My name is Cherish Rider, I’m 15 (just turned in January) and I live in Japan.

I am (like all my friends in the Family) un-abused, unhurt, un-brainwashed, and quite un-in need of being rescued from my wonderful, loving, and caring family by unfulfilled, unforgiving, un-"moving on", bitter, pro-suicidal pro-murderers like those to whom most of this site is addressed.

I probably shouldn’t have waited this long to send in my two cents because after reading most of the articles posted here it’s hard to write what I feel about this whole issue without going over the exact things everyone else has written! Isn’t it funny how no matter how the age, style of writing, attitudes, and personalities of the people who post their views here differ, basically everyone, at the end of their story, will say the exact same thing!

“I have NEVER been abused”
“When I say I chose the Family, I’m making my OWN decision”
“To take ANYONE’S life is wrong, no matter what the reason (a.k.a. excuse)”
“GET A LIFE, GET A GRIP, GET REAL, etc.”

If we’re obviously not brainwashed (please just let go of that one. It’s really very old now) then why pray tell are we all coming down to the very same conclusion? ………………….Ah!! Here’s MY conclusion! It must be the truth!!

So let’s see… Now that you know we don’t need to be rescued (Thanks for the concern but we’re okay! Really!) let’s see what more can I help you with… well let me think…

You got out of the Family right? Got the life you chose? …Yup, we check that off. …You got your sincere apologies for whatever horrible things you say you went through while in the Family? …Okay yes, quite a few of those… You know about the many rules and safe guards (after many long court cases) put in place to ensure that nothing close to what happened to you will happen to anyone here without going unpunished right? …..Yyyyes, I’m pretty sure! …Well if after all that you’re still not satisfied I guess there’s really nothing more I can help you with!—Except to tell you that the only way to be happy (like you’ve probably heard somewhere before) is to make someone else happy, and since we in the Family are all pretty happy making others happy you really don’t have to waste your time trying to help us out of our misery.

Instead how about forgiving and forgetting whatever happened to you in the past and LIVING a little instead of dwelling on other people’s sad mistakes and finding yourself in a situation similar to what happened to Ricky which was as far as I can see, a not-so-fun and rather pointless end and an even less thrilling beginning to life on the other side!

…All this sounding familiar to you? It may be because someone else wrote the exact same thing in different words on this website! Or maybe God’s been trying to get through to you with His conclusion for a long time now! ..Either way I’m quite convinced that doubt it, believe it, take it, or leave it, it IS the truth.

…..And that’s all I have to say about that.