Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hannan Mercy Ministries Update From Australia
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Comments (22)
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Sad news about the death? Mercy will follow the usual head in the sand approach.
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Indeed, the news is very disheartening. However, I'm glad that so many girls have come to mercysurvivors.com. It shows that there's always hope for what these girls have been put through.
That article was crazy, another example of people completely fucking up other's lives in the name of superstition, despite good intentions.
I'm not a big Mercy follower, but the reality is if you check the stats, 80% of the programs out there fail their objective of helping people. You're always going to have problems with anything like this where girls/people are in trouble.
The suicide was a tragedy, but it's just plain stupid to hang that 100% on Mercy. Just remember who got the girl to that low point in her life in the first place. Family, school, friends, etc. How long was she out of Mercy before she committed suicide?
To harp on Mercy while overlooking hundreds of governmental programs that are federally funded and still fail is well, hypocritical. Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan are great examples failed recovery attempts. Sure they recovered...after many thousands of dollars, psychiatric sessions, and what...2 years working on it?
Get real. Be open minded and do some real research/fact finding.
Tony, our mention of the suicide was not meant to be interpreted as cause-and-effect: girl goes to Mercy; girl kills herself; therefore, Mercy is at fault. In truth, the person who told us knows very little about the details of the tragedy. That's why we avoided making any judgments about why it happened.
The mere fact that it happened, however, is worth mention if only to remind us all that the young girls who look to Mercy for help are indeed troubled.
We understand most treatment programs are lucky if half of their graduates don't relapse. The business of rehabilitating anyone, especially kids, is incredibly difficult and offers no guarantees.
But we also understand that most treatment programs don't deny patients their meds or tell them their seizures are a result of demonic oppression. At least we hope not.
We also thought it important to include India's post-Mercy experience to demonstrate the complicated nature of the story: The woman whose life was nearly destroyed by Mercy sought no recompense because she knew the home could still be of help to some girls.
Ignoring failed government programs is not a sign of hypocrisy and invoking rehab-veteran celebrities is a weird detour considering Mercy is set-up to help their polar opposites; girls who can't afford treatment.
Mercy doesn't deny the girls their medications. I know that some people at Mercy tend to be more charismatic than others, but they're not that bad. I worked at the Nashville home for a time and experienced both the good and the bad, but the good far outweighs the bad.
In Australia they took girls off medications without the doctor's consent. They wouldn't even allow some girls panadol when they had migrains. They just kept saying it was demons that needed casting out.
Even when girls hurt themselves (because things had gotten to that stage because there was no real psychiatric care) girls were disciplined instead of given help or treatment.
When unqualified religious fanatics start running a rehab centre, tragedies like that are bound to happen.
I feel so sorry for the family and I wonder if they realised the staff at MM were unqualified (despite advertising they were qualified.)
Spirituality is important and can play a huge part in healing, however when you are sick you should go to a doctor as well as practice your beliefs.
Having unstable staff working with unstable girls was going to be a recipe for disaster from the start.
I am outraged by these articles. If it weren't for Mercy Ministries - I would have blown my brains out 10 years ago. I really would like to know what kind of person Caleb Hannan is - and wonder how much attention he got from these articles. I sure hope he is satisfied. Outrageous. These girls (like myself) ALREADY have suicidal tendancies - THAT IS WHY they are reaching out for help. The fact that anyone would state that Mercy was the cause of this death is ludacris and they know absolutely nothing about depression - or problems in general. They are simply living in complete deception - and calloused from the world - and the money that makes the world go 'round.
Before you throw another tantrum Liz, you should know that not all girls who go to Mercy Ministries are suicidal. They go there for a range of different issues, from pregnancy to eating disorders, often times leaving very good treatment because Mercy say they can offer better. What Mercy fail to mention is that their staff are not qualified to be treating the conditions they advertise they can treat. That is one of the reasons why people have stopped supporting them. This program witholds psychiatric or medical treatment, and then performs exorcisms and the like on individuals with personal problems, medical conditions or mental illness. For you to sugges that this kind of 'treatment' would not affect them in a negative way is absolutely ridiculous.
