This week I realized that UBF’s refusal of counseling is really no different from the JW’s refusal of blood transfusions.

I think most of these cases have in common that these people were mentally instable in some way or another (which is not amazing because UBF os particularly attractive to insecure and lonely students with low self esteem and those in crisis mode), and they were disappointed about their own performance in spiritual life and/or university life.

It’s hard to say if or how much of their problems were induced by UBF, but in many cases the problems were surely aggravated by feeding them with UBFism instead of giving them proper counseling. Their mental problems were not seen as an illness, but as a spiritual weakness or caused by a demon. So they were not handed over to doctors or experts, but it was believed that if sheep just accept Jesus and make UBF bible study, or if shepherds just continue to write sogams and cowork in UBF and feed sheep, their personal difficulties would disappear. UBF “shepherds” do not have any education in “counseling”, they neither understand the problems of such sheep nor can they help them in any appropriate way.

Also, we know how UBF instills an idea of “greatness” about the life of UBF members. If they can’t reach that “greatness”, and if they feel abandoned by God, or believe they commited sins that God can’t forgive, it’s very easy to develop suicidal thoughts. It even happened to me when I had a blockade in my university study and at the same time was kicked out from UBF for not being obedient enough.