Episode Thirty-Two: Christian Influencers | Violating Community Guidelines

Our Father, who art on KZbin, hallowed be thy clickbait. Thy channel be viral, thy like ratio be massive., on TikTok as it is on Twitter. Give us this day our daily grind, and forgive us our hate watches as we forgive those who hate watch against us; and lead us not into cancellation, but deliver us from haters. Amen.
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[@maddiehowell]

Holy moly Sarah. The part about parents being too afraid to face themselves so they find religion instead of a therapist just perfectly put into words my feelings. Thank you!!

[@lindseyhendrix2405]

No kidding. It also correlates with the false teaching that one can’t trust their own heart and that you shouldn’t even look at your own mind because you’re undeniably sinful and your heart and mind will lead you astray. *big yuck* 🤢

[@SaintShion]

I definitely agree about performative Christianity or using Christianity/ Religion as a tool to forgive themselves for bad choices with out actually changing the bad behaviors. My dads family is VERY the white republic Christian stereotypes of being wealthy, homophobic and racist. They've covered for my dad all his life. My dad has ASPD (formerly socipathy) and was an alcoh0lic. He was physically, emotionally and verbally abvsive all our childhood. Because he went to church he never felt much responsibility to us when he wld have complete psychotic breakdowns and drvnk binders; never apologizing to us, just God. The fact he'd always asked God for forgiveness but not the people hurt is wild to me. Of course his family just ignored it. It took me a long time to cope with Religion and God (authority figures). Makes me think of the Albert Einstein quote. "I like your Christ, but I dont like your Christians. Your Christian are so unlike your Christ."

[@jordon4723]

Sarah always discredits herself but this podcast really showcases she’s a very deep thinker

[@Giaphaige]

Yep. Most of one side of my family is extremely pentecostal, and this applies to almost all of them. Alcoholism, p*dos, affairs, abuse, stealing, it all gets swept under the rug and never brought up because they are godly men and have been forgiven 😒. The one pedo uncle is a prominent member of his church and my grandpa who has severe anger issues, had affairs and physically abused his kids fills in for the pastor occasionally. It's fucking wack.

[@billsmith04]

But who said therapy was the way to go? All therapy clinics is about is wanting money.

[@aleilani9159]

I’m so happy Sarah is aware and informed that homosexuality isn’t the original text! It stated, “Man may not lay with child like he does with woman”

[@bmoe4609]

Nahhh i see they say that. But its stated since forever on gay being a sin. Its never said with child. I think thats just another one that was being made to help people stay in it.

[@sophier5030]

I am not very well-versed in this area and I am very curious where I can find information on this. A quick search around has yielded me little results and I would really like to look into it more (I hope my reply is not misinterpreted as disagreement or denial, I just would like to learn more).

[@yerinbaekscandlelight]

@@bmoe4609 Loving and accepting people is a sin? The only sin I see here is your personality 😁

[@Replies.Delete.SometimesIDKy]

No it doesnt. And no matter how many times yaII scream that its faIse. Its insane. YaII really think you can just say thay and we'II randomly beleive you. You dont show evidence ir anything. You just say it. Crazy.

[@wannabedrewafualo]

@@Replies.Delete.SometimesIDKyliterally say the same thing about the Bible LMFAO

[@felicityrobertson4875]

When I grew up in school, there was a priest who wouldn’t absolve you of your sins unless you went and apologized to the person you wronged first. He made a lot of people uncomfortable (even me because I didn’t want to actually apologize to people) but now I totally see why he did.

[@alexiablanton9085]

That’s actually respectful to me. Not a Christian. But people really deserve the resolution the apology. Not necessarily the higher power or god first.

[@chilichinashop]

That’s honestly a good thing to teach young minds. You can never truly be forgiven if you didn’t own up to the person you troubled in the first place 🤷‍♀️

[@M-WG]

A priest who teaches repentance along with forgiveness! That’s really good he did that. It’s nice to hear.

[@harmonyquinn2557]

@@alexiablanton9085 this is actually what you have to do in NA & AA. the steps say “find higher power” but _anything_ can be yours, like mine was the rooms of NA. But the 4th step is writing a lot of things, one of hem being people you wronged, which is followed by the 5th step of telling your sponsor your entire 4th step and the 8th & 9th step are about making amends. It’s extremely healing but also hard, but it’s good for you as a person.

[@alexiablanton9085]

@@harmonyquinn2557 I love that. All people deserve healing. I hope it’s truly helped those who attended

[@emmalwooten]

the way sarah worded the abortion take like these people are only anti-choice because the children aren't able to ask anything of them but they won't fight for children who already exist that was really well said

[@eddyfrandsen3535]

I'm from Utah and I'm surrounded by mormonism (I did not grow up in the religion). but going off of Sarah story about smoking weed with the pastors daughter made me want to share. being the ONLY atheist family on the block was really hard cause a lot of the kids couldn't hang out with me, but we were neighbors to the bishop. I became really good friend with their youngest daughter, and I think they allowed it bc they wanted to 'save me" or something. anyways, long story short, my first kiss was with bishops daughter and now were both extremely queer

[@blackbottomgardens]

Slay

[@idiotwhodoesthings]

love that for y’all

[@MattIsntYoung]

A true success story 🥲

[@pattmahiney]

Based lmao

[@Maximillion11]

Love to hear it

[@laur3n005]

my chants, prayers, and infant blood sacrifices worked finally sarah and brittany talk about jesus

[@sourgreendolly7685]

sometimes ya gotta go old testament with it 😂

[@HaleKelsey1]

Bro, same

[@meme9272]

The likes at 666 😭

[@thisisabookchannel]

I wanted to like this but it’s at 666 👹

[@KingOfGaymes]

@@thisisabookchannel well it’s way past that now

[@daskrinalps6262]

i remember myself genuinely asking my 5th grade christian living teacher in her class that "has anyone been into heaven and is it really real?" and responded she with "asking questions like that proves that u dont have faith in him and ur gonna go to hell" it stuck in me ever since. she didnt answer the question and deflected it with fear-mongering. she was the first person to crack my faith in christianity. im glad this ep talked about the flaws of religion, very insightful.

[@Replies.Delete.SometimesIDKy]

And thats relevant why? Someone who has a dream like maybe becoming a famous sports olayer or something doenst just stop because someone "cracked" their beleif that they could do it. You simply just have yourself an excuse to not follow Him. Thats all that is.

[@riley-fj2bt]

my pastor said the same thing to me. it’s insane to tell a 9 year old they’re going to hell

[@T_Cup]

@@Replies.Delete.SometimesIDKy No one who dreams of becoming a famous athlete would ask a question about their chosen sport and be told they'd never reach that dream for simply asking that question. They'd get an answer or they'd get a "let me get back to you on that one". That's the relevance. God isn't telling you to never ask questions. The bible isn't over 1500 pages long because God wants His followers to never ask questions. It doesn't make you unfaithful to ask, it means you actually care to learn His word and want to become an informed Christian. The fact your immediate response to this was "you're making excuses not to do your job" is pretty judgmental and if you don't know what God says about being judgmental, maybe you should be asking more questions yourself

[@oogaboogass]

Curiosity is a sin apparently

[@daskrinalps6262]

@@unironicallyannie truly. and just to clarify, i am still a catholic despite all these things. i still do follow his teachings but not the day-by-day, devoting-my-life-on-the-bible type that a lot of people based themselves on. the term "cracking" refers to me percieving religion as this perfect thing that people should follow. when really, it is just as flawed, just like us humans. i dont exile religion, i was just naturally curious lol

[@josiecarpenter-lewis1735]

There are plenty of witty one liners that Brittany and Sarah say on this podcast but “He’s gonna play the devils advocate with your uterus” was so good

[@slayrae872]

Oooo one thing that makes me so mad is when anyone says "well they went to college and got turned liberal". Like no, they finally got to experience life outside of the greyscale their parents showed them.

