Some wounds never heal

Regarding the recent letters from James Hardy and R Thompson about the Church of England and bullying.

This happens in other denominations too, my late father-in-law was a deacon in a Portsmouth baptist church in the 1970s he was singled out by the new minister with others and told to stand down as a deacon for no apparent reason only that the minister was a ‘new broom!

My father-in-law didn’t know how to handle It and wrote to the Baptist union, sadly he didn’t have the rhetoric.

In later years the minister was told to leave, but my father in law never returned to church!

As a family we worshipped at a Baptist church in the western wards and the again new minister and elders in the late 80s early 90s introduced ‘shepherding’ selected people from the church were given the task of overseeing families and individuals.

I called them ‘spiritual social workers!’ My husband experience bullying and harassment because he spoke up and we had major family interference which was devastating!

Lately in an Anglican church myself and a few others experienced intimidation and harassment from a priest who was eventually moved on. Sadly you are voiceless in these situations and it’s done without witnesses it’s difficult to complain as the leaders of all denominations ‘close ranks ‘

These wounds often never heal, some of us are more vulnerable than others to this and targeted.

It’s a sad state of affairs and not the way the Christian church should be. Many are clinging to their faith by a thin thread but nevertheless cling on.

V Petrie By email