I’m learning so much about life in my new job. One of the things that I love about working in a non-profit for at-risk youth is the fact that the office is such a diverse environment – I have coworkers from every walk of life imaginable and every religious view imaginable. Their political outlook tends to be a little homogenous, but there is definitely room for disagreement in that area as well. After three years of working in the film industry, where everyone pretty much thinks and acts the same, it’s super-refreshing.
In the beginning, I had a lot of struggles with my own personal issues around religion. Long story short, I was kicked out of a religious camp for being gay and I had to go through all this shit like being forced to sit in the director’s office for hours on end while she preached Bible verses at me. That, combined with some prior religious abuse, made me really distrustful of religious people, especially Protestant Christians.
Honestly, if I heard a phrase relating to fundamentalist Christianity – like “father of lies” – or saw something that reminded me of it or something, I’d get into a pretty bad space for a while. Curling up in a trembling ball under the covers, hiding in a bathroom stall, that kind of thing. For a long time, I dealt with the problem by avoiding Christians as much as possible – I still socialized with my very-Christian family because they’re my family and I love them, but other than that, no way.
Nowadays, though, I am learning to respect the value that religion holds for some people. I definitely still want to process my experiences with a counselor, but I am learning how to separate other peoples’ religious views from my own lack of them. I definitely don’t agree with many aspects of the religious lifestyle, but it enriches the life of some people, so who am I to judge them for that? They can do whatever they want as long as they respect me. In exchange, I will respect them while I go on to live out my own values in my own life.
