Jessie Minassian | AUTHORS BEHAVING BADLY

HI CLICK HERE
Where I’m donating the revenue for this video
BreakOUT: youthbreakout....
&
The Trevor Project:
www.thetrevorp...
Why Christian movies are bad:
• Why Christian Movies a...
Lou’s video on Woven in Moonlight:
• a wrap-up of unhinged ...
Link to the other video explaining Jessie MInassian / Jess Corban: • Jessie Minassian | AUT...
Where I’m donating the revenue for this video
BreakOUT: youthbreakout....
&
The Trevor Project:
www.thetrevorp...
*THINGS I MENTIONED*
Indigenous peoples defend Earths biodiversity: www.google.com...
-Video explaining stereotypes: • Mammy, Jezebel and Sap...
SUPPORT BRAZIL DURING THEIR COVID CRISIS
Direct Relief: -www.directreli...
Support Indigenous communities in Brazil during COVID:
www.vakinha.co...
STOP ASIAN HATE.
Resources:
-linktr.ee/imno...
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Resources:
-Massive list of places and people to donate to: nymag.com/stra...
-Find a protest or fundraiser near you: / events
Find literature to read
Watch Vee Kativhu's video on recommending books to learn about racism: • 10 books you MUST read...
-Support some Black youtubers by watching Myonna Reads' playlist of Black booktubers: • Black Booktubers
Support my channel
-Tip me on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/read...
-Use my link to get $10 off your first Instacart order: inst.cr/t/VTNr...
-Amazon wishlist: www.amazon.com...
Where to find me
-Find me on twitter: / readswithrachel
-Find me on instagram: / readswithrachel
-Contact me by Email: [e-mail]

[@KelsiReads]

"women are hot, fuck off" a new motto

[@ReadswithRachel]

Words I live by. Also, “hail Satan”

[@Reed5016]

I fucking live that.

[@Dez861]

Evidently, a fundy's definition of "emasculated" is: "teaching your sons that it's healthy and acceptable to have emotions, teaching them basic life skills, and letting them dress how they want." These things are also comparable to SA and human trafficking. The more you know.

[@Savenysis]

Ngl, my brain went dyslexic for a minute and I thought you said furry, and was just… really confused for a long time about what furries had to do with any of this?? 😂

[@Dez861]

​@@Savenysis Lmao! No hate to the furries whatsoever. Beastars rules!

[@paisleepunk]

​@@Savenysis this is exactly why i spell it "fundie"

[@Butterfly-ql4pg]

To be honest, it isn't just fundies. It's just about anyone who see toxic men as the pinnacle of masculinity 😂

[@jaday7282]

wait...did she just say "women being abused" and "men being feminized" were on similar grounds? As if they are somehow two sides of the same "gender" coin? Like women being abused does the same amount of damage as "men being feminized" (if that's even a thing)? How disgusting...how vile. Love that for her.

[@Scififan926]

As a queer person who grew up in a fundamentalist environment "Talk to a religious leader about your queerness" is one of the worst advices you can give to a queer teen in an evangelical setting and it's definetly going to put them in a harmful situation. And the worst part is that her and other fundamentalists are probably going to see that harm as a necessary evil to "help" the teen

[@rhysallison8660]

Not from fundie land, but like I was trying to come out in a church (as nonbinary, changing name) -- and the number of times I got yelled at for correcting my name, or trying to have me be a leader of the girls' section. I mostly stayed for a while because there was a set of ESOL and neurodivergent kids that I felt protective of that I knew the other teachers wouldn't know how to interact with kindly. But not a safe environment. (The whole church has gotten increasingly right wing since I left).

[@curriemamabear]

I’m so sorry, this isn’t what Christianity is about and ‘conversion’ is just cruelty and frankly evil.

[@Reed5016]

I also grew up in a shitty evangelical fundamentalist church (specifically, the southern baptist convention). I’m a bi genderfluid person, and I remember how bad it was after coming out as bi. I haven’t told them my gender identity yet, but I know how bad it’ll be if I do. I’m not a kid anymore, but I still struggle with coming out. Being surrounded by hat type of atmosphere from a young age really affects a person negatively.

[@GrayYeonWannabe]

​@@curriemamabeari get that maybe your christianity isnt about that, but for a large (&increasingly loud & violent) chunk of american christians, it most definitely is

[@bluester7177]

​@@GrayYeonWannabenot just americans either, because it's spreading.

[@cornstarchpajamas5695]

When talking about the worst things that men vs women face in modern day she goes “men are emasculated and women are being abused and trafficked”. Often I see that people cry that men are being emasculated when men actively choose to do things typically deemed feminine, like wearing skirts or liking shoes (though they also say men are being emasculated when they cook for themselves? And do literal basic life skills). But women being abusive and trafficked have no choice. So the writer saw women being abused but then saw men choosing to express themselves how they want and decided that was just as serious of an issue. I’d care more about liberating a woman from a horrible situation than trying to convince a man not to do something he likes to do because it’s “girly”

[@nancyjay790]

I remember when my oldest brother decided to study home economics. This was in a Texas high school. Several of his friends belittled and mocked him, until he said, "I'm the only guy in a class full of pretty girls." And some of that was true for his motivation, but he also explained to me that he wanted to be able to cook and sew for himself. He also learned ironing and a little about budgeting. When he got his first place for himself, he was so much better set up to look after himself than lots of guys his age. But I am sure he would be even more bullied nowadays for taking a "girls' class" than he was then.