[@mads597]

Also the first experience of being validated for their own thoughts instead of their compliance and obedience!

[@justicetamplen1364]

Isn’t it odd how a majority of people with any level of “higher education” are liberal?

[@transmaniandevil]

THIS 🗣🗣🗣🗣

[@rayay248]

This! I was finally given the space to truly ask questions and think for myself. In other words, I was given the opportunity to deprogram

[@M-WG]

They turned 18 and it wasn’t required anymore. Simple

[@libbyw6855]

As a former catholic, I was raised with a lot of guilt. Jesus died for us “dirty, wicked” sinners and we must all be eternally guilty for it, and pay penance. I remember being 6/7 years old terrified and ashamed for being “bad”, obsessively doing Hail Mary’s 😭 a crazy time

[@lamp5950]

I remember when I was little I thought that if you did anything bad, you instantly go to Hell. I was so scared

[@chloechartrand-houle7112]

Guilt and shame lol, literally feeling horrible for the smallest things. Now as an atheist adult I still apologize when I shouldnt and blame myself when I shouldnt

[@brianamaemelton]

@@peddlingfalsehoods6321 that isn’t their point babe

[@isabellagonzalez5695]

Same here

[@ohawwgeez3112]

@@peddlingfalsehoods6321 not to the point where you fear eternal damnation

[@Ninas420life]

“Clean girl aesthetic, freshly baptized” 😂😂 as someone who grew up STRICTLY Pentecostal and no longer follows the church, I approve this entire podcast.

[@erenyeager2554]

I remember walking down the Vegas strip and some guy was talking into a microphone saying, "You think Vegas is hot? Yeah well it's nothing compared to HELL." Like what are you achieving here dude, go home 😭

[@Mikayla_Y_1998]

Hmm quite funny you say this EREN when YOU basically kill the world with the “rumbling”…. 🙄🙄 so maybe like idk look in the mirror and stop projecting. ( this is joke) hope that doesn’t need to be said but some people might not get the sarcasm)

[@erenyeager2554]

@@Mikayla_Y_1998 fair point 🤣🤣

[@Mikayla_Y_1998]

@@erenyeager2554 I hope I didn’t give any spoilers btw! 😩

[@erenyeager2554]

@@Mikayla_Y_1998 oh no you’re fine, I’m all caught up 🤣

[@corndogonasticc]

I'd probably respond by asking directions on where hell is lol. Hotter demons? Hell yeah

[@matsmouth272]

As a person with ADHD I often feel like I dont see people like me in media that are representative of how my ADHD manifests...but Sarah coming in with a "When i see a tow-truck I think about Jesus on the cross" is the best representation I could ever ask for

[@enamored1]

wow same

[@KingOfGaymes]

I resonate with this comment

[@shelbyrobason4608]

I felt seen

[@rayay248]

💯💯💯

[@bluester7177]

I remember watching Sarah with Trixie and she saying she didn't take her meds so she could be more interesting, I related to that so much. It's just not common to see good representations of adhd, most of the time is just an hyper boy.

[@crclementine]

As an ex mormon I'm HERE for the mormon critisism. To a lot of people it's a meme but it's truly a cult with a horrible history

[@brooke7245]

How weird was it to here Brittney say “Russel M Nelson”? i love this comment. We need more criticism of the Mormon church in mainstream media. People need to know how fucked it is.

[@sydneyb8249]

@@brooke7245 right? It was so weird to hear her say his name lol

[@KingOfGaymes]

Mormonism doesn’t feel real it’s legit a normalized cult 💀

[@hipsterdipsterwat]

I appreciate them bringing up all the valid criticisms of the church. I just wish people would do more research about it before blatantly being like “this is fact”. In the podcast Brittany matter of factly says Mormons don’t believe in/worship Jesus. It just keeps people in the faith/cult because they can dismiss all valid criticisms on the basis that they “don’t know what the religion actually is”.

[@williamrose3787]

Also ex mo here, I was like “not her not knowing anything about Mormons lmao”

[@dollyaches]

as a ex catholic, when they talk about how people say “they’re perfect in gods eyes” but are shit people, i’ve been SCREAMING that so much. when i was in church school, so many students bullied me so heavily where i had multiple panic attacks and cried and just had to leave and left with that guilt. they’re the same ones that would talk about how much they love god and how loving they are while they were attacking me and who knows who else; it makes me so mad but it’s so TRUE.

[@psychedelicanxiety8011]

I felt this. Primary Christian school was an awful time. Kids were horrendous and then would be in class being praised for believing in god like 💀

[@Justmeeeee813]

The Catholic s hooks around me, with their huge tuitions, are more like country clubs.

[@dougiemastsr2345]

LITERALLY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL IS THE WORST😭

[@ad_kk16]

I wasn't a Catholic but went to a Catholic elementary school. Bruh, why is there so much bullying? Like, my friend had to change schools because of it (she moved to a public school). It didn't help that I was a First Nation too (the past of Residential schools that my family had to endure). Growing up kinda just messed me up lmfao. It was stressful. Not only that, I was trans too. Kids were so mean

[@mothra4prez]

Me and my siblings used to play a game called mad priest in the pool where i just tried to drown them while reciting the baptismal thing. good times !

[@funkunko]

😭😭

[@anyalaASMR]

Omg??

[@Lily-to8ph]

thats fucking hilarious

[@RozehKakes]

how bad is it that im like "yep, that makes sense uwu. i would have done that as a kid with my siblings 😌✨"

[@marialane5193]

This is the most Catholic child thing I have ever heard thank you for sharing😂

[@HopefulMere]

Former Mormon here, every person who has ever abused me in my life has been a member of the church. I hit my breaking point last year when my best friend (also a member of the church) cut me out of his life because of my mental health challenges. Long story short, I ended up in the hospital and was in a very dark place for over a year. And I know damn well that he thinks he is forgiven because he's "repented" and God has forgiven him. That makes me sick. It goes back to what you said about accountability. There is no real accountability when God is involved. It makes me sick that he gets to live his life free of this, while I'm still hurting.

[@lindseyhendrix2405]

I’m so sorry, my friend. :/ that was hard to hear to I can only imagine having to deal with it. He might have done you a favor in a way though, showing you his true colors and that he wasn’t a true friend. I hope you are now surrounded by true friends who genuinely care about you and your wellbeing. 🤙🏽💛

[@user-gorbonk]

as a fellow ex mormon, I am so sorry. mormonism is something else, to say the absolute least.

[@mikelebaugh7142]

still currently a member, but I had something similar happen to me with two of my roommates, they basically kicked me out in the middle of the worst depressive episode I have ever expereienced, honestly the worst part is I doubt they even feel the need to ask for forgiveness, I know too many christians who don't even get to the point of being forgiven because they dont even realize that they have done something wrong. It makes me feel bad for those people who are actually trying to be good people and improve themselves because all those holier than thou assholes are really good at ruining it for everyone

[@brooke7245]

Ex Mormon here, i am so sorry to hear your terrible experience. Abuse by church members is so much more common then everyone thinks. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@hotsexyangel]

I’m so sorry :( and you’re absolutely right, “there is no accountability when it comes to god.” People can get away with anything as long as they just “believe” it’s sick and twisted.

[@alecallie]

I was kicked out of a high school senior event being held at our local church because there were rumors I was a witch. I was raised in a christen household but I wore a lot of black and eye makeup. Exclusion based upon assumptions are something Christians are notorious for. I wasn't upset that I could not be within a church, I was upset I was excluded from my class by FULL GROWN ADULTS acting liked children.

