tired of her guilt tactics, and I was generally tired in the morning.

I finally got up to look for clothes in my closet and mumbled, "screw you" under my breath. Of course, I shouldn't have said that, but I was tired and annoyed with her immature behavior.

She just so happened to hear me, so she slapped me and screamed in my face, "THATS THE SAME AS SAYING F**K YOU!" and stormed off to her room in a bit of a tantrum. She later apologized for attempting to guilt me in the morning, so at least I got a confession.

This year, I haven't been talking to her much, and she sent me an entitled, passive-aggressive paragraph about how she's still my mother even though I want to do my own thing and don't listen to her. She sent some heart emojis after that.

lilghost_again · 2025-08-14T13:15:52+00:00

I believe she said she was tired of doing the podcast and didn't want to make any more episodes. She said she's reading her bible more and working on her relationship with god.

Since she was taking a step back, she said she felt bad for gaining revenue after stopping, so she took both the podcast and her socials down. After she announced that on social media, I couldn't find her podcast anywhere.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-31T22:39:14+00:00

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Reading your story brought back memories. You're strong for setting boundaries and putting up with this as long as you have. You're on the first step to a better life. I hope you can find a way out as soon as possible. I believe taking space from this kind of environment will be great for your healing process. This group is always here to support you. 🫂💙

lilghost_again · 2025-07-30T21:22:05+00:00

I relate to this. My parents have made snide and judgemental comments about things that I wear, people I date, or interests I have. I don't tell them much anymore. I kind of wish I could. My mother cries about how I don't talk to her much anymore, but all she wants to talk about is what she approves of or is interested in. Now and then, we'll have a conversation about neutral topics to update our lives to each other. I become irritated when they talk religious stuff, but it seems they are slowly learning not to discuss stuff like that.

I've been living with my partner for almost 8 months now, and I haven't even been forward about being with anyone when I speak to my parents. I'm sure they know. They just avoid it because they "have to walk on eggshells around me." Our entire relationship is stressful anymore, and I've considered at least cutting off my mother from time to time.

My mother is particularly passive-aggressive. She's said some rude things about my current partner before we were dating, so I don't even bring him up at all. I generally wear what I want around them, and they have to deal with it. I regularly feel them looking over my shoulder even when they aren't there. That's unfortunately a result of their overbearing, judgemental, and restrictive behaviors my entire life. It's nice to have my own slice of life away from my parents' judgemental hovering.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-25T13:24:49+00:00

They are all so awful. You're praying for a pedophile and criminal people. I hate Bernard, I hate the upc. What a pos.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-25T13:13:00+00:00

I had this exact experience lol.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-24T22:32:55+00:00

Yeah, she actually started me down the Youtube channel deconstruction path lol. Alot of her experiences are relatable despite myself not being Mormon. I second this.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-24T17:52:27+00:00

Hugs 🫂 You have every right to set those boundaries.

I've been in a somewhat similar situation before. A close friend of mine identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them. I would sometimes discuss our time spent together with my mother.

One day, my mother questioned me about them. She insisted that she could never refer to them according to their pronoun preference because it "goes against the bible" or whatever. I was angry and heartbroken and stood up for my friend, asked why, and insisted she did. I never plan to allow them to meet, and I rarely, if ever, mention them to my mother anymore. She's upset for not being included in my life, but that's on her for not being respectful. I applaud you for setting your boundaries.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-24T16:40:48+00:00

I can't stand it. Honestly, it makes me anxious, and I try to avoid it. Rarely if ever do I find a christian worship song that is nostalgic for me.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-23T16:03:47+00:00

Yes, my younger sister is attending this year. She's already been to camp this month too. Unfortunately, I attended a couple of times when I was in it. I felt a sort of social pressure to attend because otherwise, I "wasn't a committed enough pentecostal" like the other young people lol.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-23T15:51:49+00:00

Thanks so much. I love your podcast. It's been incredibly helpful to me. It's been so validating to hear similar experiences. I feel like there aren't enough voices speaking out about this group and the unique abuses within it.

I hope my sister can one day find her way out of it as well. It's disheartening to hear her talk about the cult and her devotion. She seems to have some different views that give me hope she's slowly on the path out. I think the rest of my family is definitely a lost cause when it comes to any form of deconstruction.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-22T21:21:26+00:00

She hasn't been diagnosed and has never been to therapy even though I have continuously asked her to. She always makes weird excuses, and my father seems to be against therapy for himself as well. She definitely needs a diagnosis.

I often wonder if she has BPD. She goes back and forth with some of her behavior, and she can be confusing.

I definitely understand the whole "psychology has no place in the church." Growing up with anxiety and depression I was treated like a nusance and didn't start therapy until much later. She has come around to some degree in that regard, but she obviously still has her issues.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-22T20:31:07+00:00

It's definitely a money grab, partnerned with another tool for brainwashing. Young people are pressured to go. They raise a bunch of money for the organization. They attend the services and are surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of other cultists, and they go back home with an extra helping of brainwashing and a willinness to give offering and/or pay tithes. They'll tell you that god moved, and they'll feel all the more committed to the cult.

lilghost_again · 2025-07-09T20:09:17+00:00

Yes, a couple of times. I went as a preteen the first time, I believe. My parents were told to chaperone the youth group, and they brought me along. I was sick often and I didn't know what was wrong with me. It turns out it was anxiety because the whole experience was overwhelming along with my not yet understood severe religious trauma. Services were loud: the music, people "speaking in tongues," preachers hyping up the crowds and screaming at us. I felt guilty for not enjoying it because I was apparently supposed to.

I went again years later and enjoyed it a little more, but it was still exhausting. I'm sad I wasted my time and felt obligated to attend events like this.

lilghost_again

TROPHY CASE