I am in fact a Mercy Ministries Graduate of 2004. I am very saddened to see the news that has been made public about Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries that are in Fact not true. I am not saddened by the person publishing the news but by the girl/girls giving the news. Each and every girl that walks through the doors of Mercy Ministries knows the Truth Of what indeed the ministry does provide. This in fact is a Home that many and hundreds of thousand of Girls have never had the oportunity to step into of Warmth Love, Acceptance, Honesty, Integrity, Grace, Security.. All of these things they provide to you unlike many shelters and hospitals a warm bed, warm showers where you don't have to worry about disease because the place is unbelieveably clean, 3 complete meals..etc. And in the midst of living with 40 girls you are given the space and graciousness to feel like you are living in a palace all to yourself.
I would like to say to the Girl who started all of this.. this is nonsence. You should be ashamed of what you started. Just because you became angry for whatever reason doesn't give you the right to spread Lies. And you know in your heart what is true. And in Fact what ever happened to you I don't know. But Nancy Alcorn the President and Founder of Mercy Ministries is a Woman of God. She is a Human Being just like the rest of us and is not perfect. Mercy Ministries is alive and Well with the Spirit of God Rolling in the House of All the Homes across the Nations. And I know that Nancy and All the staff and Mercy Ministries are stomping on the Face of Satan for allowing anything negative to interfere what is to be intended for the ministry for that which is Good for the people.
And you know as a Matter of Fact in Your Mind, In your soul, and the deepest heart of Hearts the reason you didn't legally take this matter into action is because you Know what you said about Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries is not True. And from any thing you have recieved anything that is good from the ministry you owe Nancy Alcorn and apology and to the graduates of the program because what you have done is a little offensive. which if you graduated the program you know you recieved a lot of Good. And you know that it is your choice to to CHOOSE to recieve and Walk in the Spirit of the Tools That Mercy Provided For you. And to the person who who made the blogg "What Happens to the Baby's" at Mercy Ministries? Ok you crossed the line on this one. You are mad Now I am mad.
I am like I said a former Mercy Graduate. I came to Mercy Ministries in 2004 I came into the program pregnant in 2003. I place my beautiful daughter for Adoption to a very Loving most Amazing family. I knew adoption was the best thing for me because I wasn't ready to be a parent, I had a lot of peronal problems. I was scared because I wanted to make sure she was with a family I could trust with everything. I took part in the basic decision making class. There was never any force of the decision. I'm not going to go into all the details because it's not necesary. My point is Mercy was there for me when noone else was. They helped me, Taught me, Grounded me, Saved me, and my daughter is with a wonderful Christian family. I know where they are, I recieve pictures frequently, and they adopted 3 other children from the ministry also with all different backgrounds. I love Mercy and am greatful everyday for what they did for me. I pray every day God Blesses the Ministry for what they gave to me because I know it is because of them I can even breathe today.
And to the people who who are saying these negative and untrue things.. It doesn't really matter what you say.God knows the truth. Mercy is protected and you know it because you know truthfully what they provide. And if you don't believe what they provide is true which if Forgiveness, Mercy, teachings of very important Foundations of God, the reacieving of Faith, Friendships, Love, and many many more things, If you can not accept these things and if you cannot accept God's Mercy especially when you have seen it then you don't believe in Mercy and you do not believe in God.
Emma obviously wasn't in the Aussie homes. The girls couldn't even take showers at times due to there being a lack of water.
There was absolutely NO WAY for a girl to know what she was walking into, when even the advertising brochures about Mercy Ministries claimed their staff were qualified and claimed the girls would be treated by psychologists. How would she have expected the staff to have absolutely no qualifications in mental health? There was absolutely no way for her to know what she was getting into with Mercy Ministries when they wrongly advertised themselves as a facility providing actual treatment.
