Life in the Witness Protection Program

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Recently I told a friend about the measures I have to take to hide from the church of Christ. I have to be very careful about what I post on-line under my real name, because any hint of impropriety will immediately be reported back to my family, and then the CoC Mafia will come after me with all guns blazing. They call it "love bombing," a practice whereby they take extraordinary measures to get a person to "return to the fold." It'll start with letters and phone calls asking me to come back and wondering whether someone in the church hurt my feelings (it's never assumed that you have studied and reasoned and come to the conclusion that the CoC is wrong about something), and if my response isn't sufficiently conciliatory, then they'll start showing up on my doorstep unannounced asking to "study" with me so they can show me the error of my ways. My friend said, "Gee, it's like you're living in the witness protection program!" and she's right. CoC-ers are relentless when they're trying to win back "a soul in error." Some of them, the True Believers, really are concerned. They sincerely believe that the CoC is the one true church and if you're not a member in good standing, you're damned to an eternity in hell. Others, however, are more interested in social control. They take it personally when someone dares to defy the church and leave it. Those are the ones who can get vicious with the name-calling and accusations of sin. I've seen it get really ugly with other escapees. One guy had to call the police to get two of the men from my childhood congregation to stop harassing him. I just don't need that drama in my life. Things are difficult enough as they are.

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