SojoMail - How to heal when religion hurts

How To Find Healing From Religious Trauma This week we're sharing our latest cover story, in which therapist Matthias Roberts explores what it takes for people to heal from the negative religious environments in which they were raised. The first time I became conscious that I was carrying the effects of religious trauma, I had just moved to Seattle and was sitting in a church, sweating. My heart was beating fast; I couldn’t understand what was happening. This church, one I had chosen expressly because of its progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming stance, was supposed to be safe for someone like me, a queer person who deeply valued my faith. But I didn’t feel safe. I looked at the faces in the room with suspicion, searching for any indication of a bait-and-switch, and left the building quickly once the service was over. Despite what I knew about the church — they welcomed LGBTQ+ people at any level of leadership, were committed to anti-racism work, and weren’t afraid of doubt or theological exploration — my body told me another story. As I sat in the cold folding chair, I tried to reason with myself, repeating these facts to calm down. But I didn’t feel calmer; I felt worse. I sat on my hands, legs shaking, as I waited for the service to end. Because I had moved to Seattle to work on a master’s degree in counseling psychology from an institution that specialized in trauma, I soon learned what had happened: In that moment, my body had experienced the effects of trauma. Even though I cognitively knew the church was supposed to be safe, my body couldn’t discern this church from all the churches I had been in before — churches filled with people who weren’t afraid to tell me I needed to become straight for God to save me from hell. My body was sending warning signs: Be careful, environments like this aren’t safe. Despite the years of work I had done to detach myself from the rigid belief system of my youth, despite the ways I had fought to find a more life-giving approach to theology, I was beginning to reckon with the reality that changing my beliefs didn’t mean I had healed from the environments in which I was raised. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Check out our colorful and doodle-filled Climate Zine  If I want to talk to my church about climate change, where do I begin? We’ve got you, friend! We're proud to present the story of creation care and climate justice…all wrapped up in an action-packed zine. Our zine provides an engaging way to learn, jumpstart conversations, and act together to protect our common home.  Enrich your anti-racism journey  Check out our anti-racism reading list to learn about racial justice through a variety of lenses. It is a growing resource featuring more than thirty books.

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