Why Would God Allow This?

Question

I was suckered into a religious cult (ICOC) for several years and left 3 years ago. It is a very damaging experience. All I wanted to do was do God's will and instead I ended up with a cult - now I can barely look at a Bible or pray. I don't even want to think about church! Why would God allow this to happen? It seems like he is pushing me away. How can I trust Him?

I guess I should say how can I trust any new church? I believe everything happens for a reason though.
When I was younger and searching for God the cult people appeared to be good Christian people. They quoted and taught the scriptures in what seemed to be right. I did not grow up religious, so I did not know what to look for to know they were 'wolves in sheeps clothing.'
It's hard for me to read the Bible because it reminds me of 'them' and it's hard to see the scriptures in a different light than what I was taught.

Answer 1

Cults prey on the innocents who want to do right and be close to God. They lie, they mislead, they deceive.
God didn't let this happen to you. He gave you freewill, and you remain His child, regardless of the choices you have made.
Forgive yourself. Realize that what they did to you was NOT in the name of the TRUE, LOVING God. The Bible they professed to use was NOT the Bible of that TRUE God. It was a twisted, misquoted, misconstrued fascimile.
Don't be afraid of the Holy Bible - if you have trouble sorting through the "thee's and thou's" - maybe an easier translation would be a good place to start. Try "The Message//Remix" by Eugene H. Peterson.
Don't be afraid to pray. Again, stilted language isn't necessary - it doesn't impress God. He know the innermost yearnings of your heart. Talk to Him like a friend. He only wants you to open your wounded heart to Him.
Don't be afraid of God. He's there, arms open, only waiting for you to come to Him so He can wrap His loving arms around you and comfort you.
What you are feeling is not Him pushing you away - it is your fears, and the workings of those who hurt you (the cult) pushing you away from Him.
As for church - Church is, in its true sense, a grouping of those who have come together to worship HIM. Today - as you have found out - tragically - it has become less about HIM and more about religion. NOT the same thing.
Trust HIM. Talk to HIM. Open your heart to HIM. Let HIM help heal you from the horrible hurts that the cult caused you.
I truly hope you can find your way back to HIM, and the peace you will find there.

Answer 2

I promise you God loves you. And He wants you to have a relationship with Him. He does not want you in a cult. Most cults are obvious. If you hang out in the three more safe denominations for a year or two you can then spot a cult right away. The 3 main protestant denominations are Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian. The Methodist will be a little more to the left of the others. They are theologically safe. There is also the Calvary Chapel if you like deeper Bible study and Maranatha style worship-its good.

Answer 3

I don't know what ICOC stands for. I can say people who use religion to prey on people who are vunarable or in a bad situation I put right up there with priest pedophiles. They give all people of faith a bad name. We have free will and we need to "come to believe". No amount of shoving it down someone's throat or mind games will make anyone a believer. If someone is searching for God they will find him. There is famous painting of Christ standing at a cottage door. The door has no handle, why? BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO INVITE HIM IN. After that it is between you and him. His love is the strongest, deepest love anyone can ever feel and it is totally personal, but truely amazing. I will pray for you and hope your spirit can be healed.

Answer 4

It is but a test of faith. God allows us to be tested. I would reccoment you to read the book of Job in the bible. God tested you to se if you were true to him, even in the face of doubt and dubious surroundings. Trust me in this, God does not want you to vbe harmed. However God is not to blame nor is the Devil. The Devil can only tempt a person, not make them do anything.. Satan works on influence... Those whom sought you out as a memvber for this cult, were under temtations and influence to do so... Whereas with their influences, you were tempted into joining. It is hard for an average human to discern that which is according to the will of god without devine understanding of the holy spirit. Nevertheless, you, God, and even Satan arent to blame for this unfortunate events... The Blasphemous currs that ran the cult are to blame. Therefore You should realize that God has something else in store for you. Do not fear the community of the church, embrace it. But take from your experiences from the cult, as a tool of discerning.

Answer 5

It's interesting that God gets the blame for this. All life is about growing and learning. Did you learn anything? Have you become a stronger person? You seem to have an idea of what you don't want in your life. I think you should work with God on your own terms. Maybe not look for someone else to lead you.
Love & Light
Sharon
One Planet = One People

Answer 6

God allows all manner of good and evil things to occur on this Earth so that our free will is not tampered with. I'm sorry for the ordeal you experienced but if you look at your question in another light - God also allowed you to see the error of the cult's ways and helped you out of that same situation. Please don't blame God for all the bad in your life and not credit Him for any of the good... I do hope that you can see that God didn't force you into that cult and that reading your Bible and praying can draw you closer to Him and to the real church He intended you to be involved in.

Answer 7

Just ask him to guide you. What if he let it happen so that you know what is right and wrong.. Alot of times people don't look into History and they repeat the same things that people did in the past, if you read the Bible you can see what some people did in the past and learn from their mistakes. If you don't learn by books then you might as well learn from experience (Its better to learn from Books (The Bible) because sometimes you dont learn from experience and end up in hell)

Be glad that you're not in a cult anymore.

Answer 8

I wish I knew you personally. This way I would be able to enjoy seeing you come into God's glory. I believe the Lord has an amazing journey for you with streets lined with blessings. I believe this because Satan would not be trying his hardest to rape you of it if it weren't so. He's trying to keep you and turn you away from God to ruin what the Lord has for you. Sometimes horrors happen in our lives because we want to serve God. It's the only way we will be able to identify and have empathy for those that have gone down a similar road. Only a raped woman can truly understand another raped woman. Only an invalid from an accident can truly understand another invalid that resulted from an accident. Every tear you have cried has already been accounted for. Romans8vs28. Read it and know, it will be okay. See you at the banquet table. Affectionately.....Lina

Answer 9

Free choice. God allows you to grow and learn from your mistakes. God wants what is best for us but doesn't necessarily intercede if there is a lesson to be learned. Life's lessons are about love. What have you learned. Did you learn that you don't need a third party to communicate with God? Because youcan do that on your own with prayer and meditation. Look around you. Do you see God's beautiful world?
I once asked God why I was allowed to live through a terrible situation. I was frustrated and wanted something different for myself (I have a life threatening disease for which I must seek treatment on a daily basis). He said that It was a gift. I was a little confused and sort of pissed...then I asked him "OK, God, why was this a gift?" He answered, "Because you never would have found me."
And it was true.
God doesn't take away the lessons which are good for us. He allows us to make our own free choices and sits by hoping that we will come to him. Luckily, my relationship with God is very strong and my faith is constant. However, there are times when I choose not to go to God with my life and it's problems. Ultimately, I prefer to figure things out on my own. But, if I would jhust choose to include God on a day to day, minute to minute basis, everything...EVERYTHING would go harmoniously. And my life owuld turn out how He would have it be.
Don't blame God for mistakes made. Instead trust that he loves you and is always always there for you..but you have to do some work to be in touch with him.
Good luck.

Answer 10

cults are very dangerous.
they take a piece of religeon and form it into their entire experience which may or may not be a pleasant experience at first. i dont think they even realize what they are doing.

if you read the bible, as a whole, not just a passage, you will find God's truth. even if you go to church, a healthy balanced church, you still need to read the bible on your own. even pastors and ministers are suscept to telling things wrong, especially since satan attacks everyone in position.

you need a healthy balance of bible, prayer, fellowship, and preaching.

i dont think God is very happy with cults. they twist his words into their own beliefs, and then trick others into beleiving it is truth.
i think to help you trust God again, you should learn who he is. go back into your bible and with every thing you read, it should tell you not what we as man should be like necessarily, but who God really is.

i would start with the new testament.