I've discovered over time that I'm a magnet for narcissistic personalities. This is not to say that all people who with whom I connect are toxic. But I've learned the hard way that I have to be vigilant. Although I could get into stories about the types of personalities I've "bonded" with in the past,... Continue Reading →
I constantly wrestle with self-hatred and shame. The source of most of this is others' words, opinions, teachings, and assessments of me, compounded by my own critical inner voice. As an adult, I still particularly crave my parents' approval. It's painful when they disapprove of something I'm doing (or not doing), or when I know... Continue Reading →
When Christians express concern about those who have pulled away from organized religion - concern that we're not "being fed" - it seems what they're often really saying (from a subconscious level of thought) is "We just want to be sure you're getting indoctrinated...that you're vetted...that you still fit into a box we can understand.... Continue Reading →
If you want to know whether a "biblical" teaching or belief/practice is really of God - the Spirit of Love - then look to the fruit of that teaching. What is the fruit of Christians' biblical (and supposedly sacred) teaching that women should do whatever their husbands say? Christian marriages becoming breeding grounds for abuse,... Continue Reading →
I get so frustrated when I see Christians wrestle and try to make sense of inconsistencies in the Bible, rather than accepting the inconsistencies and acknowledging that the claim that the Bible is "inspired and infallible" isn't entirely accurate. Perhaps they are afraid that if the Bible (or their current assumptions and notions about it)... Continue Reading →
Only in very recent years - even months - have I begun to recognize the degree to which organized religion still affects my ability to overcome chronic shame - even as I consider myself currently severed from organized religion. Growing up, I was surrounded by the spoken and unspoken messages of fundamentalist organized religion. Of... Continue Reading →