[@annabellewilliams1770]

the assumptions and rumors within christian spaces are nothing like iv'e ever seen. it's such an incredibly judgmental community. i remember countless times women left sunday services balling because they were publicly shamed for something as trivial as a pencil skirt (that was still below the knee too). i personally experienced this too but I was a child. I wore white tights under a dress that was above my knee and I wasnt allowed to play my instrument in the band or go on the stage. mind you I WAS A CHILD (10 y/o). its insanely creepy and just in general so un-christ-like.

[@hotsexyangel]

Ain’t no hate like Christian love 💀 they tell u “god loves u no matter what!” but when you decide to just freely be yourself, all the sudden god hates you and his followers turn against u lmfao

[@user-np8yf8fj2w]

America is insane wow

[@ellemarie1998]

Omg yes!! That’s one of the many reasons why I stopped going to church. They were just a group of well dressed bullies!

[@razorbladekizz]

Her sister was a witch

[@lofibarbie2622]

My new favorite ASMR is the crinkling of Sarah's Emotional Support Frozen Edamame Bag

[@anyalaASMR]

The ESFEB

[@Raev222]

Brittany's makeup here is soooo fucking cute. The eyeshadow is GORGEOUS, and she's embraced her natural eyeshape which looks so fucking adorable and pretty. And sooo much hair in those buns.

[@brittbaird3250]

Pour one out for the BYU students who have to stay silent because they could risk getting expelled for saying anything negative about the school or religion.

[@bej7784]

And, if expelled, they also lose their credits and housing! ❤️ I love religious freedom

[@li-kui]

@@bej7784 Oml I grew up in a Mormon household but I didn’t know you lose your credits too????? Like I knew about getting kicked out and stuff but they can take previously earned credits for not follow honor code???? I’m so relieved I decided not to go last minute bc I’m majorly gay too damnnnn

[@mads597]

This is inSANE

[@Chloe-cs2nc]

Thank you for mentioning this. BYU was one of the worst experiences of my life

[@jonathanpena3512]

I’m sorry but literally why would you go there if that was the case? There are so many schools in this country….

[@meganlem]

when sarah said “a lot of people, instead of seeking therapy find god” EXACTLY like religious people need therapy

[@chickennoodles4662]

I do both

[@MiliPony3]

“Y’all need jesus” nah dude you need a therapist

[@naniontheinternet4]

as a queer christian, yes💗

[@lindenm.9149]

I was deeply religious in the most unmedicated awful part of my life. I needed therapy bad lmao

[@KingOfGaymes]

Sadly they think going to the pastor and praying is a good substitute for therapy

[@lexxiloveless7163]

i used to cry myself to sleep many nights because i was "questioning god" when I was a child, and i was told that if anyone questions or doesnt agree with god they were going to hell. Eventually that got me out of going to church altogether.

[@SweetheartMorada]

Whoa, I could’ve written this comment.. rigid religious conditioning has majorly contributed to me having lifelong struggles with anxiety, insomnia, depression, relationship issues, etc. It really fucked me up good. I left a decade ago and now in my late 20s I’m still trying to learn how to heal and not let it rob me of a fulfilling life.

[@lexxiloveless7163]

@@SweetheartMorada i hope you find a place for your heart to rest where it wont be subject to such harmful mindsets. the good thing is we get to make our lives whatever we want and we are good beings with or without a belief in god. we're not innately sinful or broken. we don't deserve hell or pain.

[@shathaat5647]

As a former muslim i felt guilt doing anything even as a kid not praying or not fasting as a kid your so afraid of everything i remember crying while praying cus i was so afraid of going to hell… crazy times

[@sarroumarbeu6810]

Omfg this is so me....the mentality of "you're never enough and can never be good enough for God's satisfaction..... And even if you were perfectly docile and pious he would still get to choose to toss you into hell....so WEEP AND TREMBLE for his mercyyyy " ... 9yo me : aight this will definitely not cause me any long term issues 😃

[@emmajay2401]

I was raised Quaker one of the most hippy of the sects of Christianity. My mom got me a scholarship to go to a Quaker private school and every Mr. Luther King Day we would do a day a service (volunteering) and learn about his legacy. I also got to learn about other cultures, religions, and beliefs. Heck, my mom let me be Buddhist at 8. Listening to this podcast made me realize how much of your upbringing can affect your views as an adult. Especially if you don't ever leave your environment or move to a place with the same views.

[@tomcruisemiddleteeth]

dude my mom was a strict muslim but treated me and my brother the same way. she let us learn everything, volunteer a shit ton, be more gentle with others than anything, accepts us as athiests. having good parents really is so rare but so impactful.

[@ADreamerWithAPen]

This is so fascinating because I was also raised Quaker but it was in a small town and a lot of the people were still essentially evangelical, so it was basically just a regular Christian church just without the baptism or fun music or communion

[@emmajay2401]

@@ADreamerWithAPen There are many different Quaker sects, I actually learned this from KZbin. There are more conservatives and evangelical sects, that branched off (mostly found in the the US mid-west). There are also Nontheist Quakers, which as an adult I sort of fell into.

[@ADreamerWithAPen]

@@emmajay2401 ah, interesting. I'm from the Midwest, so that makes sense

[@hoorayitsjackie6166]

Quakers were hugely important in the Underground Railroad and helping slaves escape, but it’s not talked about a lot. I’m pretty sure I have some in my genealogy which is cool. It’s weird considering all I knew about them was that thing you say to get kids to be quiet ‘quakers meeting, no one speaking, now we have begun.’

[@miyonacleo]

i was reading smut when i saw the notification. i think god has guided me to the right path, amen!

[@abbysc417]

Hell yeah!

[@hardsneez]

care to share? hahahaha

[@emmamarie2318]

Sarah mentioning awana literally made me jump. i was apart of awana my entire childhood and it hit a part of me hearing someone with such a huge platform mention it.

[@ellieanderson5745]

SAME

[@meowllison9414]

Omg me too!

[@paige1086]

“if god is perfect, religion is man made so there will be flaws.” i know thats not verbatim, but brittany i hope you know this helped me understand my state of mind right now. i am struggling so much with my faith/lack of faith. i grew up extremely christian and in private christian school for my entire life so questioning my faith has been SO scary. that mixed with my religious trauma from the church has made me so scared to question it. but you saying that really hit me and i thank you so so much for that. it’s still a long journey for recovering from christianity, but that helped calm me down a lot. this is an incredible podcast. i appreciate the both of you so much.

[@aschneids]

I always clap back with the “speaking the lords name in vain means speaking FOR Him, not just cussing” lol

[@kayteebarga9694]

saw this on a viral video a couple weeks ago and have used it a few times since lol get em gorl

[@elle1107]

This reminded me of a conversation I recently had with an evangelical family friend who told me she had to turn off Ted Lasso because of "all the gratuitous swearing" and "taking the Lord's name in vain". Like, girl, what rock do you live under?? This is the hill you're gonna die on?