[@erickatojong6542]

@@laylachisom8996 Tate’s in custody 👮🏻‍♀️🚨

[@gothicavictoria1341]

@@laylachisom8996 There's only three options here. You're either a troll, a delusional woman, or a man with a fake profile typing stuff in the vain hopes that Tate will let you sniff his balls. This is just so pathetic. Take a hike

[@basicallyno1722]

Liking shoes 😂 kind of hilarious considering all the sneakerhead dudes out there spending thousands on the same shoe in different colors. And skirts? So many men across the world wear “skirts” or dresses. Scottish kilts, Desi Salwar kameez, etc. our ideas on gender expression is so weird. People think they’re gay or transgender because they like to adorn their bodies with ordinary items.

[@cecilbenderman6240]

the whole "queerness comes from trauma" thing is SO damaging honestly like. like sure, personally my sex repulsion in terms of my asexuality comes from trauma, but i was always queer. i was always trans and i was always bi and i have always been queer. sure certain aspects have been influenced by trauma, but i have always been as i am, the same for ALL queer people. im so glad you called that out and its so disgusting to still see cishet people claim thats why were queer

[@rachelcarpenter3965]

And have you always been asexual, maybe just less sex-repulsed? Of course, our sexuality, like everything else in our lives, can be affected by trauma, but it's usually by small diversions from what would be normal for us without the trauma. I'm asexual, and I have always been asexual, but my chronic illness is the most likely reason I have 0 libido.

[@cecilbenderman6240]

@@rachelcarpenter3965 Yeah, I was always asexual, but prior to my SA, I was actually pretty sex-positive. It wasn't something I ever suggested or wanted, but if my partner wanted to, I wasn't opposed and was happy to make them happy with it. But yeah I do think the reason now that I have very strong sex repulsion is because of trauma, but I've always been asexual like u said :D

[@devonmmi]

EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY

[@Blargle42069]

I know this comment is old, but as someone who’s traumatized and likely have some of how I identify affected by it (thanks multiple instances of trauma going down lol), I hate that bigots use it to invalidate queer people, and throw it back at them and strip us of our autonomy in a way. Like yes, I’m a lesbian who’s distrustful/afraid of men due to trauma, likewise with my disdain of being seen as a woman, but does it matter? Is it really invalid? If it’s a genuine feeling then who fucking cares about the source of that emotion? Apologies if this is incoherent, I’m terrible with words and articulating my thoughts.

[@itsyaboyj0j0]

I grew up evangelical and oof ... none of this surprises me lol. On a funnier note, when I wanted to get baptized the pastor strongly suggested that I should give 10% of my income to the church. I explained that as a 14 year old I had no income, so he suggested I would have to get those 10% out of my allowance... as in the money my parents would give me so i could feed myself at school. It's outrageous but I can't help but to laugh at our ridiculous they are.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Yup that tracks. “I don’t have an allowance I only get 25c if I do a special chore” “God needs that 25c!” 🤔

[@melelizabeth1732]

I was flipping through a Christian magazine that my fundamentalist parents get me and saw an article about this author, which led me here. She says that “someone had dug around, unearthed my personal beliefs about sexuality and marriage, and publicized them to social media” with regards to the controversy. She also says people “twisted my words and persuaded others to believe lies. It was incredibly dehumanizing.” I cannot believe the nerve of this woman. Making herself into the victim when she’s the one who has done unimaginable harm to young people reading her propaganda. Thank you for shedding light on the issue with this video.

[@melelizabeth1732]

She also claims that being cancelled like she was is worse than genocide, enslavement, or being exiled. Disgusting.

[@ReadswithRachel]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Send me the name of the magazine please oh my god I am screaming

[@ReadswithRachel]

“Dug around” like wtf I READ HER OTHER BOOKS! And her own blog! Where she called “homosexuality” a “sin”. You wanna know what’s dehumanizing? Having my easting disorder twisted to fit her fucking religious beliefs. No no no this is ridiculous I am so mad. THEYRE NOT “PERSONAL BELIEFS” IF YOU ARE LITERALLY TEACHING THEM TO MINORS!!!!!! IT IS CALLED DOCTRINE! And you are weaponizing it! Ahhhhhh I’m so pissed

[@melelizabeth1732]

@@ReadswithRachel It’s the April issue of Brio, which is Focus on the Family’s teen girls magazine (lots and lots of problems with it too). Jessie is also on the Brio staff, which I didn’t know until now.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I SHOULD HAVE GUESSED IT WAS BRIO I AM NDJSAHFDSKJAFDHSAJFHDSJFHJKAFSHJKFASDHKFASHJKFASNFJKASH I AM SCREAMING

[@kathleenschwab4645]

Great line from an amazon review: "My brother described this book as “what the ‘women should be forced to marry at 14 and shouldn’t be allowed out of the house’ crazies think feminists want, or something”. Honestly, the entire book reads like an SNL skit of an obviously over-the-top parody of “women’s rights”. "

[@WinterPains]

Just so you know, an apostrophe is proper notation for quotes within a quote.

[@rach1496]

I could tell from your voice/demeanor how much this affected you. Thank you for speaking out about this and sending love ❤️

[@ReadswithRachel]

I appreciate that. The situation ended up getting worse with the author, she accused me of “cancelling” her and lied about me in a magazine, and it was so many layers of compounded trauma. I’m still really hurt by it all.

