Anne Parr (b.1970) is an author of creative non-fiction who writes about voice-finding, escaping cult ideology, and art.
At age 17, and done with trying to conform to what her fundamentalist Christian parents expected of her, Anne left home to live with a man she thought would give her all the freedom she had been deprived of. After a mind-blowing acid trip, she began to believe in all the things she had been taught growing up: God was real, the devil was everywhere, and the Bible held the answers.
At age 19, her eyes were drawn to a large sign near her house. In big bold red letters, the words “Revelation Seminar” jumped out at her. She had to know more. Eagerly signing up for the free 24-lesson class at the Seventh-Day Adventist church, Anne thought she had found everything she ever wanted and more.
From 1990 - 2006, Anne moved through the levels of dedication to the church. Her journey could be likened to a horseshoe: Her entry point joining the traditional mainstream Adventist church through the arc of deep involvement in a conservative group dedicated to following the teachings of Ellen White, the church’s prophet and main founder.
Carrying that ideology, Anne moved across the country fully intending to do missionary work with a young pastor and his wife when she was confronted with a glaring hypocrisy, she began to lose her “Ellen White" - colored glasses.
Another devastating loss propelled her into the liberal outskirts. Just when she thought her life was becoming stable, betrayal threatened to take away any denial of reality she harbored.
Eventually, Anne left the church and religion behind.
Her upcoming memoir, Time of Trouble, is a story of overcoming abuse, addiction, and grief. For Anne, Time of Trouble is the opening move in confronting a narrative meant to keep her and other former members of the Adventist church silent and living in shame. Anne believes that the first thing high-control groups take away from their members is the right to their own story.
Anne’s work, The Deconverter Kit, can be found on Substack (@annealanaparr), where she explores ideas and concepts related to finding one’s own unique voice in a culture that seeks to monetize every aspect of our humanity. She hopes her readers will come away with newfound determination to hear their own truths in a world filled with meaningless noise.
When she’s not writing, you can find Anne watching 16mm films, listening to an eclectic variety of music, or talking to a tree.