[@heyheyitrachelgray]

THIS IS GOOD

[@sourgreendolly7685]

Not even 15 minutes into the Christian influencers episode and we’re talking about dry shaving 🐈 lmfaooo never change

[@franny15]

i'm a continuing practicing Catholic and i used to get very upset as a kid when ppl bashed on Christianity. now that i'm older yes i've made the conscious decision to continue pursuing my faith because it's what i know and it's what keeps me sane. i'm blessed to have been raised in a Catholic household and parish wherein God's love was the main focus. i was never taught about His sacrifices in such a way that would make me feel guilty or to bring hate upon anyone. but a big factor we continuing to practice Christians must recognize is that when people share their stories about why they are no longer Christian, that is not the time to bash but to listen. you have to learn to acknowledge that when people are speaking about how "bad" Christianity is or how bad Christians are they are NOT talking directly about you. they are sharing the horrible stories they experienced in the church. stories that I've heard i'm also completely disgusted by. it doesnt take an ex-Christian to acknowledge how disgusting, annoying, and sinnical it is for an adult figure to abuse a child and say that God told them to do it. or it doesnt take an ex-Christian to acknowledge that hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children were taken away and forced to conform to Christianity and how disgusting those actions were. Religion is such a tough subject because like always, we humans cannot agree on a single thing. because alot of religious script is interpreted in different ways. which can be beautiful but it has obviously been very harming. the past generations of Christians have done so much damage to the current generation because of their interpretations. but its whoevers left, aka the current practicing Christians, to not repeat those histories and to live through our interpretations with their past interpretations as a reminder of what NOT to do. i pray for the growth of the new generation, the healing of those hurt by the church, and i pray for the understanding and patience of those who are not or are no longer practicing Christians. at the end of the day we're all human, and there's good AND bad in everyone.

[@peterproctor3465]

I am also a Catholic and my understanding of Christianity is very different from that of evangelical born-again Christians such as the ones on TikTok. I know that this comment was posted 5 months ago and I'm late to the party...But I think this comment is so important. Nobody is better than anyone because of what they believe and this is truly disturbing that many performative evangelicals (and other Catholics sometimes) think that posting their conversion to Christ online makes them so much better than everyone in the world. Another topic that I think would be really interesting to talk about on this channel is the issue of Christian nationalism and the rise of right-wing evangelical groups that believe God chooses America first. THAT is one of the most dangerous threats to our democracy and country today. No one should be forced to believe anything, and I think that many young people who have had traumatic experiences in the church and have turned to either spiritualism or no religious beliefs at all are totally valid in their choice. Just be a kind person and love your neighbor no matter who they are. I really appreciate the content of your comment.

[@averyjohnson1752]

As an exmormon I really appreciate your take on everything. I think it's extremely emotionally intelligent and flattering

[@NoiseDay]

I'm an ex Christian and most of my family members are practicing, many of them pastors or missionaries. They are some of my favorite people, but I have a hard time reconciling our religious differences (we've never really talked about it, they probably think I'm a solo practitioner). The only helpful thing I can say is that if Christians want to keep their religion and traditions alive, they must listen without bias to the people who have left. They must change their churches and their teachings for the better. I will not ask my missionary cousin to denounce God. I will ask that she not denounce me for leaving Him. Thank you for your compassion.

[@LittleBirdASMR]

As a former pastors kid who grew up bathed, breaded and buttered in the spirit, it felt SO reassuring to see and hear my two faves talk about my past like this so accurately🤣🥲 I could go on for DAYS. Loved this

[@mads597]

“Bathed, breaded and buttered in the spirit” AAAAHAHHAHA

[@cinna4462]

if y’all are interested more in this topic i highly recommend fundie fridays’ channel! they break down christian fundamentalism and talk about people like brittany gray, mrs midwest, etc.

[@Rexmoona]

Love fundie Fridays!

[@absolutetwaddle]

Completely agree!!

[@meg2937]

Yeess! Fundie Fridays is so good!!

[@aimes7110]

Fundie Friday is great!! HIGHLY recommend!!

[@Zimzum93]

I love Fundie Fridays soooo much omg

[@kenzieslate8988]

back in high school a bunch of kids got mad at our ap lang teacher bc she said you couldn’t use the bible as a nonfiction source

[@SaintShion]

I mean she's right though xD how many times has it been edited by now?

[@salsafernando7264]

I had a homeroom teacher who would make us read fiction all class and said we could read the Bible if we wanted lmao

[@emmahardy02]

Omg I remember when I was 11 (context- I went to a catholic school and this teacher was a nun) we did this book categorisation worksheet and had to label books as fiction or non-fiction and one of the books was the Bible so I put it as fiction and got it wrong 😭

[@MeaganRose08]

Our AP lang teacher let this catholic girl write her final research paper on how catholics are oppressed in modern society and her TWO sources were the bible and our local newspaper 💀💀

[@gabrielalujan1881]

Was raised catholic, and genuinely caused me so much pain in my adult life. Extremely cultish. From the drinking the blood of Christ, to the devotion of Mary, it is quite literally insane. So much catholic guilt. Finding out about sex for the first time as a kid made me feel like I was going to burn in hell. Priests are creepy and I even had an encounter with a priest at my parish who made me incredibly uncomfortable as he would talk about things like sex, and then would grab onto my shoulders. Churches make me so uncomfortable, and I cant go into one today without feeling immense discomfort.

[@saraehernandezz]

She nailed it, “we usually only go to see our crushes” at the beginning I was like, “maybe, just maybe, I was at one point more religious than I thought I was - I was baptized, had a first communion, was confirmed, and I went to church and youth group every week.” Then I realized I only went to SATURDAY church to check out my alter boy and we drove past my crushes house on the way home. AND I only got confirmed because my cool best friend offered to be my “sponsor” and my confirmation name was going to be her name.😂😂

[@antoinettekersaint38]

“My inner thighs are definitely my summer foundation shade”, this just opened up something in my brain lol

[@whenthemooneyhitsthesky]

i identity as a queer christian and let me tell you the modern church does not follow the teachings of christ. we are called to love and not judge others, and yet they only spread hate and a “holier than thou” attitude. it’s about control. i’m always so grateful for the time and effort put towards the podcast (shoutout to stanley you are so awesome and i love your extra notes).

[@Ichigo_Hime]

Did you know the Bible commands women are are r*ped to be wed to their r*pists and they cannot get divorced. I don’t know how anyone who has read the Bible and knows it’s teachings could still believe in it when it say things like that.

[@MrBrandonjames87]

They never have and never will follow the “teachings”

[@franny3614]

You should try to join a quaker church if you want to have that part of Christianity and a strong community that follow and actually try to live by those beliefs. The entire service is just sitting in silence with a bunch of other people for an hour and at the end if you want to say something then you can.

[@VslayerMK]

same, and very much agreed!

[@lindseyhendrix2405]

A million times this! My little gay heart has dropped be cartwheels seeing so many likeminded gay Christians in the comments. Jesus would be flipping tables and chunking them at the leaders in most churches these days and I know we would be right there alongside him.

[@emmanarotzky6565]

I joined a church for like one year when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, and even in that short amount of time I started to become pretentious. A kid got sick and out Sunday school teacher told us to pray for him, so I did and then bragged about how I was better than everyone who forgot to pray for him. Meanwhile I didn’t do ANYTHING for this kid- he literally lived next door and I could have brought him soup or cookies or just a “get well soon” card but nope, I just prayed about him and felt smug about it. Luckily my mom pulled us out of that church because she realized the whole church was pretentious and they thought they were better than other religions. So she saved me from becoming insufferable lmao

[@justmaddies420]

“Everyday is like a baptism when you take a shower” *me literally stepping out of the shower* ✨clean✨

[@chuckriddick2632]

Kudos to Sarah for pushing through a tough mental health day to still provide this episode. Thanks for all the content, y’all!!!

[@jazzmyn5804]

I thought this episode was going to be about like Girl Defined and the LaBrant family, but the discussions on the influencer to Christian pipeline and why young people seek or get to religion or spirituality in modern times was much more fascinating. Great food for thought. Well done!

[@VioletBlackWings]

The fact that even alot of Mormons voted yes with the rest of us in UT on legalizing medical weed and Utah's old mormon man senate oligarchy turned around and was like "mmmm no." hits me every time I wonder if its an overstatement to say my state is a Religious Oligarchy

[@MaddyLockman]

As an ex catholic, I will point out a slight correction I remember from Sunday school; we learned that there are actually two pillars of sin: venial (like stealing a chocolate bar) and mortal sin (murder) and three if you count original sin. So technically, there is kind of a sin tier list 🤔

[@eleeclair]

I was raised in a very conservative Christian family and as an adult I still feel guilt and shame for not being a Christian. I still pray because it feels like it’s helping me cope or maybe there is a God listening out there. Don’t make your children take on your religion.