[@gem9535]

@@ReadswithRachel Cultists gonna cult, but we all know who's really going to the land of eternal smores--if it exists.

[@colleen6644]

@@gem9535 Land of eternal smores is amazing. Thank you.

[@ZoeMares-q4t]

I'm a Christian and I believe God loves everyone, even members of the LGBTQ community, and people like this woman are not doing his work by doing this crap. I'm even still on the fence about my own sexuality and I know God still loves me.

[@TheTrueKarin]

So true. God created everyone and loves everyone of us. Who dares to decided that is a sin or not? I would honestly lie if I say I understand those things but I am willing to learn and respect everyone choices. Like „Love your neighbor“ and all those Bible verse😅

[@TheRPGNerd]

the bisexual lifestyle is buying too many blankets. its me im the bisexual lifestyle

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hard same

[@abigailm.6712]

Oh that explains a lot.

[@Darbster]

​​@@abigailm.6712 Definitely does😮 I mean not just you lol

[@AGoofyJester]

Real

[@haggisa]

Oh my god, it THAT why I do it?! Exposed! Bisexual blanket buyers, unite!

[@katiewilliams9771]

Came here from Book Communitea 😊 First of all, thank you for this deep dive on this terrible person, but also, thank you for vulnerability. I can see it takes so much to talk about this and I just want to thank you for doing this work so young readers don’t stumble upon this harmful book. Second, when you said, “is God a narcissist?”, it made me think of a Sunday school lesson I had as a little kid when the pastor said God was “a jealous god”. He said this when discussing the commandment not to have any idols or other gods. I remember thinking to myself, “so God’s perfect but he has a super ugly human emotion, and we’re just supposed to deal with it?” and tbh the memory of that lesson still pops into my head sometimes. Her assertion that eating disorders are wrong because they hurt God’s feelings is the same kind of thing. It’s also disgusting.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hi Katherine! Thanks for watching. Wow, I hadnt thought about the whole teaching of "god is a jealous god" in a long time. You make an excellent point. If God is perfect, then how can he also be a jealous God? If God "is love", then why would he get jealous at all? Is jealousy then part of love? This is a great example of something i had to do a lot of mental gymnastics in order to justify while I was a fundie.

[@rachelcarpenter3965]

I grew up reading Jessie's blog, and it fucked me up. Like, badly. I'm so lucky I didn't know I was queer when I was a teenager, but I had an eating disorder and the way she (and others like her) taught me to think about my struggles was so awful and left me completely helpless to actually heal. Finally, I broke out of the mindset by the age of 17 (I don't remember how, honestly, but somehow it happened, probably from my parents and friends not being quite as terrible as Jessie) and was able to heal, but WOW, was that a mindfuck. I'm so glad you're talking about this and warning others of the damage she causes.

[@MargaretPinard]

"Is God a narcissist?" "Sounds like it" 🔥👏🏼🔥

[@nicholasrodinos4701]

The Book of Job definitely reads like something a narcissist would do if they had god-like power. Seriously God allows Satan to kill Job's entire family and after it's over he's like "I resurrected them and here are a few more kids, thanks for not being a wuss about the whole suffering thing."

[@comradeRat8545]

@@nicholasrodinos4701it’s worse than that, nobody gets resurrected in Job, he just gets new wives and children. Because, apparently, god thinks wives and children are fungible.

[@emuemma]

I grew up baptist, and the way that I GASPED in recognition when you showed the cover of Unashamed. I literally bought ALL of her books in middle and high school when I was desperately trying keep my head under the waters of christianity. These were sold at the annual Girls Conference that one of the local churches holds. All of her books were along the same lines of Unashamed (which consequently, made me even more ashamed of myself and my sexuality).

[@EveryDayALittleDeath]

22:32 got to this part. Ignoring the god stuff for a minute because I don't know much about fundies, I HATE the misconception that eating disorders are about body image, numbing emotional pain with food, or both. I have a lesser known eating disorder called ARFID that has nothing to do with either of those things. Mine is caused by sensory issues and lack of appetite, but the third possible cause is fear of choking, vomiting, or allergic reaction. Not all eating disorders are about body image or food addiction and this mindset causes so many people with ARFID to not get the help they need.

[@basicallyno1722]

ARFID is pretty new and a lot of people don’t recognize it yet. It’s mostly labeled as picky eating and not many people understand that there are legitimate fears of certain foods involved for many people with ARFID. Eating disorders that are motivated by body dysmorphia should definitely be specified.

[@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643]

@@EveryDayALittleDeath my severe anorexia nervosa IS about body image and body dysmorphia though…

[@EveryDayALittleDeath]

@ I never said eating disorders are *never* caused by body image/dysmorphia. Just that the idea that the only causes are that or numbing emotional pain with food is harmful to sufferers who have EDs for other reasons.

[@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643]

@@EveryDayALittleDeath but you did though. Reread your own post, because you did say exactly that.

[@EveryDayALittleDeath]

@@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643 I reread it, and no, I never said they're never caused by that. At one point I was not as clear as I could be that yes, some are, but considering that I later specify "not *all* eating disorders are caused by body image or food addiction" I figured it would be understood that sometimes they are and I'm not trying to invalidate that.

[@nmariette2948]

You talking about fundamentalism was so so so accurate. I grew up in an evangelical pentecostal church. My mom was even a volunteer at a Crisis Pregnancy Centre here in Canada. Evangelical Christianity was so damaging to me and leaving was one of the best things I’ve ever done. The jargon definitely got me. Expressions like “of the earth”, “fellowships”, referring to congregation members as “brother” or “sister in christ”, “anointed”, and “discernment” are just some of the ones that are the most goose-bump inducing to me. Anyway, loved everything about this video.

