Unravelling

When we, as Rainbow people, have been screwed over and abused by Christian fundamentalist and traditional beliefs one of the first things we do is try to reconcile our faith with who we are while attempting to sort through what we actually believe as the dust is settling.

Some end up back in the church with a modified compromise on the scriptures but still basically a traditional Christian.

Some find that the experience has caused them to adopt a far more liberal and metaphorical approach to their beliefs, dropping the “religious” aspects and embracing love and grace as their foundation.

But there are many who end up ditching everything, baby and bathwater, after discovering that the process of unravelling the faith they embraced (or were raised in) led them on a path to question the entire basis of Christian beliefs.

This can be a very scary place to be, especially when our entire life, our paradigms, our relationships, and pretty much everything is built on those beliefs.

One of the biggest fears is “what will happen if I let it all go?”. And that is a very valid fear indeed.

The problem is once you see the fundamental flaws in the Christian faith and it’s scriptures and supporting theologies and doctrines, you can’t “unsee” them. Sadly I’ve seen many who can’t handle this reality and jump back in to the faith, in a type of denial, to protect themselves from the looming existential crisis. This can sometimes end up with religious obsession and even returning to doubt their new freedom, embracing things like celibacy to avoid the reality.

Letting go however, requires a lot of guts and determination. To put it crudely – we have been brainwashed. To undo the damage of brainwashing requires hard work, and for many, after years of abuse from the church, this simply requires too much energy to take it any further. To get this far sometimes stretches us to the limit so we settle for a compromise, finding it easier to hang on to the slowly unravelling threads by ignoring them, or even denying their existence.

But to lose our faith, as hard as it can be, is stunningly freeing.

It’s not what we were taught it would be.

It’s not a fearful exercise that deep down we know will send us off to hell.

It’s an opening into a whole new life, where we see the tiny little enclosed world of dogma for what it really is.

So if you are at that place of question everything; if that existential crisis is staring you in the face…

Be brave!! You aren’t alone. Countless Rainbow people (and others of course) have done it. Reach out to those who have. You’ll be amazed at the stories you hear.

There is new life waiting. A playground of spirituality, rationality, love and meaning that embraces all of humanity, not just the elect, and isn’t bound by dogma.