@Catalina and @Teslick, please do not belittle Spiritual Abuse. If you have never been in that situation, you are well and truly very lucky people, how easy it is for you to blame the victim, yet like any other kind of abuse, it is still abuse and carries all of the same psychological, emotional and spiritual implications of abuse. You would not blame a sexually abused person who knew their abuser for "not having known better" nor one who is physically abused for wilfully volunteering to enter an abusive relationship, would you? Would you say, "they had it coming?" or "They deserved it?" because your comments make light of a serious issues.

I was a member of a Church with similarly abusive tactics to MH, and they were so subtle, what started as a pursuit to serve God and love his people on my part incredulously became a war in my mind and a perpetual habit of shame, doubt, fear, second-guessing myself, self-harming and being too terrified that 'God' would abandon me just as my erstwhile "Church friends" did when I was in that situation. I was being "punished" first by my support network, second by myself, (third I thought by God) and then fourth by people like you who made me think it was my fault for missing the signs beforehand. They were not evident signs when I entered what was a welcoming, warm, loving, faithful and seemingly-normal community. In fact, I witnessed many people's lives be changed for the better and even participated in furthering a vision I really believed was of God and from God. A lot of the outreach programmes and ministry arms of such Churches are lifelines to marginalised members of communities like the homeless, substance abusers, unemployed etc offering support, resources and good moral advice and provisions in areas neglected by local government and other charities. Lots of these initiatives are good and positive. Most people who stay out of harm's way can successfully impact thousands of lives whilst attending abusive Churches without enduring any abuse themselves.

I am not stupid, naive, less worthy of acceptance, the benefit of the doubt or the respect of people like yourselves and even non-believers just because I attended a Church which increasingly became cult-like. I could not possibly have been expected to foresee that as the Church began to grow the loving community would turn into a mega-prison. It all happened really fast. My reasons for joining the Church were sincere and pure, and what went on inside there was not immediately suspicious. Had it been, I would have left. Once I started to have questions, my whole life was already locked into the "system" and the fear of getting out was worse than the fear of staying in. I would have also let a lot of needing people down. I joined an abusive Church because I wanted to make a difference to peoples' lives. I still do.

The only thing worse than being abused by those you trusted and loved is when you have the courage to walk away from it all and endure the slander to your name, loss of reputation, standing, relationships with family members who stay in the system and loss of friends; and then outsiders who were not even in that situation come on line and label you as another "religious dumb sheep" who "should have known better" or imply that you are someone who was "probably asking for it". It adds insult to injury, and makes you feel how I would imagine a victim of rape feels on a stand when the Defence Attorney asks for the hundredth time whether the person they KNOW assaulted them, "really did it".

Anya Lynch. Christina McBride. Sarah Koelsch. Watch out East Ballard. Ballard Park Apartments is a host to these "ladies," aka Mars Hill Bullies of the worst brand. This little enclave on NW 63rd St - 98107, is no place for a non-member. In addition to harasment, bullying, and an assortment of invasion of privacy tactics, these girls have made this little hole in the wall a living hell.