The IFB Movement and LGBTQIA Rights: A Clash with Christian Love

Photo: Image by Marybeth from Pixabay By Jonathan Grisham The Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement, with its deep roots and complex history, often stirs up debates on intolerance, hatred, and abusive practices. Notably, the IFB’s contentious relationship with the LGBTQI community is a prime example of its extremist ideologies.  The History of the IFB andContinueContinue reading “The IFB Movement and LGBTQIA Rights: A Clash with Christian Love”

This Is Me: Disability and Spiritual Abuse

Image by Lily from Pixabay By Rebekah Palmer This essay was first accepted to be included in a story collection supporting National Organization of Rare Disorders, Inc. (NORD), a project titled Kaleidoscope Rare Disease Stories Told by the people who live them, edited by Kerry Wong. This collection will be released in 2024. NORD wasContinueContinue reading “This Is Me: Disability and Spiritual Abuse”

Whispers of Resistance: Nothing taught me to be different the way fundamentalism did

Photo: Image by Hello Cdd20 from Pixabay By Evan Jones My entire life I’ve been told to submit. My earliest memory of singing is me belting out the OBEDIENCE song in Sunday School. As a youth and young adult, I took high school and college courses on submission and a woman’s purpose. I’ve heard demandsContinueContinue reading “Whispers of Resistance: Nothing taught me to be different the way fundamentalism did”

How Religious Abuse Harmed My Mental Health and How I Healed

Photo: Image by Pexels from Pixabay By Lydia Joy Launderville “I have mental illness” is a phrase that was very, very hard for me to say out loud to another living soul. Even acknowledging and accepting it was so hard. There were a few reasons for this.  The first being that I was very traumatizedContinueContinue reading “How Religious Abuse Harmed My Mental Health and How I Healed”

Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 4

Photo: Image by Melissa from Pixabay Content note: child sexual abuse, domestic violence, homophobia, conversion therapy attempts, forcing someone to not be gay, religious and spiritual abuse By Whiltierna Wolfe Continued from Part 3 During my childhood and teen years, my baby brother was tortured by my cruel, selfish father in the Independent Fundamental BaptistContinueContinue reading “Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 4”

Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 3

Photo: Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay Content note: child abuse, homophobia, Christian Nationalism, religious and spiritual abuse By Whiltierna Wolfe Continued from Part 2 Just because my brother is a gay man, he has been outed, shamed, manipulated, physically beaten up, shunned, abandoned, humiliated, cheated, gossiped about, kept from serving musically in an Independent FundamentalContinueContinue reading “Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 3”

Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 2

Photo: Pixabay Content note: child abuse, homophobia, conversion therapy attempts, forcing someone to not be gay, suicidal ideation, religious and spiritual abuse By Whiltierna Wolfe Continued from Part 1 The next person to try to “fix” my baby brother was our IFB grandmother, when she was told about my brother’s “problem.” She is our father’sContinueContinue reading “Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 2”

Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 1

Photo Credit: Image by Dmytro from Pixabay Content note: child abuse, homophobia, forced outing, suicidal ideation, religious and spiritual abuse By Whiltierna Wolfe It’s June again. This past Pride Month in 2022, I wrote this about my brother. Now more than ever, I feel it’s imperative to humanize the LGBTQIA community after so much hate.ContinueContinue reading “Deconstructing from fundamentalism finally allowed me to authentically love my brother who is gay: Part 1”