Written by Rosanna Brubacker, Founder of LifeRing Christian Ministries, these are the stories of real people with names changed (shared with permission) and details slightly altered to protect their identity.
Luanne finally left her husband after years of abuse in front of the children. Shortly after, one of the children acted out, breaking things and then calling the police. Luanne was washing dishes when the police knocked on the door. As they questioned her child and the child showed the police the broken objects she listened in horror as the child blamed her for doing it, she began crying and denying it. The police handcuffed her and took her to the hospital for three days admitting her for psychiatric intervention. She didn't need it. I knew her well having talked to her every day for awhile leading up to this. (I found out when she didn't answer her phone that evening that she was in the hospital.) Her husband got custody of the children and she never got them back after that because he was calm and rational in court and she was fragile and distraught.
Nancy never left because the church didn't encourage her to. She was beautiful in appearance and always sunny faced. Her husband lied to the church about her. He beat his small son so badly he needed to refrain from going to school for a week because of his injuries. But the mom was told she needed to submit more and to stop making up stories about her husband. "Of course he isn't into porn or beating the children that badly. He says he's not!" There is no recourse for Nancy since no one believes her.
Kathy's husband choked her until she nearly passed out. After half a day of nearly losing consciousness, she went to the doctor who reported it. With tears in his eyes he said, "He broke bones before! If his fingers had been over a little more, you'd be dead!" Her church accused her of lying and forced her to not press charges. He's still a church member in good standing.
Janet reported her child's sexual abuse to her church who took her children away from her and told her to be a better wife. So did Wanda's church. If they were better wives this wouldn't have happened to them. The church proceeded to lie to the children about their mothers.
Erma's children were finally accepted into the church but the church told Erma she isn't allowed to be a member unless she encourages her children and herself to have a relationship with their father who beat them with a 2x4 and sexually abused some of them.
