Many of us will face emotional trauma for the rest of our lives. Everyone’s journey is unique, and anger and grief affect us in different ways. My experiences over the past six years have convinced me otherwise. Much better to avoid, deny, and pretend there’s nothing wrong. We’re urged to bury our past, and avoid criticism of the Brethren lest we be seen as bitter and disenchanted. Some believe that successfully building a new life means you should stop talking about the church. I’ve been told many times to “move on” usually by other former members. It’s almost impossible to fully escape an Exclusive Brethren background. I may not ever see any of these people again, but they were an important part of my life for nearly 20 years. The young Brethren in Invercargill, 2008. I think of these memories of family and friends as the ghosts of a Brethren past. The frenetic sensory assaults of an Asian metropolis jostle against unexpected flashes from the past. Today, it’s six years since I was “withdrawn from” – the final stage of excommunication from the Exclusive Brethren church. Yet my upbringing has been playing on my mind for the past few weeks.
Hong Kong couldn’t be further from my childhood in the quiet backwaters of New Zealand.
Shoppers haggle for chickens at the market, and thousands of commuters rush to and from a nearby metro station.
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