[@kaepiper]

i was raised christian until i was 13, bc i realized i’m basically agnostic. my dad fell off it before i did. he believes in god but not the whole organized religion thing and living off the bible. my mom is still christian but doesn’t live off the bible either, she just believes in God and Jesus. praying is still apart of me too, except whenever i feel like doing it, i start with “dear universe” i believe in speaking things into existence and being hopeful always, so it helps to just send a message out in hopes that someone is listening

[@eleeclair]

@@kaepiper I love that!

[@laughingfox568]

I feel that, friend. My deconversion journey took a very long time... I was raised fundamental Baptist (Sunday am/pm and Wednesday night, plus weekends with youth group activities and other shit) and while I started the not believe around 13, I still was forced to keep going until 18 when I got a job and had a reason not to go at least on wednesdays. Wasn't able to fully get out of going until I left home at 19 and finally gained freedom to choose. I didn't stop actually, truly fearing hell until I was about 22/23...that shit is legit child abuse. I still prayed occasionally out of pure fear. Now I'm on the verge of anti-theist because it's so fucked up for us kids being brainwashed into those cults.

[@KingOfGaymes]

I’ll never get past being indoctrinated into a religion as a child. Had no choice. Like thanks now I have lifelong trauma

[@genesishernandez9660]

I’m Catholic and experience Catholic shame when I enjoy experiences I know my parents/religion wouldn’t approve of

[@kristin900]

I was raised a DEVOUT catholic and I'm still not exactly sure, but I think the key concept catholicism is rooted in is "original sin". Catholics believe that all humans are born with original sin because of Adam and Eve's choices. Baptism erases the original sin and makes a person's soul "pure and clean". However, even after an individual's original sin is gone, they can still commit actual sins (lying, cheating, stealing) and that dirties their soul again. In order to clean their soul again, they have to go to confession. Both baptism and confession are considered sacraments and are only allowed to exist because Jesus died for our sins. So an analogy would be like, Jesus gave us a doctor's office but that doesn't automatically make us healthy all the time. We have to continuously go to the doctor, get treatment, and live a well-balanced life in order to be healthy. But IDK this is just my understanding lol

[@letmeluffyou]

this is a great analogy and explanation!

[@ah4902]

Yes I was raised catholic too, this is spot on Add in “mortal sins” that made you feel even worse because “you sinned while knowing it was a sin”

[@thomasmcguane8033]

Also it creeps me out that you can go to confession and the priest can’t say anything to anyone. You could kill 30 people and he can’t tell.

[@MilouPaint]

@@thomasmcguane8033 well maybe he would cuz that would be crazy and dangerous

[@ah4902]

@@MilouPaint no, they can’t according to the religion. They would be excommunicated

[@natalie9884]

I’ve never met anyone more closed minded, hypercritical, and judge mental than those in the church.

[@lizvolante]

“I’m not in her soul, mind, or therapy sessions” is a fantastic disclaimer sarah, 10/10

[@SharkUsingaComputer]

im glad you guys talked about how organized religion preys on vulnerable people with the whole "you're lost without god" shtick

[@Emmysn0w]

I understand being lost and wanting community but I can’t wrap my head around how people could choose to live by someone else’s rules for your entire life to spend eternity under said persons watch and control

[@zl2240]

honestly, it's the same mechanism as cults and radicalised groups.

[@mads597]

@@Emmysn0w I think lot of people don’t feel “in charge” of their life, so having a “guide” is actually a relief in a way. Not that it’s healthy or good for them

[@jenfindsfulfillment5371]

@@Emmysn0w I did it for ten years from 13 to 23 because I had a very troubled childhood and was grieving the loss of a parent at the time I found the shitty church I stumbled upon. It was a cult and they should be ashamed of themselves. I was young an vulnerable and fell into a trap

[@Emmysn0w]

@@jenfindsfulfillment5371 I’m so sorry the prayed on your vulnerability especially as a child I’m glad u are out and I hope your doing well

[@rjs2035]

You guys should do an episode on Neighborhood Facebook groups, where members of a neighborhood create groups and talk crap with/at each other. You could make a fake profile and infiltrate them. I know, especially in the suburbs of Ohio, they post anything from blatant racism, xenophobia, and homophobia, to allegations of sexual predators, to community cookout drama.

[@mads597]

Supporting this idea with the inclusion of the Nextdoor app

[@madisonbrown2295]

PLEASE also in an Ohio suburb Facebook group and they say the most out of pocket crap

[@KingOfGaymes]

I very much want to hear more about this. I’ve never heard about it before

[@KingOfGaymes]

@@madisonbrown2295 Ohio _(derogatory)_

[@rjs2035]

@@KingOfGaymes I think it started with like HOA, neighborhood watch, then neighborhoods would just make pages to announce events, like block parties, cookouts, construction, sales, etc. Now, less and less people are using facebook (and we know how the demographics that still uses it are) its developed, in some places, to huge gossip circles, homophobic and racist rants, speculations of sexual predators in the area, even murder mysteries sometimes. Really just a free for all in most of them by this point.

[@jennaleon9240]

This is a really important episode, guys. Around 52:15, Sarah says that people are Christians so that they can turn a blind eye to the damage they've done to others, or to become a genuinely good person. And I look back on my Christian experience (around 28 years in the evangelical, reformed Christian church), and the desire to become a genuinely good person was the reason I left. I think a lot of people who have deconstructed loved the example of Jesus' lived life and the ways he told us to love and serve others. We all were taught that Jesus loved everyone and sacrificed so much for others, and that stayed with us even into deconstruction and beyond. I just had to share!

[@petrichorbones]

i feel the same. im 26 finally stopped calling myself christian. i hung on so long trying to be a "real" or "good " christian based on Jesus's teachings

[@bmoe4609]

I didnt like jesus nor god after readin it. They are both evil disguised as good. I think its easy to miss for sum, i mean maybe the son a lil better than his father. But yet they are the same

[@juno3281]

i went to church with my friend when i was a pre teen cause i was bored and didn’t have anything else to do. it made me severely uncomfortable and i didn’t know why for the longest time. well for one i’m native american… dunno why my mom let me go to a catholic church lmao- but the culty vibe really affected me. the dude preaching made absolutely no sense but everyone around me looked like they were really feeling it. i thought i was just lost, but no it was cause i wasn’t raised into it. like it straight up gave me nightmares. and how we had to give them money??? what da hell… i was turned off before i could even comprehend the evil that is the catholic church. and when i learned what happened to my family, that really cemented the hatred. it’s something really hard to talk about because it’s an experience very few people have. the state my people are in is a direct result of catholicism, and the way we’re just cast aside is something i can never forgive. i try really hard not to feel this way towards catholics specifically, but it’s difficult not to. i don’t interact with christians or catholics specifically because i can’t find respect for them, and i don’t want to put that on them personally. theoretically the religion is beautiful, but the way it’s been used is something worse than evil. i feel like i should work through my own hatred but a part of me feels like it’s justified. hearing what people went through who are actually apart of it is another thing. even people who devote their lives to this religion are treated like pawns. having that knowledge on top of all the pain and suffering of my own people just completely destroyed any kind of respect i could have.