[@Mermaidsandsoulmates]

A couple of those chapters actually made me cry. I'm bi, I've had anorexia and bulimia, I've struggled with food since I was a teenager. I've hated my body and compared myself to people in the media, this has nothing to do with God. It shouldn't be a thing that needs to be said.

[@Harudodo]

Dude the “trans men think it’s better for them to be a man than a woman because society” argument absolutely ticks me off. I’m ftm. I would LOVE to be a woman! Women are so badass. Unfortunately, I’m just not one. But I guess even though I would love to be a cisgender woman I transitioned because patriarchy?

[@JessOwens]

OMG, I cannot imagine myself as a teenager girl reading this Unashamed book. How fucking DANGEROUS and GROSS. As if society doesn't mess us up enough, this book is making it way worse. I am screaming at my laptop right now listening to this. I hope doing all this research didn't negatively impact you too much because this is mental abuse, whew.

[@ReadswithRachel]

omg Jess I will NOT lie, my therapist is gonna get her moneys worth of work when i discuss all the trauma this rehashed BUT, I just really want people to know so they don't get harmed by this lady. Thanks for watching and I hope it didn't bring up any trauma for you

[@rachelcarpenter3965]

I read Jessie Manasian's blog when I was a teenager and it, along with other "resources" such as Focus on the Family, had me convinced that the eating disorder I struggled with for years was a sin. It was fucking awful. Good thing I didn't know I was queer back then, man.

[@Rainyrachreads]

Dang, this is some good investigative journalism! Your channel is so underrated

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much!

[@timv82]

Just DNF’d this book due to the creepy fundamentalism and found you due to your review on Goodreads love what you have to say about all this. Was raised Mormon and was forced into conversion therapy so stuff like this really sets me off.

[@taylorgayhart9497]

“Is god a narcissist? Sure sounds like it.” Yeah a big step for me in leaving the church was realizing “wow, this ‘god’ you’re describing is kinda an asshole”.

[@butterednoodle2329]

As an PK (Pastor’s kid) who happened to be gay, Christianity in general makes me nervous. No joke, I used to think that “Ok I’m sinful but god basically gives a free pass if I believe in him so…” without realizing the fact that a part of me is just wrong for no reason. The anti-queer sentiments in this just make my heart twist up, because I just want to have the same rights as others. I’ve been fired for being gay. I had boyfriends ask if we can invite a girl next time because I’m bi. It isn’t just Christians, but they are the most vocal about me to tell me I should be ashamed and pray the gay away. Even my own mother didn’t listen to my MH concerns until she couldn’t ignore it anymore. So yeah, have a lot of negative feelings growing up in a super religious house. This is all fucked. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[@VerityBooks]

This was A LOT. Thank you for doing all the work to uncover and share this, especially with how hard it must've been emotionally

[@ReadswithRachel]

Definitely lost sleep because it was unsettling, but happy to get the word out if it means others don’t end up harmed by her

[@zevrxn]

i have a theory that the way catholicism is by and large the most popular religion in my country kinda keeps the worst of evangelical fundamentalism at bay. it still exists, but it's not as insane as it is in the USA. it's like having a more mild and low-maintenance version of christianity widely available keeps people from getting caught in the more harmful sects of it.

[@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643]

My Catholic high school tried banning Philip Pullman (2005/2006) and I got into severe trouble because I fought back (“attacked”) when a pos teacher tried to take my book from me and throw it in the trash. This teacher also was a “fundamental Catholic”-idk how else to explain her nonsense but she taught nonsense that wasn’t Catholicism sanctified or taught by the Church-so it was overall not good, and he’s a “banned author” even in other sects. I was also told by the school administration that his books were not allowed bc of what he wrote. I just put a book cover on it and kept bringing it to school. My gothic, alt-religious self, named after a demoness, was always going to be “a source of trouble” no matter what I did though, so I didn’t really care what punishments could possibly be.

[@basicallyno1722]

It’s so funny that Pullman never calls the church in Lyra’s world Catholic but there’s a reason why Catholics notice the similarities and feel triggered by it 😅

[@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643]

@ right?!

[@Teajay21]

Oh interesting because I feel like I read The Golden Compass from my Catholic middle school library but it might have belonged to my English teacher's classroom library and she pushed the envelope a bit.

[@LavendelleColorpoint]

Im not any way related to fundie ideals or culture, but as a non-christian i did have a lot of people attempt to convert me growing up. This sheds some light on why omfg

[@Harudodo]

I hate the idea of “converting” people, especially in this day and age. I can see its merits a hundred years ago, but nowadays if you’re interested in a certain religion you can easily research it and find places and people a part of it. It’s also just impossible for someone to not know the basics of Christianity. If someone is happy and confident in their religion, it’s just disrespectful to try and convert them

[@RuthMadisonAuthor]

Reminds me of the time in college an evangelical suggested attending a Muslim student dinner to learn more about them to better convert them.

[@theferalcollection]

Recently got into your videos through the authors behaving badly and have been working through the channel. I also grew up fundie (but our church was the type that called ourselves "non-denominational" and borrowed a little from Pentecostal beliefs about the Gifts). I literally had a physical reaction the first time you played that video of speaking; my whole body tensed. omg. great video! can't wait to watch more

[@sadezem991]

Holy shit, it is so evident that she used the "hip" music, cloth headband and what she thinks is a younger, more liberal dialect in the video posted on the alias account. This is so transparent.

