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A personal transformation that shocks my family
From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee
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Chum For Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters |
A personal transformation that shocks my family
MOST OF YOU DON'T KNOW that my political participation and
the tone of my writing is particularly shocking for those who know the deeply
conservative evangelical fundamentalist Christian faith in which I was raised.
I was taught to be radically non-political, with the
certainty that God is Love and Satan is the false god exercising power over all
governments of men and all other religious beliefs. We understood that only
Christ's Kingdom could restore humanity to peace, security, and the approval of
God.
I deliberately married a woman with these same beliefs and
we taught them to our children. I also taught these things inside the
congregation and to the public. As my certainty weakened, my family, faith,
work, and physical and mental health all unraveled together. Having survived
the loss of all that, I pretty-much started from scratch.
It's been over ten years and I'm still fragile but somewhat
better now, thank you. Under stress, I have Tourette ticks; I hoot, moo, and
chirp. Thankfully,