[@lila-hk1pk]

I also really struggle with a suppressed hatred for catholic/ Christian people. Something about the way they constantly excuse bad behaviour of other Christian’s/ Catholics and how they follow a religion that holds so many horrible values and has caused so much damage just doesn’t sit right. I also think the way Christian/ catholic people talk about god is really gaslighty too. It just gives me an icky feeling under my skin. I know a lot of Christian and catholic people aren’t bad people and my suppressed hatred is not fair to them. But I think intensely following a religion that has so many beliefs you have to say you don’t believe in really doesn’t seem right.

[@gilly_axolotl]

Hi, I was raised catholic and went to Catholic school k-12. I am an atheist and very critical of Christian nationalism If you ever wanna chat to like, demystify that church experience and try to heal, let me know. I can give you my ig or something

[@juno3281]

@@lila-hk1pk yeah i completely understand. anytime religion is brought up i have to brace myself cause i immediately start getting triggered. i hate that i feel that way about a group of people bc i understand what it feels like to be ostracized, but it’s very hard. i just saw someone comment on another video about how we should focus on christianity’s positive aspects instead of the negative but like, mf it’s all negative. i literally scoffed, it’s just so ignorant like do they know what their religion has done to the world? i can’t imagine anyone would say something like that knowing literal genocides have been attempted because of it.

[@juno3281]

@@gilly_axolotl thank you! that whole period of my life was a fever dream, and i surprisingly have never brought it up to my therapist. i haven’t rly noticed how bad it affected me until recently.

[@gilly_axolotl]

@@juno3281 also, I obviously can't be sure, but if it makes you feel better, most of the people at the mass probably werent that into it. We've just been raised with the right words to say and the right times to stand since we were kids and the easiest way to get thru an hour long mass is to just try and sit through it lmao Edit: hell there's been times I wanted to "heckle" the priest during the homily bc he was saying stupid shit but obviously wasn't gonna actually do it lolol

[@abbysc417]

Former Catholic here. I listened to this on Spotify this morning! I’ve been deconstructing my Catholicism for the past two years. I guess what I have to say regarding confession is that, for me at least, I was not told that God was a forgiving, unconditionally loving presence in my life. I was told that God knew I was fallen, broke, wicked, dirty, etc, so I had to spend my life in a constant state of apology and guilt. Convincing the Catholic patriarchy that I was really really sorry, so then maybe I wouldn’t go to Hell. I was really jealous of the “Jesus Loves Me” and “God is my copilot” relationships that other denominations seemed to have. Catholicism fucked me up big time! So yeah. That’s my brief overview of being raised Catholic as a response to your questions. I've been chewing on this since 7am lol.

[@reacc18]

i was also thinking that guilt is a huge factor in this !!! from one raised-catholic homie to another thank u for this !!

[@ohhhhwork9309]

Literally my trauma summed up

[@annie-yy1gf]

Literally just a massive guilt trip it’s awful that they put children through that

[@oscarkamala]

❤️❤️❤️

[@beagle9662]

i was catholic growing up, switched to pentecostal until i was like 11. since then have been trying to unravel all those beliefs including what you mentioned; it’s been 9 years since i even went near christianity and i genuinely am still scared to say bad things about the big guy upstairs for fear of hell. i don’t even believe in it! but it’s so hard-wired in there.

[@kriswillman2779]

The worst part of organized religion is that it's used as a weapon for things or people they don't like And yet they use that same religion to absolve their own sins. So you attack others using your religion and never feel guilt about doing so

[@wildhorses1339]

Britney: Mormons don't acknowledge Jesus Mormons: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Me on a philosophical level: She's not entirely wrong though

[@theautisticguitarist7560]

Its the Jesus Season Pass

[@caroooolineeee]

i love you guys 💕 i was raised in the catholic church and catholics are “born with original sin.” adam and eve basically doomed them to be automatically born as sinners. people are baptized in the catholic church to rid themselves of that original sin. from there, people are expected to sin, but like you said, they can basically be like “i sowwee god!” and go tell a priest about it in a little phone booth where you can’t see each other but you can talk to each other. you tell the priest that you sinned and they tell you to say 5 prayers or some other arbitrary shit. so it’s exactly what you’re saying that they can be forgiven, but they are technically born sinners until they are baptized and born anew

[@asmrtpop2676]

the more i learn about every other christian denomination the more glad i am at least the christianity i was forced to participate in was just baptist christianity lol.

[@Squadia]

As someone who was raised atheist, my heart goes out to everyone sharing their stories in the comments. You are loved, you are not dirty, and your life is not defined by how others (even family members) view you and your choices. Life is just as amazing and beautiful without god and especially without the feeling of impending doom or eternal judgement.

[@monus782]

Thank you, as a former hardcore Catholic it was very difficult for me to leave and sometimes it felt that I lost everything alongside most of my friends (and it doesn't help that a good chunk of family are still in) but times does heal some wounds in the end, I sometimes wish I had an upbringing like yours instead of the one I got but it could've been a lot worse.

[@shreksthirdlefttoe1838]

I went to a church camp a while back, because my friends were going (and I didn’t really have anything else to do.) The first couple of days were really fun and I actually felt safe. One night the preacher ask if anyone needed to get anything off their chests. I started crying as a closeted gay and my friend took me to my counselor to talk. I ended up confiding to her that I was gay. She told me “it’s ok.” I was relieved, but then she said, “a lot of kids get confused. We can help you.” I spent almost every night at camp crying to sleep. I thought I was thinking wrong. I thought I was the problem. It wasn’t easy (especially living in a small rural area), but I realized that I was never the problem in that situation. I hurt a lot, because of what she said. I’m ok now though.

[@transmaniandevil]

I’m so sorry that happened to you. I grew up Christian and also going to camp every summer and for me it was super fun and never got political until I hit puberty. There was a person in my group and we were segregated by gender at camp so they had to go by she/her and be with the girls. but it was clear they were trans and trying to push through the bullshit. I didn’t realize I was also a trans guy until college when I had the opportunity to get out. My heart hurts for all queer and trans youth that have been fucked over by religion and religious people

[@madebysilas]

Growing up as a religious person but becoming super atheist this is a huge breath of fresh air

[@danielanzures2687]

This is why I love y’all so much. Y’all are using your platform to speak on topics, no one wants to touch.

[@lostintranslation3136]

Wherever the dry shave girl is I hope she’s doing great

[@HeroesAndHeroiness]

She's doing better than any of us

[@anotheronechompsthedust9618]

@@HeroesAndHeroiness i sincerely hope so

[@twosdaybear]

It never ceases to amaze me how well Brittany and Sarah put their thoughts into words. They’re hilarious and sometimes trip over or stutter but they’re both so intelligent. You can tell that they really speak with their minds and hearts

[@kathleenschipano730]

My sister and I were called sinners, witches, ungodly, all sorts in high school. I’m from South Carolina so I’ve had kids try to witness to me in the hallway. We literally just didn’t go to church, and our parents encouraged us to choose our own religion.

[@Alyzzardo]

I’m in sc also. It’s still so conservative. This state moves in slow motion

[@ceciliagarza738]

There was so many great and important things in this cast but omfg I am dead over “my inner thighs are definitely my summer foundation shade”

[@meganhollowell4033]

The key to understanding Catholicism is understanding oppression and profiteering, that’s it.

[@mads597]

Wait! You forgot the keen eye for ornate sculpture and stained glass, along with the sprinkle of Eucharistic cannibalism ;)

[@MsEmzRox]

Being Christian also removes the ability to be truly proud of yourself because you made something happen or achieved something significant on your own as they always thank god and gods plan, but that's all you hun, Christianity takes the credit for people's accomplishments

[@galeclark4336]

this part☝🏼 i brought this up at church when i was young and was told i was being very selfish. 😂

[@emilianowaczewski4605]

YES I hate seeing people on social media who either them or their family goes through an intense medical procedure and make it out okay and go "The lord was blessing me, this was all a part of his plan. I'm so thankful to God" Like no... your doctors and nurses who have spent decades being educated and trained in medical practice are the reason you're ok. God didn't do shit

[@MartellaNutella]

YES! This is exactly it

[@JulietteKernDiamond]

I see what you mean but I look at it more as a collaboration.