[@nicole.z.624]

I was thinking the same thing! The way she dressed, spoke & acted in her alias account vs her original account was really telling

[@Lizabeth1994]

her answer about if it was diverse - YIKES

[@MargaretPinard]

Interesting points about "Fund-y" jargon and ability to parse out as a former member of that community--rings a bell with Hood Feminism point about people within the community knowing best its own issues 🔥👏🏼

[@mintghost]

The part with her book talking about secret sins, really hit me hard. all of it really hit close to home, and I too, HATED it.

[@rootbeerfloat92]

I've never heard another person describe so closely what I've experienced myself while growing up. I totally get what you said about knowing what these people are thinking about you, because I know there's no way for me to have a constructive conversation with the family members that abused and traumatized me. Like you said, they don't care about you, they care about your sin. I was able to leave the situation my senior year of high school but I didn't end the relationship until recently, now almost 15 years later, when my mom told me (through email) that I shouldn't "move on" from what happened in my childhood because I'm "wrong" about what happened. Yeah. Your videos where you discuss these things is so so so validating and really aligns with my thoughts and beliefs now.

[@TheElvenWitch]

Subbed because I appreciate that you discuss these things. I was raised fundie pentacostal and also taught ABEKA. Puke. Thank you!

[@belladriggers8210]

Oh my gosh this reminds me of something that happened on an online Catholic youth retreat I went on during COVID. There was this nun who was talking about how she found Christ and everything was fine until she started talking about how you could turn to God in your brokenness from sin and he will help mend it. She started listing all of this things and then she mentioned 'struggling with homosexuality'. She was like 'oh it isn't natural blah blah blah' and completely ignored the kids in the Zoom chat commenting about her saying that even though she was very clearly was reading them. I still can't believe that they were letting her say these things, especially to a group of 12-18 year olds.

[@curriemamabear]

Christian here with maybe a controversial opinion but Ive never understood ‘Christian’ men’s hatred of women as anything but envy seeing as god created man and then immediately created woman as an improvement.

[@Mizuuu1]

one thing i want to mention: its very good you bring awareness to ableism and stigma against disability, but its important to note that NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) is ALSO a disorder/disability/illness, and while obviously yes there are bad narcs, i just wanna say that in the fight against ableism, please remember cluster b folks and the stigma and negative associations with our disorders as well

[@thenyctophiliaphantasmagor8643]

@@Mizuuu1 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻thank you from a person in the BPD corner of this personality disorder spectrum for saying this

[@Sararose48]

When I’m at my lowest and need money I ask my dad to donate to the “SJM foundation” which is just my initials

[@yasidiaz8659]

I grew up in a fundamentalist church in Puerto Rico and so many of these things hit way too close. Although in PR people would say "creyentes" (which is "believers" in Spanish) for people who believe in God but don’t practice Christianity the way they want you to. It's used in such a disgusting way, honestly.

[@howdyhoward]

WOW that was a lot. thank you for doing all that work and i hope you're taking the time to take care of yourself and process after going so deep back into it

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you. Did this on a tough week too because I ran out of antidepressants 🤦🏻‍♀️ had to make an appointment to get a refill which of course same day appointments never happen so it was a whole mess! Feeling better now but yeah this lady lost me a lot of sleep

[@BekahBrownie]

The sniffing it out thing is very true. I’m not part of the LDS church anymore and haven’t for almost a decade but I can sniff out a LDS or Utah girlie on TikTok from a mile away. 😂

[@devilbutch]

16:19 THANK YOU for including trans men and gnc ppl in the convo here. as a trans guy I often feel invisible when people are discussing reproductive rights and how much danger people who can get pregnant are in right now. so much appreciated there

[@kookyzebra6550]

Mental illness being a sin is one of the worst takes I've ever heard. Wow, this author should not be writing anything for young adults. She's terrible 🤬

[@Stephnbeans]

These christian books that are all shame-based that are supposed to reflect Jesus make me nauseous. The people that Jesus shamed were legalists who said they were followers of God but were only self-interested. (I am a christian working through my own religious trauma and trying to reconcile that with my personal faith). Also, the commentary on the breathy voice is so accurate and it’s weird that it’s even a thing.

[@merivial8661]

Roman Catholic here... how fundy protestants see God amazes me so much in a bad way. What happened to God's mercy, love, and compassion? Even though I do talk about religion, I always do it (and the Catholic Church recommends to do it this way) from my experience, the joy I have living as a Catholic, and ESPECIALLY not trying to convert the other person. This is the source of hatred: to force your beliefs on someone. ugh.

[@LuxuriousBlu]

Thank you for doing this video, because it was important information that needed to be addressed. You had knowledge about fundamentalism that some of us did not have and may have been enticed to acquire or consume this book and find out after the fact that it was not what was for us.

[@comfortismusic2013]

Your point about being scared to talk to fundies (can I call them that?) about your queerness is so real. I feel you I can debate Christian’s about almost anything other than being queer, in general. My old school used to show us things and it took all my energy not to cry I could barely think at all.

