SOAR stands for Survivors of Abusive Religions.

I felt that it describes what we've been through and lets anyone know that we are not victims anymore.

I also enjoyed the mental picture that the word SOAR gave me .... freedom.

Freedom to pick whatever wind current catches our wings as we glide effortlessly along the journey of life.

The mission of this site and the people affiliated with it is to provide online and face-to-face support for anyone who has been a member of a controlling, abusive 'religious' group.

There is no 'preaching' and no one is a professional counselor.

We only want to provide comfort and friendship to those who've lost friends, family or maybe more.

The Solution is to develop your own independent relationship with God.

As SOAR (Survivors Of Abusive Religion) becomes a safe place for you, you will find the freedom to express all the hurts and fears you have kept inside and to free yourself from the shame and blame that are carryovers from the past.  You will become a person who is imprisoned no longer by cult reactions.  You will recover the individual within you, learning to accept and love yourself.

The healing begins when we risk moving out of isolation.  Feelings and buried memories will return.  By gradually releasing the burden of unexpressed grief, we slowly move out of the past.  We learn to regain ourselves with gentleness, humor, love and respect.

This is the action and work that heals us; we use the support groups; we use the telephone; and we use the internet.  We share our experience, strength, and hope with each other.  We learn to restructure our thinking one day at a time.  When we release the cult and their organization from responsibility for our actions today, we become free to make healthful decisions as actors, not reactors.  We progress from hurting to healing to helping.  We awaken to a sense of wholeness we never knew was possible.

You will not do this alone.  Look around you and you will see others who know how you feel.  We will love and encourage you no matter what.  We ask you to accept us just as we accept you.

This is a program based on action coming from love.  We are sure that as the love grows inside you, you will see beautiful changes in all your relationships, especially with God, and your loved ones.