I have the utmost respect for your stance. It's a sad indictment against it self when any church fails to actualize and love those Jesus would call 'the least of these'. The lack of inclusiveness was one of many factors which opened my eyes...causing me to leave organized religion. I couldn't stay where the LGTBQIA+ were not welcome.
Thank you for covering this angle. Having Catholicism baked into the neural pathways of my brain the “accepting” or whatever you want to call them churches repulse me even more. They’re just “hatred lite” or “revulsion lite.” “Now with 15% less judgment!” They’re my own siblings saying they love me but they feel bad that I will burn. My only few friends in the world saying they love me “but what do I think about the bible saying it’s an abomination?” I had great parents but I got the message that it was a boundary I could never cross with them. And after they died and I had some health issues my faith finally evaporated at 48. I had never even kissed a man until then. (A man in a gay bar on his third marriage to a woman.) But there’s no happy ending to this story. The gays aren’t exactly welcoming to older people who came out late—and the Alphabet family in general is just as performative and toxic as any other. Christianity stole my life. I’m stunted and delayed in so many ways that no amount of therapy I have tried can get back my lost time. Even my partner now doesn’t understand me and pushes me to “go to one of those gay friendly churches” because he’s turning more rightwing by the minute because of Fox News and the like—but at 56 if I go I’m utterly alone in an already lonely life. So no-Christianity, even the repackaged rainbow version, will never have my forgiveness.
Welcoming and Affirming church statement at least in many places in Kansas was code switch language to say we are accepting of LGBTQ partly due to legality issues which made homosexual acts illegal to being targeted by the Philips and other hate groups. Unfortunately in this current time some churches have refused to leave this language behind and switch to say we support and recognize LGBTQI individuals and groups. If we expand this further we could ask the churches are they welcoming of people regardless of their legal status. Dr. Rev. King often said there is no more segregated place tge. Churches on Sunday. I know of one local church who does all their services in Spanish so they have been force to stop putting out their street signs inviting people in.
If I EVER considered going back to church my dad’s funeral put paid to that! A sermon about original sin and barely a word about my father! I finally texted my daughter “OMG, SHUT UP!”. We got the exact same thing at my mom’s memorial, but they were Jehovah’s Witness so I expected it from them. Fuck religion!
I can no longer enter a church. It is difficult even for funerals and I am a death doula end an end of life companion so it isn’t the service and Honoring it is the hymns and messages. And just the energy So many masks. I can’t wear mine any more in a church setting anyway
What has been bubbling up for me for a while now is this : my faith in myself, ln energy of love that holds me has grown larger and still does once I stepped away from organized religion. Faith to me and for me doesn’t need church or sermons or for me even Jesus.
I have Left church completely. I don’t even need to defend this with anyone any more or mention I’ve left if they share what is important to them. I listen and move on if need be.
The more I honor what aligns and serves me the less I need to defend my oath to anyone
What church did provide was a community of people who served beyond themselves a way ti meet friends. Or so i thought. Once I left a women’s Bible study of ten years to go to work, I never got a call from one of the ten women. Just the hello at church on Sunday. Telling
And yet as someone who has moved a lot and started over
I grew weary of potatoes needing to be cut a certain way to cook and be mashed! Grace was the deer friend I had that I companion still. Grace was not a verb in church.
And as I sat in church listening to readings and songs and sermons, it was this same type of path….ONE way to do something
I continue to remove words and phrases of my conditioning as a Christian , as a woman carrying the water for the patriarchy before I knew I was doing this!
I don’t shout it out I continue to simply embody what serves me and take that out to whoever I meet
And slowly I am finding my circle no my horseshoe. A horseshoe has no closed ends!
Allows for others to join if I shift a bit!
Faith in trusting the uncertainties the ambiguities
Is it church we need or is it a community filled with grace , love , open hearts and compassion??
The issue is if they were truly on the side of LGBTQAI+ infividuals and wanted to have them in their churches, they would state it plainly on their websites and be inclusive in their worship services.
In the mid 10's I noticed multiple LGBTQAI+ individuals who said they were in church but that it felt one-sided or worse... it was a sick version of, "Don't Tell, We Won't Ask."
It pains me to see that you are now starting to feel similar rejection, judgment and outright hatred from your old community of belief. Out of everyone I have met in over 30 years representing belief in any form you are the sole individual I can say has maintained my respect and dare I admit, garnered trust.
Thank you for your continued work to mending the hearts and minds/souls of those who have found refuge under your wings of grace, leadership, knowledge and kinship. The church has a great deal to learn from you.
