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I Fired God: My Life Inside---and Escape From---the Secret World Of The Independent Fundamental Baptist Cult (2013)

by Jocelyn Zichterman(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1250026261 (ISBN13: 9781250026262)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

St. Martin's Press

review 1: So, this is a hard book to review. On one hand, it was interesting reading a book written about the cult I grew up in for the first time. It contained a lot of emotional triggers for me, bringing up some things I thought I had dealt with but that made me realize I hadn't. But on the other hand, it was not very well written. I would probably never recommend it to either someone in the IFB cult who is contemplating getting out or as an informative book to introduce someone to what the cult is about because it fails on both levels. Plus, Jocelyn is just not a likeable person, especially if you know about her shenanigans she conveniently leaves out of the book. Her story did make me realize that for all of the abuse my family and I went through, other people have had and do ha... moreve it way worse. It is nothing but a blessing that most of the abuse I experienced was only emotional and spiritual. As much as it may have hurt to be personally ridiculed, falsely accused, or condemned by name (yes, all of which happened to me multiple times) during pulpit rants by my ex-pastor, with no opportunity for me to speak up for myself, at least I wasn't the object of calculated and large-scale attempts to ruin my life. As infuriating as it was that my siblings and I got harshly spanked for even the slightest infraction, and the spankings could go on for hours in an effort to break our "sinful wills" (because a little kid being overcome with shyness when someone says "hi" to them and they don't feel like responding, or a toddler who can't stop crying because he's freezing cold and miserable on a rainy autumn camping trip are obviously calculated attempts at extreme rebellion =P), at least we were never beaten bloody or sexually molested. And as frustrating and crazy as my parents could be, at least they have never been psychopaths who require restraining orders. But I could still relate to so, so much. The isolation, the paranoia, the obsession with conspiracy theories, the extreme Bible twisting, worship of preachers and other "heroes of the faith" instead of Jesus, the emphasis on attacking and judging any Christian who isn't IFB, the harshness and negativity, the guilt and legalism, etc. etc. I had serious issues with the book though, as mentioned. The biggest one was her lumping Bill Gothard and ATI, the Pearls, the patriarchy and Quiverfull movements, and Vision Forum in with Fundamental Baptists. That's so far from accurate it made my head spin a little. While those groups and movements are just as dangerous and damaging, they are different fundamentalist camps entirely and have different beliefs in some areas. While there may some intermingling and admiration for each other among the different camps, they are NOT the same and to lump them in together in this book was misleading and ignorant. For instance, IFB churches will most likely never send their teens to ATI camps. For one thing, ATI doesn't exalt the same "doctrinal" issues as IFBs, and for another, IFB kids go to IFB church camps and keep the funding in the family. She also overgeneralized a lot of other things. I don't believe that every IFB church is rife with physical and/or sexual abuse, for example. I also didn't feel Mrs. Zichterman did a very thorough and organized job explaining the key beliefs held by the IFB and how they twist the Bible in order to support them. Anyone without personal experience with the IFB would probably be confused and unsure as to how anyone would even be attracted to this movement. I'm guessing part of this is due to her abandonment of the Christian faith--it probably wasn't very important to her to show what is wrong with the way they choose to treat and interpret the Bible. One last quibble I had: I resented her slight implication that anyone who leaves fundamentalism would naturally flow into becoming a political and/or religious liberal. Because that isn't true. I have no issue with someone believing differently from me on things, but the way she talked about her new worldview just rubbed me the wrong way.Overall, I'm not sorry I read the book. As a memoir it is harrowing and fascinating. But my impression after finishing is that her emotions are still riding too high from her experiences to write either an excellent memoir or a withering and thorough expose on the IFB movement. My advice to her would've been to stick to one or the other, and wait a few more years.
review 2: Still processing this one, but I would definitely recommend it. The power and control the IFB (and similar groups) maintain over their people is paralyzing. From suppressing abuses on every level to issuing degrees from unaccredited colleges that are not recognized outside of their widespread group, Bob Jones University and it's affiliated churches have created and maintain a cult of miseducated families who appear polished on the outside, but face utter destruction if they question the system. (Anyone seen the Duggar family on TLC?...)Subservience and a demand for immediate obedience are instilled in women and children to the point where women don't defend their children and children are destroyed.... "Breaking the will of the child, while maintaining their spirit." Though I've heard that phrase many times, now I will forever associate it with beating a child until they surrender to your expectations. So very sad...So many parts of this story brought forth different emotions in me, I don't know where to start really. The abuse of our tax dollars supporting these "universities" and providing federal funding for unaccredited schools angers me. The variety of abuses by authority figures and cover ups by doctors, loyal IFB law enforcement agents and medical professionals enrages me. The brainwashing concepts the cult promotes leave me questioning why our government hasn't put in monitoring procedures for these groups and "escape procedures" for those strong enough to question their leaders. Really glad the title caught my attention... And it is explained midway through the book and its less blasphemous than it sounds. less

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