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[quote=Anonymous]I was raised liberal (for the 80s/90s) Presbyterian, but I got sucked into Young Life in middle and high school. I'm an over-achiever and I threw myself into being the world's best evangelical Christian. Truly, I was perfect. I didn't kiss my high school boyfriend, I didn't lie or speed or drink alcohol, obviously. I had a "quiet time" every day and I was in constant contact with the American evangelical version of God/Jesus in my head.

And then when I was a senior in college, I saw a documentary on tv about cults, and these people were describing the absolutely bonkers and silly stuff they had believed in cults, and my brain said, "OMG how is this any different than the ridiculous stories I believe are true," and POOF!, my constant companion/imaginary God-friend disappeared in one shocking moment.

And then I began to see the ridiculous misogyny and obsession with sex/sexuality that I had put up with and I got really angry about it all. I told my long time boyfriend (who also professed to be a Christian) that I was now OK with having sex if he was, and it took all of two seconds for him to decide that yes, he was, lol.

Ten or so years later, after we'd gotten married and had kids and I'd gotten some distance from it all, I began to miss the church of my youth, one which was very much not based on dogma or being the best believer or gate-keeping who could or couldn't be a "Christian," and was really just a cultural community focused on good deeds and supporting each other. So now we belong to a liberal (for the 2020s) church. I tell my kids that the Bible is just a story of myths and fables, and that any "belief" I have is of the allegorical sort, but that I encourage them to find community in their lives. I think one thing we lack in America is the perspective and experience of different generations all being brought together for a common purpose, and I think something is lost in being a complete person if we can't find that somewhere. If I had to define myself, I guess I'd say I'm an agnostic secular humanist Presbyterian.[/quote]

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