In August of 2011 I had excerpts posted of the new book out by Jim Turner, a former WCG minister that detailed his journey out of Armstrongism.
Grace in the Dark Places: Conquering the Cultic Mindset
Today I learned on Facebook that Turner had committed suicide in July of 2013. I then found out that
The Painful Truth has listed this as a suicide on it's "
Suicide Statistics for the Worldwide Church of God" page.
I don't know the reasons behind the suicide, but many are saying that the demons of Armstrongism were still in force. For so many, the struggle to break free from the mental abuse the church laid upon everyone is a hard thing to break free from. The church had made people feel they were never good enough to receive God's love or grace. Just listen to and look at the sermons of HWA and the church leaders of the splinter groups today!
I posted the following quote on the original page about the book:
As I began to investigate the chain of circumstances that led to the twists and turns in my life, I came to realize that others would benefit from my experience through recognition of similar traits and influences that brought them to a similar place in life. I was deceived. (pg. xix) I was conscripted into a clever collusion, to which I eventually consigned my body and soul. The torturous and serpentine journey into spiritual confusion that describes my life is complex and indistinct, even perplexing at times.
There came a time when my subjugation expired and I willingly reenlisted, accepting the consequences of my actions. I elected to ascend through the ranks, disregarding the abuse and compromise that attended such advancement. There were vague crossroads, times when circumstances dictated my decisions as well as times when, clearly, I acted according to the fortuitous winds of personal advantage. There were moments of uncertainty when I opted to follow the crowd rather than taking the moral high road that my conscience futilely prescribed. Guilt played a huge role in my actions, a contentious double-edged guilt that often implied that I must follow the dictates of the man whom I had come to believe was the true servant of God while at the same time suggesting that I must buck the crowd and openly acknowledge the abuses.
No one will find, in my exact footsteps, the exact path of his own life. I believe we will find that notwithstanding the deviations in our course, we crossed the Rubicon together and arrived at the same destination. We became members of a cult. We sacrificed our vision through acceptance of that of a charismatic figure to whom we pledged undying loyalty. Inherent to that sacrifice came a willingness to separate ourselves from others, including family and friends, who failed to see the privileged status to which we had subscribed. We became spiritual elitists. Parasitically, we attached ourselves to the one and only true servant of God in hopes of obtaining exclusive positions in the divine appointment.
You can read Jim Turners memorial page and see photo's of his life in the college and church here:
Petra, here they come! What will they find when they get there? Thousands of other COGers bickering, fighting and whining that others are there besides them. Talk about a living hell!
At least they will all have some comfort there since they still can feed their alcohol consumption at the Cave Bar.