[@razrv3lc]

It’s no wonder most of the hardcore Christian kids I grew up with wound up having no self-esteem. Everything they did was accredited to god but everything they did wrong was their fault for not being good enough as Christians.

[@spantzz69]

I went to a private Christian school, and one thing that a teacher told us was that if you’re living by what Jesus says, people will notice that you’re different. The point is to be different so people ASK YOU why you’re different. Not to force our beliefs on anybody! It’s childish to think that shoving something down peoples throats will work; that’s not love. I appreciate this conversation, because far too many people, in America specifically, use Christianity as an excuse for their shitty behavior.

[@BelArtist]

This was my first episode and I knew I would enjoy it 😌 I grew up catholic but in South America. In the case of Latinos, it essentially merges with out culture and it’s hard to tell where the division is. Now that I live in the US I notice the differences but it still kind kind of becomes a subculture (the US population is so diverse, after all). Great episode, and this conversation was necessary. Jumping now to the other episodes!! 😘

[@gilly_axolotl]

🫶

[@galletabro2530]

I’m still unsure on my personal beliefs but I know in my old church the bs that they would spew to the congregation was INSANE. I remember a guest speaker came and kept talking about the Rapture and End Times and how he would “be surprised if we made it through the year without the Rapture happening” and to hear that as a 13 year old at the time warped how I viewed my place in the world. Things like that made me believe the Rapture would happen soon so it put me in the mindset of “well I won’t be here in a year so why should I study” and those thoughts piled up for YEARS. When I realized that the Rapture wasn’t happening any time soon I was already so far behind my peers it put me in a really pessimistic and self-doubting headspace. Finally when Covid hit I started to really question what I was being taught and unlearning that mindset, and now at 20 I’m starting to really work on building a future for myself. Long story short if you’re young don’t believe everything someone says just cause they’re older. Also pls don’t let someone convince you to not care abt your future.

[@abbydelossantos9614]

im 21 and going thru the exact same thing :D my dad would always tell me don’t plan on finding a career after high school you won’t ever make it to get married or have kids because the rapture is gonna happen before that. so i never figured out what i wanted out of life and feel lost and alone all the time.

[@bailey1368]

I was raised in the same "People are sinners and when the rapture happens how many people can you say you saved through the word of God.". Which I was a 13 year old girl, why would I be held accountable for other's salvation?? Growing up I was able to see different denominations and come up with my own interpretations that I believe should be based on love and forgiveness and less on constant evangelizing.

[@ladybeneviento]

Okay but as a kid I think I was legitimately afraid of God 😭😭 From the age of 6 - 10 I tried to like look as polite as I could even when doing something like taking the fattest shit of my life because I was taught that God was always watching and I hated it. Additionally I heard that Mary was basically given a child and I was so scared of that I would pray to God sobbing and begging him to not give me a baby LMAOO That really messed with me as a child

[@frozenraspberries1552]

Bro can we also talk about how traumatic it was to believe in demons and how the world was going to violently end soon without warning? XD

[@tmystery9505]

@@frozenraspberries1552 Too relatable. -former Seventh day advertist

[@lasseel3724]

I can relate, when I heard the story of isaac from my mom I was like she's gonna sacrifice me if I don't behave. And whenever I ask her about logical questions she always answers in a bible like way which made me stupid. I don't believe in it now and she knows so she's unto my brother.

[@MegaMoviemaker13]

People be like "Astroworld gave me really bad vibes" like fam yeah people died

[@maddiecakes_1712]

"everything I've been told is a lie" how I've felt since becoming an adult lol

[@ParsnipParsely]

Lady: The power of Christ compels you Dog: barking Lady: *the power of Christ compels you* Dog: continues barking Lady: *flips Cross correct way up Lady: *THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!* Dog: (autotuned/altered) *bark* The first thing that came to mind after reading the title of today's podcast, i mean no offence in this to anyone.

[@mrmosbyslefttit]

Oh my gosh l used to love this clip so much 💀💀💀🤭🤭 took me a minute to remember

[@internallyscreaming90]

One of my favorite clips 😂😂😂

[@RZTree]

Recently I have been learning a lot about how the LDS church treats famous and queer mormons. David Archuletta and Tyler Glen of Neon Trees are both intense examples of how the church will use the individuals' popularity and associations with the church as marketing, and then the second the church can no longer pretend that their golden poster children are fully heteronormative, they turn their campaigns against the performers whos fame they so violently took advantage of.

[@eclecticsteak]

Is David still Mormon?

[@crackdaddyi]

Leaving this as a Christian who grew up in a Texas Baptist church… They’re right. They really hit the nail on the head. It’s all a huge performance for most. There is no “loving your neighbor as yourself” or “take the log out of your own eye before taking the speck in your brother’s” I’m a depressed queer, non-binary person. I regularly go to therapy now, but when I first got diagnosed with depression at the ripe age of 13, no… no because it would make my family look bad. “imagine what everyone would think if they heard you kept having to go to therapy and take medication!!” I wasn’t allowed to get better because none of them had ever gotten better. I wasn’t allowed to seek out medication and therapy because they couldn’t help themselves. I truly believe that Jesus does save. I believe in God. I also believe that to get better you have to help yourself!! You have to be actively trying! I’m still not cured of my chemical imbalance at the age of 18. I don’t talk to most of my family anymore. When I came out as gay to my parents they started crying out of shame. I only really talk to my brother who plays piano for a church on Sunday mornings, and who supports me as a queer person. The church is right back at where it was in biblical times when Jesus ridiculed the pharisees. Modern day christians are they very evil they preach against.

[@lexbro95]

As a fellow queer enby who also has lots of anxiety, I just admire Sarah so much and next time I feel like I'm dying I will look for a frozen bag to shove under my shirt

[@annjay2581]

As a moderate christian from Germany, Americas very public obsession with religion will never stop to entertain me...

[@user-np8yf8fj2w]

IKR, most people are atheist in my country it’s so weird to hear

[@sydneybecker4812]

One could say your country had a obsession religion at one point

[@hanna3685]

oder? absolutely wild …

[@known_film4081]

@@sydneybecker4812 I love that you said this. Europeans act as if they didn't have countless religious wars a few centuries ago and didn't have religious fanatics

[@annjay2581]

@@known_film4081 I never denied what happened CENTURIES ago, Im talking about how it is today, what is your point here?

[@Kitty8598]

i will always find it absolutely hysterical how christians will preach the 'love of god and how he accepts us all as we are' in one sentence and then turn around and call you some of the FOULEST things if you happen to do or agree with something that's 'not in the bible' like ma'am i don't think any of those words you just said to me were in the bible either :/

[@mads597]

“I said God accepts US as WE are. WE, not you.” -the in-group

[@haleybartelds9015]

My mother is an accountant for the church and when I moved out a couple years ago she set up a budget plan for me, this budget plan included 10% of my earnings going to the church (tithe). I was not making enough money for that but my mom fully thought there would be no way I could fail if I was giving money to the church. Still to this day doesn't make sense to me.

[@SavannahCarnley]

As a Christian myself I find it horrible that so many people on social media are trying to force religion onto people, you should respect what that person believes or doesn’t, never force it onto someone, it is extremely disrespectful.

