Former Pentecostal discusses her time in "Jesus Boot Camp."

Courtesy of Raw Story:

According to Sarah Rocksdale, who now identifies herself as an atheist, she grew up in a Pentecostal Christian home and was compelled by her parents to attend bible college in Griffin, Georgia, that she identifies as Southwestern Assemblies of God University Valor. As Rocksdale explained, “I thought my only option forward career-wise … was in the church or to become a missionary,” before adding, “There was this peer pressure to go to this school and I did. In the first few days of being at the school that was also in a church, called Griffin First, we were told to sign a waiver or agreement giving our permission to go through their rigorous boot camp.” 

Saying she was part of 35 attending the camp, she stated pastors told them upon their arrival there were three hard and fast rules: they we were not allowed to ask questions, or allowed to speak. They were not allowed to bring cell phones or watches because “the pastors didn’t want us to know what time it was while we were there.” And they were only allowed to bring one personal item with them. 

What followed was a bizarre demand “to bring a backpack with a duct-tapped bag of sugar in it. The first years were supposed to have a 5 pound bag, the second years, a 10 pound bag and the third years, a 15 pound bag. We later found out that the bag of sugar represented Jesus carrying the weight of the world’s sins.”

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According to Rocksdale, the students were herded out onto the lawn on the middle of the night and bullied into calisthenics, followed by being forced on to a bus and taken to run on nearby trails as pastors screamed at them. 

“I’m not sure how long we ran, I only remember feeling like I couldn’t keep going. I looked over at my best friend at the time, she was running right beside me, crying and saying that she couldn’t do this anymore and then the pastors just screamed at her that she had to keep going,” she detailed. “I started slowing down also and they got right in my face and screamed at me too.” 

According to Rocksdale, they were also denied sleep, and punished as a group if another in their class committed an infraction. 

Saying she could take it anymore after three days, she contacted her parents and begged to be allowed to come home, only to be denied, so she turned to cutting herself.

Man I know it's been awhile since I attended but Sunday School sure has changed. 

And I am clearly not the most religious person on the planet, but how in the hell does humiliation, forced runs, and isolation make one a better Christian?

I know that's how the military makes killing machines, but is that really the goal here?