Editorial note: Although Ashley is a survivor of a Christian fundamentalist cult, unfortunately she became abusive herself. She has been reported to several law enforcement agencies for human trafficking others from 2017-2019. She is the abusive partner mentioned in this post from 2022. I keep Ashley’s story on the blog as a reminder that thoseContinueContinue reading “The UnBoxing Project: Ashley’s story”
Tag Archives: cults
The UnBoxing Project: Defecting from a cult
Liz was part of our network that helped Racquel and Ashley as they left the cult environment of the First United Pentecostal Church of Colorado Springs. Here is her perspective. Photo: Wil C. Fry, creative commons license. Image links to source. Nearly two years ago, I received text messages from Eleanor about a friendship betweenContinueContinue reading “The UnBoxing Project: Defecting from a cult”
The UnBoxing Project: Racquel’s story
Eleanor and Racquel hiking the Incline near Colorado Springs in fall 2013. | Photo: Eleanor Skelton Content note: religious manipulation, forced starvation Racquel grew up attending the First United Pentecostal Church of Colorado Springs, now known as Heritage Pentecostal Church. This is Racquel’s story, in her own words. Somehow I never imagined that the innerContinueContinue reading “The UnBoxing Project: Racquel’s story”
Why did you call it the UnBoxing Project?
Editorial Note: I re-wrote this post in January 2024 to better reflect what I now know about social justice and systemic oppression in the last decade since I left fundamentalism. When I moved out of my restrictive home environment and was kicked out of the cult my family was in, other friends in similar circumstancesContinueContinue reading “Why did you call it the UnBoxing Project?”
The UnBoxing Project: The trouble with freeing people
My friends and I often felt like Katniss in the Hunger Games as we left behind the high control churches we were raised in and rebelled against those systems. | Source: Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1. Continued from Being an angel with a shotgun. Content note: suicidal ideation, pastoral authority doctrine “Eleanor, does your churchContinueContinue reading “The UnBoxing Project: The trouble with freeing people”
Eleanor Skelton 