Who Writes the letters to home

[Anonymous]

My nephew is in TLC.  His letters to his parents always seemed very genuine. Under TLC's guidance, he's now admitting to things he did  his parents could never confirm, and thanking them for sending him there, he sounds like he has been reborn.

Aren't there any positive stories out there?

[JeffJizz]

Or maybe he is being brainwashed?

[Kiwi]

Or maybe he knows he is never going home until he writes that kind of letter.

[Anonymous]

Letters are monitored and censored for content.  If you are critical you are bullied and barraged. We learn quickly to keep our mouths shut. Confessions are coerced and sometimes either false or exaggerated to avoid harassment.  Staff may tell parents their kids are lying or more messed up than they are... After  insulation and harassment, kids come to believe the script.  Often, real issues are never dealt with...THe schools are holding tanks keeping kids compliant but that is all. I went to a different school many, many years ago. But all of our stories are similar.  I'm an adult now with no reason to lie.  Even then, I was not a liar.  But staff will tell parents anything to keep you there.

[Paige]

We have a young lady who has just returned home from one of those places. We removed her from the facility at her request basically we rescued her. She has told us that the letters are pretty much dictated to them and they have no choice in writting them but they are to be in their own words so that it really sounds like they are writting them.

Brainwashing is probably a good term.

and think about it..... If it wasn't wonderful would they let the letters telling how it really is go out?? NNNNOOOOO.

The kids learn very quickly how to play the game but it is still up to the parents if they can leave or not and if the parents want them to stay, well the kid stays no matter what. Unless there is someone out there who will fight for them.

HELLO George Bush!!!! What happened to NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND?? There are many who are left in these places because their parents do not want the responsibility or the effort it takes to deal with teenagers.

There are chldren in Abundant Life Academy in Mexico that are 12 years old. Many of the chldren there were adopted and I suppose it is just easier to dump them in a place like this than to be an adult and work through whatever problems there are. How sad.

Don't believe the letters -it is a game and it is a game involving tons of money.

[Anonymous]

How did you get her out?

How would she even communicate?

have you gone to ISAC or http://www.askquestions.org with your info?

[Nihilanthic]

I think these people just want to hear what they want to hear and block out any negative possibilities.

Who cares if your kid might be abused, its not on YOUR conscience, and they come out so obedient!

[Paige]

On 2004-08-20 16:56:00, Anonymous wrote:

"How did you get her out?



How would she even communicate?



have you gone to ISAC or http://www.askquestions.org with your info?"

Yes we have we have talked with ISAC since the day she was sent away, they were most helpful. I will give the details answering all of your questions at a later date. Right now we are getting our lives back together and getting some well deserved rest. It could be a few months before we actually release the details but it will happen and it will be public.

[Anonymous]

Paige, you write:
She has told us that the letters are pretty much dictated to them and they have no choice in writting them but they are to be in their own words so that it really sounds like they are writting them. ~

Would you please define "pretty much dictated".
Do you mean told what subjects to cover; or told  what to say about the subjects?

[Paige]

Both, subjects and what to say. She was told what to say and they were checked before they were sent.We believe that some were edited by the staff or her mother before being sent. She is going to review them in a couple of weeks to show us what she had actually written. I have every email from her since this started - we will know the truth soon.

[Anonymous]

If mail is being screened and edited that is unexceptable. No way around that. That has to stop. But Paige, why will it take weeks to prove?

[Anonymous]

If they were looked over by her Mom, that is a very differnt thing from being looked over by staff. You do realize this don't you? If Mom told staff to look them over, that to is important. You need to be clear on these things.
So, which is it?

[Paige]

It doesn't matter who reviewed and directed what they were to write - it is against our constitution and our right to freedom of speech. It also is cruel and mentally abusive and only serves the purpose of propaganda for the facility.

But then I Guess Children have no rights or they wouldn't be in one those places. How sad.

According to the Law at 16 a child can divulge information and it can be used by others and published, but the facilities are not going to allow that now are they. Or at least only the really legitimate ones will.

[Anonymous]

Paige, it's clear to me that Craig and ALA are not real Christians.  Or, at least, they're Fallen Away and in Error if they ever were real Christians.

The New Testament clearly and repeatedly teaches that Christians have a responsibility to obey the laws of the land---and not just the letter of the law, also the spirit of the law.  The NT clearly teaches that even when obeying the laws of the land are grieviously personally onerous, and against one's better judgement, that if the law doesn't literally require you to bow down to idols or commit adultery or verbally explicitly deny your faith or such, that you *have* to obey the laws of the land, letter and spirit, or you SIN.

The NT doesn't give Christians weasel room to say, "Oh, if we follow this law we won't be able to do this great good work, so God must mean for us to break it---or at least, well, if we can keep it from being enforced against us, it's God's Will!"

The NT teaches you have to obey the letter and spirit of the laws of the land, or you're NOT a good Christian and you're heart is NOT right with God, you're Fallen Away and in Error.

Or, in the parlaince of most Protestant churches, if you can wilfully and persistently live in Sin, then you were never truly saved and only pretending and going through the motions without truly letting God into your heart.

But by whichever Christian denomination you want to cite, if you break the letter or spirit of the laws of the land and refuse to repent, whether it's because you were never saved or because you're Fallen, Craig and ALA just aren't good Christians.

So it doesn't surprise me that they can rationalize depriving teenagers of their Constitutional free speech rights.

I'd reckon they could rationalize anything if they set their mind to it, because they've been living on that slippery slope, on that broad road paved with Good Intentions and wrong actions, for a long, long time.

And I apologize to others who aren't as into reading religious philosophical discussions, but I think it's an important point that Craig and ALA get a lot of business and a lot of money and a lot of social status in their social set for how very Christian they are-----when their behavior isn't actually very Christian at all.

Timoclea

[Anonymous]

Either religion is the problem, or not helping in this case - its irrelevant at best. So I'm not saying a word about it.

Bottom line is these places need to be opened up, made transparent, and get rid of the secrecy and make them actual therapeutic places or close them. Our damn govt should use our tax money and try to protect our kids, damn.