Man, that last post has me thinking about how religious institutions are so incredibly adept at making their belief system intrinsic to the core identity of their followers. THEY ARE SO GOOD AT THAT. It’s that whole Dunbar’s number/monkeysphere thing (“god knows and loves you personally! He definitely has a plan for your life! just maybe don’t think too hard about that whole Problem of Evil thing! also free will and absolute truth are definitely things that exist!). Fundies use that “attack on marriage/families/FREEDOM” line so often because healthy skepticism and dissent is an actual literal attack on how they view themselves as human beings. Religious leaders have ensured that every issue even tangentally connected in any way to a religion is PERSONALLY CONNECTED to the adherents of that religion.

That’s why every single ex-religious person knows the stigma against dissent and doubt and just how truly scary the journey out of ignorance can be.

Because it isn’t about logic vs. faith

it’s about ‘who am I without this’

When you have grown up being taught that literally everything you are is based on this religious institution (which, let’s be real, is less about god and more about a system of social control), rejecting that means that you have to build yourself back up into a whole person again, all by yourself. And that is equal parts paralyzingly terrifying and the most joyously freeing thing that can ever happen to you.