[@KelsiReads]

i love that i've watched so many of your videos that in the first 10 seconds i'm like "oh damn this is the pissed off intro"

[@KelsiReads]

"how men and women were designed" 🚩🚩🚩

[@ReadswithRachel]

The pissed off intro lol THE ACCURACY!!! THE WAY YOU KNOW ME!!! Yes “designed” is another one of those fundie words I cringe at along with the phrase “that’s a word” (word here to mean prophesy), “doing life with you”, and “getting into the word” (reading the Bible). It’s like it’s own language so I can literally hear a fundie speak and know within ten seconds

[@annalisaslibrary]

I didn't grow up exactly in fundamentalism but more fundy adjacent, where only a few members of my church were fully that way but we read books by fundamentalists and had threads of it throughout our curriculum, and then I went to a fundamentalist Bible School (they don't advertise their fundamentalism, so I didn't get the vibes until after I had paid for the school and they sent their packet of rule) so I'm familiar with a lot of it, and I have that kind of sense as well, and it gives me the creeps. Ew, I hate listening to her talk! Ugh, "emasculated" yuck! I'm glad you found her out and have been calling attention to this, it's gross.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oof I hate to hear you had to pay for and endure a fundie school. Sending you e-hugs because BEEN THERE.

[@MargaretPinard]

I don't think I caught that 6 synopses of cult-y stories video! What an idea, and incredible what people accept. Glad you're in an OK place now 💖

[@jenniferrogers9247]

23:54 it’s actually really comforting to me to hear that this is a common viewpoint, i was told this by my uncle and had never heard anyone else say it so i feel weirdly better knowing it’s common

[@standdownrobots_ihaveoldglory]

As a celibate pan person, I feel like I am letting down the pansexual agenda and lifestyle by not getting busy haha... I'll try harder to get laid to oppose the holy rollers 😂 (I'm just really tired & loving living alone again lol)

[@SaigesArstgo1031]

Do you think im upsetting the bisexual agenda by getting married and just.. being married? 🤔

[@c3ljean]

All I wanna say is thank you. As someone who was raised in a strict christian environment and grew to be queer. You handled the subject with grace and I completely appreciated your stance. So thank you for standing with us! ♥️🫂🏳️‍🌈

[@readingandrum]

Ok side note...i had no idea Narnia could be classified as Christian Fiction..that is definitely something they didn't tell me in school..

[@ReadswithRachel]

Ohhhh yeah it definitely is. Aslan the lion is supposed to be representative of Jesus, and him dying on the stone table in place of Edmund is supposed to represent Jesus dying on the cross to “save humans from sin” yadda yadda. Great books either way but yes definitely Christian fiction. My favorite narnia book is the horse and his boy!

[@readingandrum]

@@ReadswithRachel whoa.... i own a box set from the 70s and ive been thinking about reading them so definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled for the Christian symbolism!!

[@bluedragonfly8139]

It gets a *lot* less subtle by the last book.

[@SilentSong123]

Some things in Prince Caspian sounded a bit racist to me did anyone else see that or just me? You should really look into CS Lewis. Like the fact that only a human could rule Narnia.

[@RuthMadisonAuthor]

I’m Hindu and me and my Jewish best friend loved those books. I had no idea the Christian imagery and philosophy in it 😂

[@tambrooks6316]

I've been casually following for quite some time, and decided to dive in to some of the fundie stuff you've been posting; as someone who grew up in what people refer to as a cult (and I'm on that page now as well), I'm finding all this hella relatable. What's awful tho is that all the ads I've gotten on this are related to like, PureFlix and a detransitioner propaganda documentary, and I'm like...y'all don't even know who you're advertising on, ughhhhhhh. Or they do and they're doing it on purpose. F off, ads!

[@TheBookishSock]

I’m having so many throwbacks watching this right now because I was also raised fundy and yeeted it from my life in my adulthood 😅

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hi! SAME!!! Fellow member of former fundie club

[@makennanugent9665]

I was raised fundie too, and now I am a practicing pagan witch. And my mental health is 1000% better than back then. My relationship to sex is healthier. My relationship to my body is better (I had an ED while I was a Christian teen).

[@tinal8447]

This was 44mins and is part one of three (or four) videos and it's still not long enough to dive into the madness that is thus lady's Fundy subterfuge. This shit is scary. Thank you for opening the eyes of the YA communities. P.S. is there a way to "donate" to The Rachel Fund? :)

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you for watching! I agree it IS so scary, honestly I lost a lot of sleep because all of this was so unsettling. I do have a link to my ko-fi account in my video description! Lol all proceeds go to funding....my love of books 🤣🤣🤣

[@ReadswithRachel]

Omg! Just saw kofi emailed me! Tina thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@tinal8447]

@@ReadswithRachel You're very welcome. It was my pleasure. If you don't mind me saying so, I couldn't help noticing how affecting creating this video was for you. It may not be much of a donation, but hopefully, receiving proof that whatever struggles you went through in making this hella important video essay (which helped me learn that not every author publishing novels in my favorite genre has "pure" intentions) wasn't a thankless gesture. Plus, my capitalist conditioning tells me the best way to show support is with money. In this case, I don't mind one bit!

[@RachelBenedetti]

As soon as someone says "this is not just for Christians, but for the wider world" it turns me off. All that means to me is that you are trying to sneak in the stuff that made me leave the church in the first place.

[@SilentSong123]

TRIGGER WARNING The way she talked about cutting being a sin really boils my buttons as someone who has self harm scars and struggles a lot with depression.

[@clairethompson5549]

Holy crap, I had forgotten about the Girls of Grace conference. I was there! Good for us for getting away from that life.

