A comment added by Don on wednesday, January 8 at 12:25 PM
I carry no shame for the experiences I’ve lived through, not even for the person I became at my lowest. I also feel no shame for the hard work and years of recovery it took to rebuild myself, nor for the person I am today. However, I do feel deeply apologetic to those I unintentionally influenced toward Christianity during a time when I, too, was deceived. That was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it–I should have known better.
It’s this sense of accountability that led me to create this website, trialofthecentury.ca, so that anyone seeking the full story can find it here. My hope is that by sharing my journey, others can better understand the truth and perhaps find clarity for themselves.
To the Non-Christian
This is my story, plain and simple. It’s not a life I would have ever chosen for myself, and I can’t imagine anyone else willingly doing so either. What I’ve experienced has made me a willing asset to the prosecution in the case against Christianity, and I’m not hiding that fact.
My rationale is straightforward: everyone deserves a full and honest picture. If my story can prevent even one person from enduring the kind of suffering I faced in Case #1, Case #2, and Case #3, then sharing it becomes not just an obligation but a moral imperative. My convictions and compassion for others compel me to speak out.
I’ve taken some of the most painful chapters of my life and laid them bare for you to read. I do this not for revenge or malice, but because I believe the world deserves to know. If I were to remain silent, I would feel complicit in allowing such harm to happen to others. And I cannot accept that.
For that reason, I have not changed names or hidden identities. The truth matters, especially to those who need to hear it.
To the Christian
Many of you have likely had positive experiences in the church. I know this because I’ve had my share of good moments, both as a believer and as a non-believer. But alongside those moments, I’ve also faced profound trauma–betrayals at the hands of church leaders I should have been able to trust, as described in case #1, case #2, and case #3.
Here’s a question I ask you to consider honestly: How many life-altering betrayals would it take for you to conclude that something is deeply wrong?
When I needed true believers–people who embodied the love, power, and mercy of Jesus Christ–I found none. Not one. Christians are supposed to be the living, tangible evidence of Christ’s love, power, and mercy. But without extraordinary love that surpasses the norm, without mercy that heals, without power that transforms, what evidence is there of Christ in your life? Without those qualities, your faith is empty.
Love is not supposed to fail so easily. Yet time and again, for the sake of religion, relationships have been forsaken and friendships destroyed.
If you’ve read my story, if you’ve walked even a fraction of a mile in my shoes, you’ll see a pattern: every trauma I’ve endured within the church was inflicted by those who claimed to fear God and follow Christ. Worse still, you’ll notice that others stood by silently, choosing inaction over courage, even when they knew the truth.
My rationale for you is the same as for the non-Christian: people deserve to know how Christians live when no one is watching. They need to understand how dangerous it can be when corrupt leaders use their authority to perpetuate hypocrisy. They deserve to know that when it matters most, the love, power, and mercy promised by Jesus may not be there for them. Love that fails to rise above ordinary human behavior is no evidence of divine power.
Final Thoughts
This is my story, and it’s as simple as that. I didn’t choose this path, but I do have a responsibility to share it. Not only is it my right, but it’s my duty to warn others about what I’ve endured.
Thank you for reading.
– Don