[@TrillestTizzy]

regarding the part about you guys' experience witnessing racism in your communities (church, school) it's not often we hear from that perspective and see a level of empathy that isn't common , I really appreciate you both take the time to educate yourselves on issues pertaining to black people and other marginalised groups and make a point of speaking on your past ignorances and learning and changing & not just talking about it but being about it. It's refreshing to see 2 white women not be fake sympathetic to the issues that matter, actually seeing effort and the care being put forth, really love you guys and your content.

[@SaintShion]

I definitely agree about performative Christianity or using Christianity/ Religion as a tool to forgive themselves for bad choices. My dads family is VERY white republic Christian stereotypes of being wealthy, homophobic and racist. My dad has ASPD (formerly socipathy) and was an alcoholic until 6 yrs ago. Because he went to church he never felt responsible to us, but would have complete psychotic breakdowns and binders but never apologized except to God and asked God for forgiveness is wild to me. His whole family just ignores all problems and just puts on their Midwestern good Christian act. I swear my Grandmas house could be on fire all around her and she'd just stand there like "this is fine, God willed it." My rationship w religion and God (authority figures) was very messed up for a long time. I still can't stand religion, I have panic attacks. I feel closer to my moms culture (Japanese) and buddism.

[@rileymachelle4088]

I never knew a whole lot about Japanese culture and their beliefs. Is it similar to Buddhism or at least more peaceful tham Christianity? And not "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL" all the time? The only amount of education in this I have is from the game Ghost of Tsushima which was made by a western studio lmao. On the Christian part, I'm Canadian-Indigenous and back in highschool I had a friend who was (and still is) a hardcore Christian. In school, the history of the Canadian Residential Schools were often brought up and he'd always get super defensive. If you don't know, it was essentially the Holocaust but for Indigenous people. Only slightly less bad, and Christians were responsible for a LOT of it. He would always say "those weren't REAL Christians though". As if they could do no wrong and it wasn't actually Christians, just some people who said they were. It's like if you were to say "well, the Holocaust wasn’t done by REAL Nazi's. Only the crazies". It's pretty insulting.....that guy and I don't talk much anymore lol

[@ohmavvy]

I still have faith, however here in the philippines it is almost impossible to create a discussion about what "faith" is, and now you guys are talking about it makes me feel included and seen cause if you talk about any criticisms about the church makes you almost immediately seen as an "atheist" which makes no sense??? Wanna hear more about this subject from you guys💗

[@BrittHubbs]

THANK YOU!!! I grew up very evangelical Christian and I have spiritual trauma. I’ve never listened to a podcast where I felt more seen, heard, and understood. I think the issue with Christians pushing their religion on others (Bible thumbing), is they’re taught from a very early age (in most cases) that it’s their sole duty on earth to save man kind and bring them to the lord. They don’t see an issue with it. It’s sad really. They can’t see how harmful and hateful their religion is. Now that I’m out of that religion, I’ve found a higher power of my own understanding. I’m a recovering alcoholic (almost 6 years sober) and I’ve seen more love (and what I would assume Jesus was preaching about), in the rooms of AA, then I ever experienced in the church. Best line of this podcast “I treated God like Santa Claus.” Me too Brittany…me too.

[@margaretgerard7886]

bruh as a former Awana survivor I can attest to this just being used to get rid of children for the night so parents can have a night off lmao

[@rebekah805]

Thiissssss

[@Leonore995]

My parents: “gay people should get married, it says so in the Bible”. Also my parents: *have 2 divorces between them*

[@stayslaying2415]

mine have 5 between them😭😭

[@johnfoote3677]

a long time ago I left christianity because of the bad people who use it as a shield and sword against everyone outside of the religion. Now I've decided to rejoin christianity, focusing on my own feelings and understanding of the word & not messing with anyone else about it. I've already sworn to myself and god that I won't turn into one of THOSE born again christians.

[@zeno2932]

This is me too, i always focus on my own feelings and understanding of the topics. I don't like shoving the religion down people's throats because its someone's choice if they want to or not lol

[@zeno2932]

I hope that made sense 😂

[@bizzle4266]

"He's gonna play devil's advocate with your uterus." That has me shook. Love y'all!

[@laurenl1088]

I appreciate their disclaimer because we can be critical of individuals without hating on an entire group. As a person of faith, I do see religion vs faith as different ways to live what you believe in ❤️

[@Emily-ob7zr]

here to plug fundie fridays, jen and james are the most incredilbe folks and they make learrning about fundamentalism so accessible

[@lindseyhendrix2405]

Seconding this. 🤙🏽

[@lilliansandoval6329]

Stan fundie Fridays

[@hiwithhannah]

As someone who was (keyword was) best friends with a Mormon growing up, I can tell you nothing put me off more to religion than her trying to constantly convert me. I already wasn't religious and the Book of Mormon really was the final nail in the coffin.

[@eclecticsteak]

Same. My best friend growing up was Christian and desperately tried to “save” me. It got to the point where I would only sleep over on Fridays because if I slept over on saturdays she would guilt me into going to church with her the next morning and get so mad if I didn’t go

[@hiwithhannah]

@@eclecticsteak omg, literally my friend would do this too. So manipulative and for what?

[@curlygirlcruzforever9846]

I’m so happy you guys are talking about this. I still live in the south and it’s hard to find other people who are ex Christian’s. It help me not feeling alone hearing y’all’s stories thank you❤️

[@Pierre371]

The only “Christian” KZbinr that I actually vibe with is Micarah Tewers, because while she mentions her faith in some of her videos, she doesn’t come off as “girl defined” you know. She’s like that quirky friend who just happens to be christian and is really chill and is just there to brighten up your day without making you feel like crap for “not being saved, but they will be there out of pity, whilst secretly and sometimes overtly judging you in certain situations” think “hate the sin not the sinner” rhetoric.

[@sarroumarbeu6810]

I think she prefers to make her religiousness very low-key in front of her audience because she knows her target demographic won't vibe that well with it.... She's smart

[@SpiderPunkEnthusiast]

There's this 'christian' youtuber/tiktoker named liv persal who has this series called bible stories with liv which is really funny (all her videos are funny tbh) and she is very accepting of people and doesn't really talk about her faith that much. She also supports the LGBTQIAP+ community :)

[@sara_4500]

Sorry but she’s pro life and friends with many trumpies.

[@sarroumarbeu6810]

@@sara_4500 really??? Shit....guess that ig pic of her and her bestie cosplaying as a missionary giving food to an "indians" lived on .... disappointing..

[@sara_4500]

@@sarroumarbeu6810 I didn’t even know abt this one… oh boy Gross

[@deadbloom7644]

i feel sarah so hard. just in full incognito mode with the ball cap and shades indoors when you just don’t want to be seen or perceived by the world that day but you have to live in it

[@luh.4968]

as a person who grew up in different european countries, the way US citizens practise christianity is just straight up scary. It seems more like a cult than an actual safe space

[@hanna3685]

lol same… i was thinking like “wait what kinda churches have we been going to…?”

[@maryredacted8957]

Such an important conversation. Thank you for the emotional labor that went into having it. I know jokes are made and I love them but this is powerful. I hope you know that. Keep on keeping on.

[@jarretjohnson1672]

I love when one of them makes the other laugh so hard they turn away or can't talk. When you make a funny person laugh that hard, you KNOW you're funny

[@courtdavila]

Without constantly having to beg for forgiveness, how would the Catholic Church wield control over people 🙃😌

[@PadawanoftheSea]

No but actually 💀💀💀

[@erikawinstanley6841]

Yall its honestly wild to hear other people put into words something ive been through but never known how to vocalize and realizing in my adulthood how my issues with the church are intertwined with so many of my current opinions. Yall nailed it with this one!!!

[@coolbeanz333]

This has got to be one of the best episodes of VCG so far. I enjoyed and really needed these convos - made me think about things I hadn’t before. Love you both!! ❤️🥹