Not to mention the forced exorcisms and charging the patients to be there (even though when they fundraised they always said the program was free for girls and that they weren't charged to be there.) So much for it being a Christian charity or even a trustworthy charity.
Emma you need to get the facts before you start defending things you don't understand. Staff members have also come forward now, in case you haven't heard.
Perhaps Christian Fundamentalists would also like to open a drive-through Brain Surgery franchise? Why the heck not!
Assessing the almost illiterate ramblings of most of these groups and their staunch but sadly-misguided army of christian defenders, one suspects that they will implode anyhow in the long run. All their money will simply not protect them from scrutiny in this world, let alone the next.
And speaking of scrutiny in the next world, if I were one of them and REALLY believed, I would be absolutely peeing my pants at the thought of God applying his judgement to the activities of Mercy Ministries and its followers.
Frankly, I don't reckon many of the practitioners will make it through the selection process for heaven....
Hi, I graduated from Mercy ministries in Monroe Loisiana in 2005. I went their with drug problems, cutting, and suicidal tendencies. I also had physical and sexual abuses in my past.Jesus has set me free.
I had a wonderful experience there, and so did my mercy sisters. I am now happily married and have a beautiful baby girl.
A suggestion from someone who really admires the work of Mercy Ministries all over the world. IF such poor care was given in Australia, why not just focus on that and not drag the entire, 26 year old, ministry down the drain? Their success rates with thousands of girls should be something worth protecting for the sake of those girls still out there needing help. Why throw the baby out with the bath water? Why does an entire anti-Mercy Min. group need to be formed? Kind of extreme, or? With so few successful institutions out there for young women - shouldn't we just deal with the Australia issues and move on? Come on....have a bigger heart for the big picture and all the good which has been done.
If 66% of people came out of Mercy treated, and only 20% leave other facilities treated, Mercy was a great success.
I am a graduate of Mercy Ministries in 2002. I am saddened by the reports in Australia and I agree with Rhonda M... why throw out the baby with the bathwater? I graduated from the Nashville home, and even though I had spent thousands of dollars on other treatment facilities and had been told by doctors that I had very little chance of living a "normal" life again, I am today - happy, healthy, vibrant, and living a successful life helping others. My life is not perfect, but Mercy gave me the tools to help me cope and to live a productive life. I can honestly say that Mercy Ministries did more for me than any other treatment facility I had been to. Also, about the supposed "forced" exorcisms, Mercy's theology was a bit more charismatic than my own beliefs, but nothing was forced on me - I was allowed to make my own decisions as far as what I believed and what I participated in. Also, coming to Mercy is a CHOICE, and people can CHOOSE to leave if they do not want the counseling - there are many girls on the waiting list who would love to be there.
I guess what I really want to say is that I can understand why people would be upset by the reports that are being published out there by some girls who are obviously unsatisfied or angry about experiences they had at Mercy - but as has been mentioned, if you've ever worked with someone struggling with any of the issues being dealt with at Mercy - there is resistance to giving up an addiction, so that could play into the claims, as well. And whlie I unfortunately can't speak for the Australian home, I do know that the Nashville home is a huge blessing, and in my life and the lives of at least 50 other girls I was in the home with over my course at Mercy (that I am STILL in communication with) Mercy Ministries was our saving grace.
I also forgot to mention that there was a period of time when I was looking into employment with Mercy, and I know that you DO have to have credentials and specific qualifications in order to work there. That's why I'm in school for my Master's Degree, after all.
I am Jennifer Wynne. I don't have a blog dedicated to attacking Nancy or her ministry. The article in the Nashville Scene involved about 5 different girls. I did NOT pursue the article and when approached I only agreed when promised the focus of the article was NOT to attack Nancy but tell the truth of the abuse that was happening. I considered Nancy my mom. She called me her daughter. It is not my fault if telling the truth about her paints her in a bad light.
