i know why i bite

religious trauma side blog // they/them //twenties // exvangelical // atheist // apostate

[deservedgrace]

about this blog

this is a religious trauma/ex cult blog, so general trigger warning for religious trauma, cult trauma, child abuse, etc

this post gets into more details but in summary, this is not a space where i'm having theoretical theological discussions about different interpretations; i am almost always discussing the harm of interpretations i grew up with. i am also no longer a christian and have absolutely no desire to change that. telling me "that's not the correct interpretation" doesn't go back in time and stop the harm from happening, or stop people who are actively harming others with it now, or compel me to come back. it's just dismissive, to me, to my experience, to the (understandable) reaction i have to it, and to other people who have experienced the same thing

i'm exvangelical (ex non denominational specifically) and anything i write will always be from that perspective. that said, anyone is free to engage/talk about their experience, and i hope you know you're not alone even if our specific backgrounds aren't identical

i appreciate how many people are considerate of this, but if a post is rebloggable, you can assume it's okay to reblog. i can and will turn off reblogs if i really don't want that type of engagement for whatever reason

i try to tag things but sometimes i just stick them in my queue and don't get to them until after they're posted since no one has asked for anything specific tagged. i'm happy to tag anything though, just ask. i tag things not related to religious trauma as #non religion

blog runs mostly on a queue. i have a variable sleep schedule & i'm online at variable times

i can't control who engages with my content but i block liberally when it comes to terfs, other bigots, and christians that can't manage to be respectful

this is not a space that caters to christians, and christians that have not deconstructed and/or are not currently in the process of deconstructing or questioning will probably be very uncomfortable. so christians, engage at your own risk, and i don't owe you a debate or my justifications for leaving. i don't go into your spaces and harass you about your beliefs, please grant me the same respect

along the same lines, you cannot proselytize to me in a way that i haven't heard or in a way that i will listen to. i am the person matthew 10:14 is referring to; don't bother wasting your energy

about me

you can call me tig

late 20's

agnostic atheist, apostate

queer, they/them pronouns pls

i'm chronically ill and complain about it sometimes, posts about that are tagged #health stuff & #mental health stuff if you don't want to see them (totally fine ♡)

thank you for reading and please remember you are allowed to prioritize your own happiness and peace 💛

list of ex cult resources

[gracious-midnight]

Being an ex Christian is weird

I dont believe in that stuff anymore but I just have this random biblical knowledge sitting in my head taking up space

[lakevida]

i think its charming when peoples personal lives improve and they get drastically worse at posting

[joyflameball]

Anyway dni if you still support Cain, he hit his brother over the head with a fucking rock and it killed him instantly (source). I truly do not know how he still has fans. It astounds me how people can call themselves good people and still be completely fine platforming blatantly Abelist assholes like him. Smh

[simplesunshinesoul]

.

[largishcat]

you may have noticed that my blog is disorganized and thematically incoherent and my tag game is weaker by the day. this is commentary on the chaos of modern existence

[eirawritesfire]

I’ve had people tell me “you should actually read the Bible sometime” like it’s a gotcha, when in reality, reading it all the way through is one of the reasons I stopped believing.

If more believers read their holy book with the same critical thought they’d bring to any other book, and if they stopped skimming for comfort and started looking straight at what’s there, I think there’d be way more agnostics.

[the-jesus-pill]

Things to ask yourself if you are scared god is punishing you or if you are doubting your deconversion

Why did you deconvert in the first place?  

Would you truly be happy if you returned back to your old life? Would you really be accepted even if you do everything “right”?  

Why would god focus on punishing you instead of doing something useful (ie curing a sick child, stopping wars, performing miracles, helping his believers, bringing joy to another person)?  

Do you want to worship a god who seems to use petty, passive aggressive tactics to get your attention?  

Are you really being punished or could there be a different explanation for your current situation?  

Was your life problem and worry free before you deconverted?  

What can you do for yourself right now to distract you from these thoughts?

Resources:

Mental Health Resources - Dare to Doubt

Religious Trauma Syndrome - ChoosingTherapy

RTS How to Heal Tips - livingbetterlivesnwa

If you find yourself becoming increasingly paranoid or anxious, I highly recommend finding a professional in your area to talk to! There are lots of great resources online to find cheap counselling services. 

[andromedaslover]

i really don’t care how much you think your church is “good for kids.” no literal child should be forced to witness the acts of violence in the bible and be told that it is their fault nails are being pounded into jesus’ wrists. children are not “wretched sinners” they are fucking children. 

[lucifers-advocat3]

Perhaps you’ve done this in the past, or you know someone who does it, but Christians praying for advice then proceeding to flip the Bible open to a random page and pointing to a verse and relating it to their situation is pretty much how tarot works

[gramarobin]

[radicalgraff]

"Defund God"

Seen in Seattle

[deservedgrace]

Beside free will just straight up not being biblical I really don't understand why Christians believe god puts free will over people's well-being, over people's health, over people's lives. "God wants us to choose to love him" okay fine, but I don't want to worship a god that places his desires over my well-being, health, life, etc.

[tinstol]

As an atheist I’ve been forced to sit in Christian groups and listen to people say my worldview is pathetic and my morality is invalid because it’s not based on a book, but god forbid any atheist call a religious belief silly on the internet. The double standards are ridiculous

[glasspalacesstoneshop]

My beef with Protestantism is that there’s no vore involved. Catholicism is really ahead on this issue

[ratherstragely]

My evangelical parents: Every movie or tv show you watch must be approved. There should be no profanity, no hint of sex, limited violence, and nothing that implies our beliefs aren't the true and correct ones.

Also my evangelical parents: We got you, our eleven-year-old with advanced reading skills and a vivid imagination, a Bible. We're sure this will be great for your mental health and cause no trauma whatsoever.

[joanburned]

And this is the part of the crucifixion story where Jesus quotes Chop Suey by System of a Down