About discernomatic
I am an American that has lived in Europe for about 17 years, the last 6 of those in Italy. I fled the latter country to return to the US with my two children because of domestic violence in June 2007. In order to protect myself from legal prosecution I cannot at this moment reveal my name if certain truths about my experiences are to be published on the internet or elsewhere. When others have given me permission to publish their testimonies, works or translations, their names are included. A few others have administrative capabilities here as well and will be publishing under their pseudonyms.
I am not a member of the clergy. I am currently attending a Baptist Church. I do not profess to be wise but have gathered experiences in my travels. I have made mistakes but have learned from them and hope to be able to help others avoid the same mistakes or at least help them cope if they have. Since early 2002 I have been researching sects and church movements and later expanded my research to include all forms of abuse, manipulation and control in general.
When writing scripture verses in English, I quote from the NIV or King James, usually the reference is included at the bottom of the page. I do not have anything against anyone that is using another version of the Bible, if he does so conscienciously. I only protest against it when I see that the Scriptures are purposely translated or twisted to preach false doctrine.
I believe that a certain measure of tolerance must exist between Christians. Jesus was more than patient with his disciples who kept blundering into false doctrine despite constant teaching, but he stuck it out with them as long as it was necessary. We must be patient with one another also, while teaching according to Jesus’ example. When he admonishes us he does not hate us, but does it out of love. We must deal with each other in the same way whenever possible. I do not hate those whose doctrines I hold in question. I may hate the doctrine but not the person. There is one thing that I cannot stand, though. That is when one person lies to another, especially to lead him away from God. Some of those that do so have lied even to themselves and have allowed themselves to be deceived. That is when I find it necessary to speak out against such lies and deceptions, to rescue those that are at risk. Another instance of lying that particularly bothers me is that of deception before marriage. The controller deceives the victim even before marriage when he (or she) hides his true motives and true self - the Mr. Hyde behind the friendly face of Dr. Jeckyll. This shows the highest disrespect for the victim and for God since marriage is a symbol of the marriage between Christ and the Church.
Please take note that I do not like political correctness. It is simply another form of control instituted by man. I feel that everyone should be able to express his opinions freely and my site reflects this. Also, we cannot force our opinions on others. No one, whether Christian or non-Christian, should be forced to say, do or believe anything he does not want to. He should be free to do anything as long as it does not injure others in any way, mental, spiritual or physical. I know that some will balk at this idea. There are forms of rebellion to God that do not injure others, this is true, but every person on this planet is responsible for his own actions and I believe that it is not our duty as Christians to force anyone to comply with God’s commands. We are to spread the Gospel and teach those that believe it. The world would be more pleasant if everyone would adhere to this.
Why did I set up this website?
The focal point of this site has changed. The site exists in part to help Christians avoid being part of movements or going to churches that preach false doctrine and if they do to warn them what is behind these phenomena. Someone helped me in this manner and I think that this kind of help should be offered more often. There are many deceptions creeping into the Church that every Christian should be aware of. Especially when these deceptions are designed to control the People of God it is time to speak out against them. This is not meant to single out any one denomination as false doctrines are evident in practically all denominations, some more than others. Also, there are more and more pastors and self-appointed apostles these days that hunger for power over others and often also for their money. Over the years I have personally seen such pastors and have been a victim of spiritual abuse.
Some pages have been added containing information about domestic abuse, emotional abuse and child abuse. As a single mother dealing with two growing teens that have been exposed to domestic violence, I have taken interest in certain aspects of abuse such as power and control issues and bullying. I would like to share some of my findings with others like myself that have escaped from, or still are living in, abusive relationships. Such relationships not only endanger victims’ self-esteem and sanity, but also their lives and the lives of the children that are exposed to them.
I want to learn what I can do for myself and my children to overcome the mental effects of domestic violence. I think that to avoid future abusive relationships of any kind it is necessary for the victim to first learn why they were abused. Is there something about victims that attracts abusers and bullies? I do want to make it clear here that experts agree that victims, no matter how badly treated, NEVER earned the abuse. The abuser always has a choice to act or react violently although they almost always irresponsibly blame their victims and say that the victims “made” them “do it.” Do abusers tend to hide their true motives when looking for victims? How do they try to hide their true intentions and how can potential victims see through their efforts at camouflage? These are some of the issues I wish to explore.
No honest question is too stupid. Every question that is honestly asked is a valid expression of a person’s thoughts and feelings. I differentiate between honest and dishonest questions - like those the pharisees aimed at Jesus because they intended to trap him with them. Dishonest questions are asked with false and manipulative motives - by controllers. I don’t consider such questions as valid or worth an answer.
I plan to add pages about issues as I run across them. I am currently taking prerequisite courses for nursing that continually offer new cutting-edge information that I would like to share with others when I have time to write about it. Discernment can be used in nutrition and medicine as well and is not limited to spiritual aspects. I don’t intend to make anyone change their lives in any way, but want to provide information that could help others make intelligent decisions about how to lead their lives. That is, I would like to help others to be discerning.
Why are there few pictures and entertaining images on my site? I personally like sites that are quick to download. Not everybody can afford DSL or has the time to wait for dozens of pictures to appear. They can be cool or amusing but for me are usually just in the way. A friend finally convinced me to put a few images on the site.
I believe that everything that happens to us offers a lesson to learn or fail to learn. We are all students and we are all teachers. Who do you learn from and what are you teaching others? One thing that I have learned lately is that teachers learn from their students. If they do not, then their teaching skills will not improve and they will stagnate in their personal growth.
