escaping fundamentalism
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Revelation and Ragnarök
Read more: Revelation and RagnarökOne of the most misunderstood books in history, Revelation (or that third-rate misinterpretation of it, Left Behind) is often used to scare small children, and it is currently being used as a reason to attack Iran. So it seemed like a good moment to inquire into what it actually means.
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DARVO
Read more: DARVOGreat post about DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender), a tactic frequently used in high control religions to prevent their adherents from leaving.
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Do you fear death?
Read more: Do you fear death?Another excellent piece from John Beckett on how Pagans think about death. Do you fear death? I don’t fear death because I don’t believe in heaven or hell, which is a pernicious doctrine designed to cause fear. I believe in the Summerlands, which is a completely different place. I also have reasonable belief in the…
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Discerning good theology
Read more: Discerning good theologyIt may seem that there’s no point criticizing other people’s theological beliefs because from the standpoint of atheists, all religious beliefs are equally unreasonable, but different theological beliefs are not equal, and they lead to different outcomes. I define theology as beliefs about gods, spirits, and ethics: how we show up in the world as…
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Red flags
Read more: Red flagsThe best dating site, in my opinion, is OKCupid, because you can ask and answer questions about your dealbreaker issues. Then you don’t need to go on a date with some idiot who believes stuff like “women should submit to their husbands” or “pregnant rape victims should carry the foetus to term”.
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Rapping about the rapture
Read more: Rapping about the raptureI’m thankful that I was not brought up with the nonsense about the rapture, but I recognize that it is still traumatic to think about for a lot of people.
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Unpacking religious baggage
Read more: Unpacking religious baggageJohn Beckett is offering an online course, Unpacking Your Religious Baggage So You Can Live a Magical Life.
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Deprogramming with Gillian Jenkinson
Read more: Deprogramming with Gillian JenkinsonJust got an update from Gillian Jenkinson: Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army BBC2 27 July and 3 August 9pm I had the privilege of being filmed delivering Post-Cult Counselling in a Recovery Workshop for a documentary “Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army” with four amazing survivors. This was filmed at my house…
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Debunking clobber verses
Read more: Debunking clobber versesWebsites that unpack and de-fang religious beliefs about same-sex love and gender nonconformity come and go. I occasionally still meet people who think that all churches are homophobic, or that Christianity and homosexuality just aren’t compatible. And there are always new exvangelicals emerging blinking into the light of day and deconstructing the toxic beliefs that…
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Be like Cathy
Read more: Be like CathyWhen I was 14 or 15 years old and still a Christian, a boy who was older than me (17, I think) told me that God wanted me to be his girlfriend. I didn’t reciprocate but I was worried enough about it that I asked an older female friend, Cathy, what she thought. Luckily for…
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Afterlife jokes
Read more: Afterlife jokesWhen I was a kid, there was this joke. A man goes to heaven. As he’s walking along the entrance hall with St Peter, he sees a closed door. He asks who’s in there. St Peter says, “Sssshhh, that’s the Plymouth Brethren* in there — they think they’re the only ones here.” (* Insert obnoxious…
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Review: An Apostate’s Guide to Witchcraft
Read more: Review: An Apostate’s Guide to WitchcraftOnce upon a time, Christendom labelled the Emperor Julian “the Apostate” because he reverted to Paganism. Nowadays, the title is applied to people who leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Moss Matthey left the JWs in order to live his truth as a gay man—as many others have left high control religious groups for the same reason.…
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Conversion therapy survivors flag
Read more: Conversion therapy survivors flagI’ve just seen this announcement from the Conversion Therapy Survivors Network on Facebook: The votes are in! Hunter Moore‘s design will now become the FIRST-ever Conversion Therapy Survivor Flag! Grey: Represents PTSD and memory loss.Pink: Symbolizes sexual abuse and marginalization.Blue: Stands for domestic violence.Triangle: Inspired by the progress pride flag, it represents survivors overcoming these…
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The sunk cost fallacy
Read more: The sunk cost fallacyOne of the reasons that people tend to stay in toxic relationships and religions, persist with failing projects, and even watch terrible movies all the way to the end, is the sunk cost fallacy.
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Deconstruction story: Richard Swan
Read more: Deconstruction story: Richard SwanA friend shared a Facebook post by Richard Swan (in the fun group Dull Men’s Club) today, talking about how vanishingly few people are tone deaf, and most people can sing. I take the view that singing is an outpouring of the soul and one of the cruellest things a person can do is to…
Changing Paths 