[@floreya67]

Hey, thank you so much for making this video. It obviously has a huge impact on you, and the fact that you take the time and energy to wade trough the garbage to protect us is amazingly kind. I'm also very queer, and this video makes sure that I feel absolutely safe on your channel, thank you!!

[@Slatersan42]

Good for you for highlighting this bait and switch crap. I think one thing that holds fundimentalists back from communicating their message is that, being super insular and culty, they don't have any idea how fucking crazy they sound to people who aren't already indoctrinated. You are doing the Lord's work(I did that on purpose,) exposing this garbage.

[@xsonicechox]

No wait! I'm so fascinated (and obviously horrified), and then it ended!

[@ReadswithRachel]

Part 2 is coming I promise! Here’s an excerpt from the book so you get an idea of what wild nonsense is coming in the review. In this part she uses a morally grey character to weave together her anti-vaxx stance, her anti-pornography stance, her belief that feminists are trying to emasculate men, and a complete lack of understanding of how testosterone works! And more! “Mel did it. She figured it out: a vaccine for infants that prevents testosterone from reaching viable levels, AND another “vaccine” for existing testosterone-carrying men that obliterates their sperm. I have a meeting today with my contact at Xavier Pharmaceuticals to see what it would take to mass produce, and my media maven assures me that with the right positioning, fake reports of the “Scrotia Virus”-more contagious than coronaviruses and AIDS combined!-will easily go viral. Side note: it’s a little disconcerting how easily our vaccine “additives” and “preservatives” have passed through federal testing. Either Mel is really good at what she does, or there are more holes in these regulations than Swiss cheese. Coalition’s leadership council last month. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Some have reservations, but after meeting with each leader individually the past few weeks, they have accepted the truth: for the safety and survival of women, we must do something. Men are broken. Maybe they weren’t a hundred years ago, I don’t know. But something has changed in the twenty-first century. Maybe they’ve corrupted their own DNA with their unchecked addiction to the “new drug,” as a movement from my mother’s era put it. Sometimes I wonder how the world would be different if they’d stopped the flood before it started-maybe put an end to online pornography before it warped into an addiction of pandemic proportions.”

[@meadowlark1994]

@@ReadswithRachel what the actual f*ck I'm??? Can't wait to watch your review of the actual book omg

[@katelynbrown98]

@@ReadswithRachel eww that writing is disgusting & not even good!!

[@mrsiz218]

This woman makes my skin crawl! Then when she talks, ugh, I just cringe!!!! Thank you Rachel for shining the spotlight on her! *shudders*

[@k.g.7591]

You're really right, christian fundamentalism and redfem do share a lot. The urge to control culture by imposing and reinforcing a social hierarchy and traditional gender ideals. The need to oversimplify anything about life to maintain power over it.

[@SilentSong123]

When my grandma was still around Focus on the family was always on and it drives me nuts

[@missyroberts8197]

I know I promised I wouldn't comment until the end of videos, but pocus in the fanny. I'm never going to recover from that. And he just said that with so much pride like it wasn't the most horrifying thing

[@missyroberts8197]

I promised myself, I know you didn't ask me not to comment until the end. I just tend to get excited and open my mouth when I have a thought🤣

[@melobookcover972]

I know I'm late, but...as a Christian I am deeply sorry for these people behavior. I don't think that God told her to write this bull... honestly. I am ashamed.🤦🏾‍♀️

[@amytheshihtzumom]

I'm very late to this video, but I just have to point out again what others have said, medical conditions are not sins! It's very convenient for this group to pick and choose which medical conditions are sins and which they think are not. I also grew up in a fundamentalist community. Thank you for this important video that points out the manipulation this author is using.

[@bebella9005]

Thank you for working so hard on this video! This was amazing 🙌🏼

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much!!

[@missyroberts8197]

Oh my gosh, the segue from you talking about fundies to a weird ass Pure Flix ad. LOL KZbin algorithm needs a tune up

[@nonfictionfeminist]

You are the feminist I need in my life ❤️ also you seem really tired, though the fight never ends so I can't blame you

[@ReadswithRachel]

This stuff is really heavy for me because of trauma, and I lost a lot of sleep thinking about all the harm she's done to people similar to what was done to me. I hope this reaches people and prevents trauma for them, or helps them know they're not alone. I worry constant;y about girls who are 12, whos parents think this woman and other fundies are good role models when in fact theyre sources of trauma. It's a lot lol I wanted to be upbeat like normal but with this, I just couldnt.

[@SilentSong123]

I can't go one day without someone in my family trying to convert me all I was allowed to read was Christian fiction as a kid.

[@Ely.S13]

“If I had a daughter who read this I would sue her” …I thought you meant your daughter 😂

[@priscillamagdalena6820]

What the actual FUCK. Thank you for doing this! 🖤

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thanks for watching. The more people that know, the less chance that the book can harm unsuspecting readers.

[@palor2911]

Thank you! You are doing God's work. I stumbled upon this video by accident and don't know anyone who is a "fundy" (first time hearing that term), but I love hearing someone talk about something they're knowledgeable about. I love how you said you picked up words that were used and just knew the author is probably a fundy. Anyway, I love reading YA and will be avoiding this book.

[@piapedersen]

I've been watching several of your videos after your channel was recommended to me a few days ago. This one made me subscribe.

