#exvangelical

What I really said, because I didn’t want to get into it: Sometimes. Then he told me every time you exhale your breath says the Name of God. 🙄

I’ve learned in life that if your mind is screaming “NO!” at you, even if you aren’t 100% sure why, you need to listen. But that’s something Evangelicals teach you to push past. You only listen to God. Not yourself. And by God we of course mean the leaders in power who speak for him. Who else would it be? The actual God? Ohohohohohohoho, you little fool, he doesn’t have time for you. You don’t pray enough. You think bad thoughts. You are going to hell without the help of the Church. Devote yourself to it entirely or you will 100000% go to hell. You don’t want that, right?

In my most personal post yet, I share the story of how/why I accepted Jesus and why it was ultimately done for the wrong reasons. Just like Connie. I also cover- -How Connie's "arc" of realizing she might want to accept God wasn't as well planned out as the writers claim. -Whit’s temper tantrum is wildly inappropriate for someone who’s positioned himself a friend/father-figure. “Oh yeah, I’m your best friend, until you do something I don’t like! Then I’ll just rip your job away from you. Teehee, don’t go too secular in California or you won’t have a job when you come back!” -Connie's telling everyone she’s in trouble but no one really cares to find out why. No wonder she wants to get away from Odyssey. -How my new relationship with God lasted about as long as my high school romances. -How I discovered I wasn't straight while working at a Christian summer camp. -Instead of engaging with questions and doubt Evangelicals just abuse you into compliance by any means necessary. -Accepting Jesus will turn you from a party-girl (who are all evil, clearly) to a “good girl” just like that. All you have to do is sacrifice everyone you ever knew and only hang around people who talk about Jesus! Very cool and not cult-like at all. -How in college I’d ascended to Omni Pansexualdramon X7F Superior Mode. -Discovering detailed journal entries I wrote when I was 15. Including one from the night I became a Christian. -There’s no thought from AIO that a non-Christian could be a good person. -Do you need to be pure of intention when coming to the Lord? Can God look at your application, see your cover letter mentions “desires Christian side-hug nookie,” and reject it out of hand?

I dont know, it was rough. Maybe with time it will get better. Still, im happy i got to be honest with them.

i told you i’m “non-religious” because im trying to avoid coming off as a douchebag at work to someone who would clearly take offense at the mere concept of someone not only being atheist, but finding spirituality to be kind of dumb.

Chris: “If you have those times when you think you're bored, then maybe you're not trying hard enough not to be bored. For instance, if you're riding in the car for a long time, rather than sit and complain that you don't have anything to do, make up something to do for yourself. Like reading your Bible or singing praise songs from church. You could even have a contest with the rest of your family to see who can remember the most Bible verses and where they're found. Or you could play an Adventures in Odyssey tape. It might also be the perfect time to talk to God about things you've been meaning to say to him. If you use your imagination properly, there are lots of ways to keep from being bored.”⁷ Here, Adventures in Odyssey is saying that anything bad happening in your head? Always your fault. Try harder, kid. Use the Bible to bludgeon your own thoughts in submission. Don’t dare let your brain wander, you might think about something that isn’t God related! Stop using your imagination wrong! You’ve got all these Ned Flanders endorsed activities you should be doing instead! Pay no attention to the hypocrisy of lambasting Donna for wanting to listen to her tapes when she’s bored, then casually suggesting listening to an AIO tape when you’re bored. It’s okay when AIO says it’s okay! If that confuses you, you better get right with the Lord before he strikes you down.

"A larger study... 28% were “still practicing,” despite their lack of formal affiliation... the “still practicing” group also displayed more emotional distress, maybe because they continued with a religious identity that was not supported by a specific community."

Wow, OKAY WHIT. “Parents who are very difficult to honor, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t”????? Are you kidding me? Look, I know Adventures in Odyssey can’t stop and add a disclaimer for “okay but in XYZ scenario, yes, you shouldn’t honor your parents and please go get help.” But also… Would they even do that if they could? NO CONDITIONS? Bro, no! There should be conditions. But there can’t be, because AIO is about why kids are wrong and parents, who are very cool, are correct. Remember, as Wild at Faith author Talia Lavin points out, Dobson’s The Strong-Willed Child divided children, broadly, into “strong-willed” and “compliant” and it’s “primarily a guide book in how to transform the former into the latter, creating pliant, submissive children through judicious blows.”