Post by fern on Oct 24, 2009 9:03:34 GMT -5
Hi folks, my name is Fern and I have been reading the NLQ blog for months. One of the recently posted stories made me so upset that i had to post for the first time.
I was raised Atheist, explored various religions as a teenager and turned to Pentecostal Christianity in my early 20s as a reaction to various things. Ultimately I now remember that (Christian) period of my life as one of repression and unhappiness, struggling to connect with the Divine and wondering why it was so difficult. Becoming afraid as I had never been before, of things like Hellfire and the souls around me of gays, pagans, and many of my other friends. Feeling that I had to get rid of certain books or items that the Christian God might disapprove of.
In short, it did not work for me, and after a traumatic event that really brought this home to my heart, I returned to the Pagan paths I had been exploring in earlier years. Now I am a happy Wiccan and finally know that I am being true to myself.
It is my conclusion that fundamentalist Christianity, along with other repressive religious forms, do indeed constitute some kind of mental disease or sometimes a sort of self induced brainwashing. I feel bad for the kids who are born into these religions and must find their own way out.
Anyway that is a bit about me; I am attempting to start a blog of my own and will post a link later on if I manage to post anything of interest. Many thanks to Vyckie and the other wonderful ladies who run this site. You rock!!!!!
I was raised Atheist, explored various religions as a teenager and turned to Pentecostal Christianity in my early 20s as a reaction to various things. Ultimately I now remember that (Christian) period of my life as one of repression and unhappiness, struggling to connect with the Divine and wondering why it was so difficult. Becoming afraid as I had never been before, of things like Hellfire and the souls around me of gays, pagans, and many of my other friends. Feeling that I had to get rid of certain books or items that the Christian God might disapprove of.
In short, it did not work for me, and after a traumatic event that really brought this home to my heart, I returned to the Pagan paths I had been exploring in earlier years. Now I am a happy Wiccan and finally know that I am being true to myself.
It is my conclusion that fundamentalist Christianity, along with other repressive religious forms, do indeed constitute some kind of mental disease or sometimes a sort of self induced brainwashing. I feel bad for the kids who are born into these religions and must find their own way out.
Anyway that is a bit about me; I am attempting to start a blog of my own and will post a link later on if I manage to post anything of interest. Many thanks to Vyckie and the other wonderful ladies who run this site. You rock!!!!!
