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A COMMON RESPONSE IN RECOVERY


Anger isn't a sin, it's an emotion or feeling, a message that we have been hurt, lied to, disobeyed, victimized, our needs unmet, our freedom violated, our love abused, or that something is not quite right.

The main thing is not to remain angry and willfully ignorant

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One of the most common responses of a recovering ex-Two by Two is anger.

1. The initial hostility is focused on the person who has attempted to share information that exposes the problems within the group.

2. Then the anger is often directed at self for being so gullible to William Irvine's logic and for not noticing the many obvious clues of deception

3. Or, it is directed towards those who emotionally or spiritually abused us while trusting them as our friends or spiritual leaders.

4. Some feel anger towards their parents or family members who physically or emotionally abused them while attempting to enforce the conformity to rules.

5. Often, it is anger against those who rejected us when we began to ask legitimate questions.

6. And, it is sometimes directed against other Christians whom we are still conditioned to mistrust or condemn.

7. Frequently, it is directed against the scripture which was used as a whip against us. We feel fear or confusion while trying to figure out what it really is saying.

8. Underneath it all is an unspoken guilt for anger at God. Many of us feel that He let us down when we only meant to give Him our best.

Do you know who inspires all this anger and who really created the situation that caused the problem in the first place? It is Satan, the Father of Lies. It is extremely important to get our perspective in this situation.

Anger isn't a sin, it's an emotion or feeling, a message that we have been hurt, lied to, disobeyed, victimized, our needs unmet, our freedom violated, our love abused, or that something is not quite right. The scripture records many instances of God being angry. We know God doesn't sin. Therefore, anger isn't classified as sin.

Professing people are conditioned to feel guilt over just about every emotion they feel. So they very naturally feel guilty about anger, as well. Therefore, they aren't able to deal with it constructively

Anger could lead to sin, if we don't acknowledge and deal with it properly. Seeking revenge, letting anger turn to hate, denying it, or running away from the situation without trying to understand it are all counter productive and destructive. Facing the issues of what has made us angry, verbalizing them, examining them to see if our feelings are legitimate can help us grow past the situation and perhaps even help others who are being harmed. People aren't the issues, doctrine and the Word of God are what are important.

The main thing is NOT to remain angry and WILLFULLY ignorant

Furthermore, we need to be patient with others going through these emotions, as well. Some of us come out of the experience with a desperate craving to now God and to understand His Word. Others come out feeling like running away from God. (No one can run away from God. We can try but He will always be there. Remember, He is omnipresent, present in all places at the same time.)

Some feel close to God but alienated from other Christians. One person expressed the situation as like going through a divorce…once burned, twice shy. "I'm just not ready for another (marriage) church."

Those of us who have found peace beyond the experience have found that the ONLY REAL cure for this anger is in totally immersing ourselves in biblical education and in talking through all the issues with our husbands and wives and others who have 'been there.'

Each issue must be examined so thoroughly that we have a true conviction of our own, not just one that has been "borrowed" from someone we trust.

The realization that we have been deceived creates anxiety that we will be deceived again. And yes, it is possible to be deceived again unless one is thoroughly educated in scripture.

Some of us found that it took us about three years before we could tolerate reading the Bible without automatically reverting to the worker interpretation and worker definitions echoing in our minds as we read.

It seems to depend on our own individual personalities just how we adjust to the new reality we have found. A logical person will pursue knowledge of God in a logical fashion. An emotional person looks for God with his feelings. A depressed person will try to avoid thinking about the subject altogether.

Scripture urges us over and over to KNOW these things, to KNOW God, to KNOW the Word, to KNOW the Truth. We can't KNOW any of those things unless we make a conscious effort to study them.

One of the most healing things for my emotions during transition was listening to praise and worship music. The most helpful thing I did was listen to Christian teaching on the radio or cassette tapes and read Christian literature. I found that at first I couldn't read my Bible at all. It wasn't that I didn't want to or that I couldn't understand it. It was that I couldn't. I would get extremely anxious and fearful. I could hardly tolerate reading even one verse before I had to put the Bible down. The only way I could ever get over this was to use a different version of the Bible and to read Christian literature, which explained the Bible in practical literal terms instead of allegory. Until I did that, I was constantly reading the words and phrases with Two by Two definitions, interpretations and attitudes. I had to find out how traditional Christianity defined those words. The fact that I had been raised in the Two by Two group made it extremely difficult. It was almost like learning a new language.

Our family also attended numerous Christian seminars that were open to the public and carefully selected as being traditional, balanced, mainline Christianity.

Because of the anger which is elicited during this withdrawal period it is best to seriously, prayerfully and carefully move slowly while making changes and while going through the transitional and educational process. The emotions experienced can be extremely volatile. Pray for God's guidance in all decisions.


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