I know someone from TN, and there are a lot of Church of Christ churches down there. I've heard that denomination is just a tad "off" as far as being insular, requiring people to marry within the denomination, etc., kinda like a cult would. (I'm not calling Church of Christ a cult, but it has some of that flavor according to this person I know.)
As for post-partum depression, from what I understand it is due to hormonal imbalance. When a woman gives birth, the levels of progesterone plummet dramatically. It is NOT feeling a little blue. Hormones can have a huge effect on the brain. Back in the 1800s they used to put menopausal women in institutions because they thought these women were nuts. We're not nuts! It's the hormones!
I also think there are known cases of people on anti-depressants killing, either themselves or others. I personally don't trust the big drug companies or the FDA to keep us healthy and safe. Remember Vioxx?
Well I know plenty of persons who attend Church of Christ churches, and you are way off base. There is a subgroup that sprung up (in the 70's or 80's?) called the Boston Church of Christ that is cult like, but they are a small minority of the churches with the name Church of Christ. Not sure if that subgroup even has a church in TN, but the Churches of Christ are about as big as the Baptists there. So in any group that size you are going to have a few bad apples.
Nonsense.
I've been a member of the church of Christ all my life, and what Diddle said is true: you'll find all kinds of people in any large group. Don't judge the whole family by its black sheep.
No "requirements" to marry within. You might some of us a little "off," but it has nothing to do with religion ;-)
You won't find a warmer, more loving, people on earth. Conservative, caring, the kind of neighbors you really want. Bible thumpers? Yep. But in a good way, seeking to follow Jesus and his example.
I have no idea what happened within this poor family, but I hurt for the kids. Looking at his farewell letter in church bulletin from their previous congregation, it would seem that he was perhaps the youth minister at the previous church and maybe moved on to become pulpit minister at the smaller congregation. That would be a career move, and would likely involve more stress and perhaps less money.
There are a lot of churches of Christ in Tennessee and Alabama because some of the primary players in the Restoration Movement settled in this area and started churches and colleges. Lipscomb (Nashville), Freed Hardeman (near Jackson), Harding (Searcy, AR), and Faulkner (Alabama) all have ties to the churches of Christ.
The person you know is wrong about the churches of Christ being a tad "off" in my opinion. We are very conservative in our beliefs, and take the Bible literally. We believe that we should follow the new Testament example of Christianity without adding to or deleting from the Word. There is no Biblical command to only marry other members of the church of Christ. Paul even tells us in I Corinthians about how to deal with a spouse who is a non-believer. Of course there is a tendency to marry within your religion. You have more in common and fewer conflicts about how to raise your children There are no brainwashing or cult tendencies in the mainstream churches of Christ, and FHU and Selmer CoC are both mainstream.
The church of Christ is not a demonination. Members are not "required" to marry within the religion. It is NOT a cult (total devotion to a human leader). The church follows the pattern set in the Bible, tries to encourage those who marry to marry other believers (wise practice) and each church is autonomous, not controlled by a central authority. Thus, when one congregation has a problem, it doesn't necessarily spread to the others.
The Church of Christ does not require one to marry within the church, but as other religions do the parents probably suggest it. When one marries outside their beliefs it usually makes difficulties within the marriage.