Episode #31 Justine For Justice - Escaping the ICOC

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In this episode, Justine shares her powerful story of growing up in the International Church of Christ (ICOC), a high-control religious group known for its strict purity culture, financial demands, and rigid authority over members' lives. Her family joined when she was just three years old, hoping to find community and support after her father’s struggles with alcoholism. Instead, they became deeply entangled in a system that dictated their every move, isolating them from the outside world and instilling fear that those who left would be doomed.

Throughout her childhood, Justine endured multiple forms of abuse and was pressured to conform to the group’s extreme expectations. Members were required to give significant financial contributions and meet recruitment quotas, turning them into unpaid laborers for the church. Despite the ICOC’s promises of spiritual guidance, Justine struggled with deep emotional turmoil, feeling trapped in an environment where personal freedom was nonexistent.

At age 16, she took a courageous step by leaving the group to seek treatment for an eating disorder, a decision that ultimately became the turning point in her life. As she began to heal, she started questioning the beliefs she had been raised with. Years later, after learning about the systemic abuses within the ICOC, her family also left, realizing the true extent of the harm they had experienced.

Now, 20 years later, Justine is thriving—married with three children and using her voice to help others who have endured similar experiences. She started a blog to share her story, which has empowered others to come forward with their own.

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