[@AnABSOLUTEBarbarian]

12:14 I wonder how she thinks those two points correlate with one another. How would emasculating men correlate to human trafficking? And I’m going to go ahead and assume she is defining emasculating men as feminism and egalitarianism. And it’s interesting she would make that connection because by all means human trafficking is a result of capitalism, colonialism, and the patriarch. So it’s weird she’s seemingly acknowledging that complementarianism enables human trafficking as she is advertising her book that is no doubt propaganda supporting that idea. The lack of self awareness…the Schadenfreude in me finds delicious but the human in me cringes in second hand embarrassment. I can only imagine how much harm these books cause…

[@eliza.the.earthling]

This is so CREEPY and interesting… I thank you for deep diving and unearthing the dirty truth.

[@loureadingthings]

YESS GIRL GO OFF I'VE GOT YOUR FLOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ReadswithRachel]

The way I can always count on you 🌸

[@themusicsnob]

Thanks for breaking this down. Eeep, this is some deeply disturbing shit

[@ReadswithRachel]

DEEPLY

[@Mycologyenthusiast]

Omgosh the way she says stuff is so sus, like my back prickles whenever you have a clip of her talking on screen

[@curriemamabear]

Mental Illness isn’t a sin it’s a something uncomfortable that Christian don’t want to deal with so they just blame you because how dare your life not look like theirs. You know their life, that’s perfect, because they’re the only people who didn’t actually need salvation, bc their perfect and ultimately equal to god and….oh wait that’s all blasphemy.

[@alexandrallorens2221]

Less triggered to remember my southern Baptist upbringing *cringe* by this video 🖤 and more triggered by what I saw by going on her instagram to snoop 👀 *cringe in aquarius* lol Also me slowly falling in love after binging your videos 😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

Omg thank you for watching and supporting me! 😭💕💕💕💕

[@lidaw.5145]

I'm bi and went to an all-girls catholic school, and honestly looking back, i got really lucky?? there was a thriving queer community among the students (and also the teachers respected chosen names), so i had a safe space to figure out my sexuality from wow-haha-that's-weird-that-i-feel-like-i-have-a-crush-on-this-girl to that-IS-a-crush-and-it's-absolutely-valid

[@moustik31]

The only thing fundies are advertising is their lack of honesty and empathy. Very annoying for a religion supposedly built on the idea of unconditional love. Also, what happened to the devil being the father of lies? Which master are fundies serving again? 🤨

[@kelseyd1882]

It's weird how all these fundamentalists on social media have the exact same speech mannerisms. This author sounds exactly like the girl defined girls in the way she speaks as well as the harmful beliefs she spouts.

[@lisagilbert8497]

😂 in Australia they are worse ! Ken Ham for example and the fundies are sending missionaries to Australia in droves

[@ReadswithRachel]

Ken Ham is Australian?! I didn’t know that

[@RachelFinston]

God, her vibe is so menacing, I would be afraid to encounter that author 😳

[@AcanthaDante]

I'm late to the party, but I'm pretty sure the National Centre for Sexual Exploitation is the group that pressured Steam to remove the match-3 eroge (erotic game, jic) Hunie Pop and Yuri visual novel Kindred Spirits on the Roof for sexual content, all the while ignoring the Witcher 3 even though that depicts the murder of sex workers at one point...

[@BarrettLaurie]

I’m just finding this video and I’m a new fan and obsessed with this takedown of this Karen from hell. Thank you for doing you. Can’t wait to dive into your content. I’m counting in you calling your bank account the Rachel Fund! 🤣😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting! the rachel fund lol i use it to buy lox bagels and books

[@Ashtree29]

As I've gotten older (I'm still not super old only 23 this year lol) I've realized this about religion, it's not the religion that's bad or the people who believe it, but rather its the religious organizations and institutions are bad, because rather than letting faith be something personal and individualistic they tell people what to believe, how to interpret, and how to worship. If anything the original version of Christian worship was better... Mainly cuz it had a supper

[@bbo7002]

yeah, i tend to focus my anger against the organizations themselves, bc they're power structures. Power structures can be corrupted & used to harm ppl instead of help them. I don't blame the ppl as much, bc most of them are scared & vulnerable and the institutions are taking advantage of that, which imo is cruel. It can be hard to keep my temper in the moment but i DO try, i swear! 😅 On a personal level, i disagree with & strongly dislike the actual belief set of patriarchal religions, but if other ppl wish to live by those beliefs, that's their choice to make, not mine. They can believe what they want, it's when they try to force it on others or get it codified into law that i take REAL issue 😅 Tl;dr: the only valid method of worship is din-dins 😉🍽️

[@_n1ght__sh4d3_]

The fact she compared it to Divergent when she is Homophobic is sending me cuz Divergent has gay characters

[@jadedoni6447]

I’m so happy you said “pregnant people” to include non binary people and trans males. (I know that’s like the smallest drop in the sea of this video but I’m trans male and it sparked so much joy I wanted to share). And holy crap you deserve a reward for diving into this. Thank you for bringing a light onto it! I’m a little late to the party watching this but it’s still important. You rock, I’m so glad I found this channel.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thanks for being here!

[@chelscara]

12:16 you just know her answer is gonna involve just submitting to them and “the elders” wills, and then trafficking is just marriage

[@vainpiers]

Why are fundies obsessed with people ruling over eachother. How about men and women are on equal footing?

[@EttuBrody]

Just this title alone has me losing my mind

[@ReadswithRachel]

Wait til you get to the part where she says “men are being emasculated” BEAR WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMED OUT LOUD