Comments on My Teen Mania Experience: Elizabeth's Story, part 1

Elizabeth, I'm so glad you shared your story. ...

2012-01-09T17:46:48.457-06:00

Elizabeth, I'm so glad you shared your story. It's true that your hurts at the HA are as valid as anyone else's. A lot of abuse goes unreported because we feel that people will judge us for being whiny, etc. but the truth is that you are brave to speak out about your experiences.

Your story resonates with me because I felt many similar things during my time with TM. And I did the same thing when I was confronted about guys I had no interest in--I completely avoided them, and that spilled into my college years. If anyone mentioned that someone thought I liked so-and-so, I would go as far as being rude to avoid that person.

I am interested to hear the rest of your story. These "little" things infiltrate our souls so subtlety but the truth is they are small at all. These are wounds from a ministry we trusted to help us hear God's voice, and what they ended up telling us was that we were always wrong, always broken, etc.

Thank you again for sharing.

Elizabeth, you have every right to tell your story...

2012-01-09T16:18:33.239-06:00

Elizabeth, you have every right to tell your story- what you went through was damaging. Emotional and spiritual abuses are the hardest to get over, because they hit to the core of your soul and can damage your identity in the Lord. I am glad to hear your story, because it helps me to know how to respond to those who are hurting. This kind of religiosity is destroying the loving relationship we are to have with Christ Jesus. He never taught this kind of Christianity and it is sinful.
The Lord bless and keep you.

i have a question for someone about the being spoo...

2012-01-09T14:59:32.699-06:00

i have a question for someone about the being spooked around the boy thing.
what causes is that? i know a lot of girls that felt that way.
how did guys respond?

Your hurts are just as valid as others. I would h...

2012-01-09T11:32:17.579-06:00

Your hurts are just as valid as others. I would hazard to guess there are many who may read this part of your story and realize that many of these things that they felt not right about during their year are the same ones you felt from day one take heart you are not alone!

Emotional abuse and bullying can be every bit as h...

2012-01-09T10:25:54.312-06:00

Emotional abuse and bullying can be every bit as harmful and destructive as the more "overtly abusive" forms of cruelty. There are many news stories in recent years of young people who have been driven to suicide by bullying. It's simply unconscionable for Honor Academy to foster an environment where those forms of abuse are seen as acceptable (when they're couched in polite Christianese of course; "confronting" my gluteus!)

To say that your story doesn't matter because your hurts are too little is to say that you don't matter because you are too little. Neither is true.