I have the utmost respect for your stance. It's a sad indictment against it self when any church fails to actualize and love those Jesus would call 'the least of these'. The lack of inclusiveness was one of many factors which opened my eyes...causing me to leave organized religion. I couldn't stay where the LGTBQIA+ were not welcome.
Thank you for covering this angle. Having Catholicism baked into the neural pathways of my brain the “accepting” or whatever you want to call them churches repulse me even more. They’re just “hatred lite” or “revulsion lite.” “Now with 15% less judgment!” They’re my own siblings saying they love me but they feel bad that I will burn. My only few friends in the world saying they love me “but what do I think about the bible saying it’s an abomination?” I had great parents but I got the message that it was a boundary I could never cross with them. And after they died and I had some health issues my faith finally evaporated at 48. I had never even kissed a man until then. (A man in a gay bar on his third marriage to a woman.) But there’s no happy ending to this story. The gays aren’t exactly welcoming to older people who came out late—and the Alphabet family in general is just as performative and toxic as any other. Christianity stole my life. I’m stunted and delayed in so many ways that no amount of therapy I have tried can get back my lost time. Even my partner now doesn’t understand me and pushes me to “go to one of those gay friendly churches” because he’s turning more rightwing by the minute because of Fox News and the like—but at 56 if I go I’m utterly alone in an already lonely life. So no-Christianity, even the repackaged rainbow version, will never have my forgiveness.
Welcoming and Affirming church statement at least in many places in Kansas was code switch language to say we are accepting of LGBTQ partly due to legality issues which made homosexual acts illegal to being targeted by the Philips and other hate groups. Unfortunately in this current time some churches have refused to leave this language behind and switch to say we support and recognize LGBTQI individuals and groups. If we expand this further we could ask the churches are they welcoming of people regardless of their legal status. Dr. Rev. King often said there is no more segregated place tge. Churches on Sunday. I know of one local church who does all their services in Spanish so they have been force to stop putting out their street signs inviting people in.
If I EVER considered going back to church my dad’s funeral put paid to that! A sermon about original sin and barely a word about my father! I finally texted my daughter “OMG, SHUT UP!”. We got the exact same thing at my mom’s memorial, but they were Jehovah’s Witness so I expected it from them. Fuck religion!
Churches are like abusers.
They mask the truth, to lure in the victims.
Brava, RevKarla. Let churches do their own PR.
I can no longer enter a church. It is difficult even for funerals and I am a death doula end an end of life companion so it isn’t the service and Honoring it is the hymns and messages. And just the energy So many masks. I can’t wear mine any more in a church setting anyway
What has been bubbling up for me for a while now is this : my faith in myself, ln energy of love that holds me has grown larger and still does once I stepped away from organized religion. Faith to me and for me doesn’t need church or sermons or for me even Jesus.
I have Left church completely. I don’t even need to defend this with anyone any more or mention I’ve left if they share what is important to them. I listen and move on if need be.
The more I honor what aligns and serves me the less I need to defend my oath to anyone
What church did provide was a community of people who served beyond themselves a way ti meet friends. Or so i thought. Once I left a women’s Bible study of ten years to go to work, I never got a call from one of the ten women. Just the hello at church on Sunday. Telling
And yet as someone who has moved a lot and started over
I grew weary of potatoes needing to be cut a certain way to cook and be mashed! Grace was the deer friend I had that I companion still. Grace was not a verb in church.
And as I sat in church listening to readings and songs and sermons, it was this same type of path….ONE way to do something
I continue to remove words and phrases of my conditioning as a Christian , as a woman carrying the water for the patriarchy before I knew I was doing this!
I don’t shout it out I continue to simply embody what serves me and take that out to whoever I meet
And slowly I am finding my circle no my horseshoe. A horseshoe has no closed ends!
Allows for others to join if I shift a bit!
Faith in trusting the uncertainties the ambiguities
Is it church we need or is it a community filled with grace , love , open hearts and compassion??
The issue is if they were truly on the side of LGBTQAI+ infividuals and wanted to have them in their churches, they would state it plainly on their websites and be inclusive in their worship services.
In the mid 10's I noticed multiple LGBTQAI+ individuals who said they were in church but that it felt one-sided or worse... it was a sick version of, "Don't Tell, We Won't Ask."
It pains me to see that you are now starting to feel similar rejection, judgment and outright hatred from your old community of belief. Out of everyone I have met in over 30 years representing belief in any form you are the sole individual I can say has maintained my respect and dare I admit, garnered trust.
Thank you for your continued work to mending the hearts and minds/souls of those who have found refuge under your wings of grace, leadership, knowledge and kinship. The church has a great deal to learn from you.
Dobs