Volly

[Volly]

I discovered the Salon story via Google Reader and was delighted to read that you had a blog (I'm a blogaholic).

While never a part of anything like the QF movement, I can nonetheless identify with the self-doubt, guilt and confusion that can make a potentially talented and successful woman turn her back on everything she values, not just herself, and give it all over to a belief system that encourages such self-destruction. While raised fairly liberal, I decided in my late 20s that I was "bad" and needed "Something" outside myself to change me. And so I became a born-again Christian and stayed that way for just short of 15 years. I'm still amazed at how suddenly and quickly I renounced the whole thing. Since then (nearly 7 years) all I've done is marvel at how wonderful it is to be "Me" again.

I've been a Unitarian Universalist for a couple of years now, and recently remarked to a cousin that this is the only religious organization I've ever encountered that doesn't seem dysfunctional.

Vyckie and Laura, I wish you both the best and will continue reading and cheering you on!

-Volly (short for Volunteer, since I live in Tennessee)

[linnea]

Volly, I'm a UU too. I love it for me, and I also love it for my kids because they get to learn about many different religions without being told what they *have* to believe. (When they were younger and more into fantasy play they used to invent their own religions.)

[pandapaws]

I have been thinking about checking the UU Church out. I hear they are accepting of all faiths and welcome everyone. Since moving to Vermont I have found it difficult to make friends and I thought the UU may be a good place for that. Another Vaisnava friend I have in Maine has been going to that church and she likes it a lot.

Welcome Volly.

[tapati]

Hi Volly!

My theory is that we gravitate to these strict religions out of a psychological need at the time, and when we leave it's because we've outgrown that need and therefore were free to take a hard look at the logical inconsistencies and harmful aspects we willfully overlooked at first. When I look back at the letters I exchanged with the secretary of the Hare Krishna movement, it wasn't so much him converting me as me converting myself, wanting desperately to belong and have a place in this movement that promised an end to my suffering and a structure to my then-chaotic life with a crazy mom.

Really, I left because I finally finished growing up and had no need for it any more--and it was getting in the way of being authentically myself.

I've been to a UU service and read a lot about how they got started and if I were to go to a church regularly, UU is the way I would go.