I really appreciate reading your point of view Amy. I often wondered what CP was like from the perspective of a child growing up within the organization. Thank you for sharing.
I was in CP for four and a half years. When I left I was a PNG, it was devastating to be essentially excommunicated from a body that had been like a family to me. I think that was cruel and abusive on the part of the organization.
As far as CP being a cult, absolutely it is. You cannot leave whenever you want, the training sessions amounted to brain washing right down to sleep deprivation, poor food, indoctrination, and dress code. The so called special retreat plays were especially manipulative.
We were expected to revere Chuck's plays as if they were all master pieces and to boast how prolific a play write he was even though most of it wasn't really fit for stage. It amounted to nothing more than self publishing. The leadership was unquestioned, we were not privy to the organizations finances and nothing was transparent. I know people entering the organization may have had their hearts in the right place, I certainly wasn't wanting to be in a cult - but, that is how the organization functions. Looks like a cult, behaves like a cult, it's a cult. I certainly hope despite that we still managed to touch peoples lives as on individual levels at least we were trying to minister to people. I don't like the term cult but it doesn't change what it was.
My time with CP was over 20 years ago now but at times, when it reaches my mind I still have nightmares about being in CP. It's taken me years to heal from my experience.
I was in CP for four and a half years. When I left I was a PNG, it was devastating to be essentially excommunicated from a body that had been like a family to me. I think that was cruel and abusive on the part of the organization.
As far as CP being a cult, absolutely it is. You cannot leave whenever you want, the training sessions amounted to brain washing right down to sleep deprivation, poor food, indoctrination, and dress code. The so called special retreat plays were especially manipulative.
We were expected to revere Chuck's plays as if they were all master pieces and to boast how prolific a play write he was even though most of it wasn't really fit for stage. It amounted to nothing more than self publishing. The leadership was unquestioned, we were not privy to the organizations finances and nothing was transparent. I know people entering the organization may have had their hearts in the right place, I certainly wasn't wanting to be in a cult - but, that is how the organization functions. Looks like a cult, behaves like a cult, it's a cult. I certainly hope despite that we still managed to touch peoples lives as on individual levels at least we were trying to minister to people. I don't like the term cult but it doesn't change what it was.
My time with CP was over 20 years ago now but at times, when it reaches my mind I still have nightmares about being in CP. It's taken me years to heal from my experience.