Reclaimers1, you are the pioneers. Reclaimers discard their confining religions and free their minds from the cages made in churches. I support you, I help you, but most of all, I salute you. Because it is clear to me after many years of bearing witness to the soul-wrenching work that Read more…
From this graphic, it should be clear that a child in a fundamentalist Christian environment faces a powerful array of factors influencing indoctrination. Many of these techniques are quite deliberate, such as keeping children at home for their schooling to control what they learn and don’t learn. The primary goal of sincere Christian parents is to pass on their faith, not help their child develop critical thinking to make a fully informed decision about religion. Christians do not present their offspring with literature on all the religions of the world and make field trips to temples, churches and mosques to help them decide. Yet in their theology they claim that “accepting Jesus” is a personal choice of free will and only those who reject God’s free gift of salvation will go to hell. (more…)
Julia is a reclaimer who lives in London. She is contributing poems to an upcoming anthology called “Happy Heretics: Tips for Recovering from Harmful Religion.” She is writing a memoir about growing up in a strict evangelical family and also a novel. She recently performed a number of poems, including the one below, and sent me this link. She is a great writer and you can get her humor even more when you watch the video. And be sure not to miss the poem about Lot’s wife at 6.22.
“The Visiting Speaker”
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me serve alone? Luke 10:40
Typical. The minute there’s a man about the house
she’s off, leaving me to get on (more…)
Ever really thought about what the doctrine of original sin does to a person’s sense of self-worth and capability? I collected these Christian sayings and letters and made this video. Have a look. (Click on title) Christian slogans and degraded self-worth
At this time of year it’s hard to avoid dealing with the differences you have with your family. If you are a “reclaimer” (reclaiming your life after being religious) who has been raised in a religious household, holiday times can be very uncomfortable when other family members are still devout. Having worked through these issues with many clients, here are a few guidelines that might be helpful.
I’ll start by suggesting you write in a journal, starting now and continuing through the holidays. This can help you sort through jumbled thoughts and emotions, stay on track with how you are trying to handle things, take care of yourself, and learn. There are exercises here to prompt your thinking.
In general, if you plan to be with family at this time, it helps a great deal to approach the holidays with a high level of consciousness. In other words, don’t just blindly go home for Christmas, hoping it will be fine. What do you really expect it might be like? This refers to both external factors and how you will feel. What experiences have you had so far with your family? What have you found to work or not work in getting along? Write something about this in your journal. (more…)
Dr. Tarico is a psychologist from Seattle and a member of Journey Free’s Board of Advisors. Her insights on religion and psychology are unparalleled. Don’t miss her book, Trusting Doubt, and read her blog, Awaypoint.wordpress.com. She also has a YouTube channel called Trusting Doubt.
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
“I am greatly troubled by what you say. I wrote Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn for adults exclusively, and it always distresses me when I find that boys and girls have been allowed access to them. (more…)
By Marlene Winell, Ph.D.
I get this question so frequently, I’ve made a real effort to reply. To be honest, I don’t like the question because it presumes we know what those words mean. Here are some responses, touching on more or less serious aspects of the topic.
1. Which god? Do you mean Zeus, Baal, Athena, Shiva, Allah, Jehovah, or some other? If you mean one of those, then no. I am not a theist. I don’t believe in an individual being that created and now controls the world.
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This is a YouTube series of 3 videos from Marlene’s talk at a retreat, explaining why she thinks the most important thing about accepting evolution has nothing to do with the Garden of Eden. It’s about understanding ourselves for who we are – animals. (more…)