Dear My Twin

 Dear My Twin, We are now getting to the crux of the issue: who is God, and what does that mean for us? After learning about what abuse is, and being able to recognize how rampant it is in the church - and often defended as "good theology." What I could not escape, even in the depths of my despair, was a believe that God exists.  Not only exists, but must be good.  Good and loving.  A God that exists, is loving, and intends good for everyone and everything. That's where I started slowly rebuilding.  The creeds have been a guiding light for me as I have (and am) slowly rebuilt things. A sort of bluepirnt for a frame.  There is so much IN the creeds, and so much there is NOT.  There is not the oppression of women in the creeds. There is not the pursuit of power.  There is not oppression against the LGBTQ+ community.  There is not colonialism. There is not capitalism. There is not young earth creationism. There is the exaltation of ONE God; a tr...

 Dear my Twin,  Let's talk about "prosperity gospel." This is something that evangelicals purport to despise, especially in the guise of Joel Osteen. But it's also something they unknowingly preach and practice in subtle ways.  People speak of blessings with "because they're trying to follow God!" or "see how God has blessed me for the sacrifices I've made!"  But this is clearly turning a relationship with God into a tit for tat exchange. I do this for God, I get "the desires of my heart" in exchange.  I sacrifice XYZ for God, He pays me back ten fold.  I tithe and give money away, and God will repay me.  Which is a gross reason to be generous.  This was illustrated to me clearly the other day. I mentioned in passing how Jordan and I had sent some money to a friend who was struggling, and Mom said, "Well that's the way to get the Lord to bless you, give when it hurts!" That statement was repugnant to me. It cheapened...

 Dear My Twin, Last week, I didn't write much, as you know, and I've lost my rhythm a bit. It was a difficult week. At the end of the difficult week, we hung out with Jordan's parents, which was also: difficult.  One of the things that was difficult, was because Jordan has a LOT of religious trauma that is tied up with his parents, and the church environment he grew up in. So seeing them, and being in the same area and environment he grew up in, it brings up a lot of stuff that really hurts.  Church trauma ... is such a strange term, isn't it? It hurts to say it, I think. It's also scary to say it, because so frequently - and so quickly! - the response is "What are you talking about?" "That's not real!" "You're overreacting." "Don't be so dramatic."  It is deeply ingrained in us that Church is supposed   to be a good  place! Just like there is an almost genetic imperative, it seems, that your parents are supposed  ...

 Dear My Twin,  I think often, that the BIG issue with Christianity starts way back in the 3rd century. When Constantine decided that he needed a good luck charm to win a battle. So on the soldier's shields, he painted Christian crosses. They won the battle, Constantine converted, and then forcibly made Christianity the state state religion.  We all know the saying, "Power corrupts," and that has been true of Christianity as well. Married with political power, things have just continued to go south, past Antartica, and way off the planet. I'm not sure if south has meaning once you're off Earth, but wherever South is, off planet, it then kept going.  The schisms. The splits. That one time there were THREE popes and they all excommunicated each other.  Even the Pilgrims! Coming to America to practice their religion (by the way, other nations frame it differently. Instead of the pilgrims leaving to find "freedom for religion" they were leaving to "prac...