This is a great piece. As a former minister and full time church employee, I have many thoughts and have noticed these parallels for quite some time. Ultimately these things had a huge part in my decision to leave the church entirely. I tried for so many years to get people to see what was right in front of them but they didn’t care. I won’t let myself be miserable and die because I’m the only one in the room with eyes to see.
Your comment and this piece resonate so much with me. I was not a minister/employee, but I have been a lay leader in some capacity for most of my adult life and this past year decided to step away from the church. As fate would have it, I just had a conversation with my rector yesterday and then saw this piece today (not sure how it got missed in my inbox earlier, but the timing could not be more perfect).
It would be easier if what I experienced was disbelief, but it's the spiritual dissonance that has created a wedge too big for me to ignore.
Yes… the spiritual dissonance. There is much to learn about God and God’s nature outside of the church. I understand people much better now and see things a lot differently and more clearly without being constantly told not to trust myself but also to trust other people instead of what I know God has communicated to me or what I’ve seen and experienced myself.
This is shadow work at its deepest: examining not only what we believe, but what our beliefs have taught us to accept as “normal.” The courage to question what comforts us can be its own form of liberation.
Incredibly well written! Gave me even more to think about.
This is a great piece. As a former minister and full time church employee, I have many thoughts and have noticed these parallels for quite some time. Ultimately these things had a huge part in my decision to leave the church entirely. I tried for so many years to get people to see what was right in front of them but they didn’t care. I won’t let myself be miserable and die because I’m the only one in the room with eyes to see.
Your comment and this piece resonate so much with me. I was not a minister/employee, but I have been a lay leader in some capacity for most of my adult life and this past year decided to step away from the church. As fate would have it, I just had a conversation with my rector yesterday and then saw this piece today (not sure how it got missed in my inbox earlier, but the timing could not be more perfect).
It would be easier if what I experienced was disbelief, but it's the spiritual dissonance that has created a wedge too big for me to ignore.
Yes… the spiritual dissonance. There is much to learn about God and God’s nature outside of the church. I understand people much better now and see things a lot differently and more clearly without being constantly told not to trust myself but also to trust other people instead of what I know God has communicated to me or what I’ve seen and experienced myself.
Heaven in earth, in this lifetime…YES!! Thank you so much for this.
Thanks for reading! 🖤
This is shadow work at its deepest: examining not only what we believe, but what our beliefs have taught us to accept as “normal.” The courage to question what comforts us can be its own form of liberation.