the [big] stuff and women's issues in christianity

The big things.

Protestant Christians differentiate themselves from the world at large by their belief in Jesus Christ. Not only their believe in Jesus Christ, but their belief in his resurrection, his diety, and his membership in the Trinity.

The Trinity is a point that is oft misunderstood by non-Christians. In layman's terms, the Trinity is basically the concept of God being three parts in one.

ugly words [or] god is not a rapist

RAPE.

It’s an ugly word. It hurts coming out of my mouth. It elicits a visceral response, a bitter taste on the back of my tongue.

But it is how I would describe my first experiences with the church.

I was raped as a child. Someone took my innocence and my trust and they replaced it with cowering fear.

I was raped  spiritually and emotionally and mentally.

My own power was taken from me and in its place, the power of Someone Else took over, and that “someone else” was the Church.

But the worst rape I experienced was the rape of my perception of God.

radical honesty - a recap of my christian journey

In 2007, I "broke up" with God and the Church. I was really angry with Christians. Everywhere I looked, I saw stereotypes reinforced - "judgers", "hypocrites", "liars", "hurt people", "manipulators"... But here's the thing about stereotypes: if you look hard enough, you will always find the reason they started to begin with. It doesn’t make them right.