Childhood indoctrination into Christianity is a core development trauma - Wren Story

Today I spoke with Wren Story, who grew up in the Independent Fundamental Baptist denomination and attended a Christian college but ultimately deconverted as she examined the truth claims of Christianity.

We touched on many topics, including:

• Being adopted early in life and being separated from her siblings.
• As a young child, having her inner dialogue turn to perfectionism in the context of her blaming herself for her parents' divorce and the subsequent adoption that occurred and fearing that she needed to always be on her best behavior, or she could lose her adoptive family.
• Making a public profession of faith at an early age to win the approval of the adults in her life.
• Facing "salvation anxiety" as a young person as she felt the need to reaffirm her faith and rededicate her life to the Lord to be doubly sure that she was truly saved.
• Hearing messages of security being "grace based" and yet facing a church and home life context of works-based acceptance.
• Seeing the constantly reinforced messaging in Christianity that "you are the problem" and "you're never good enough."
• Observing church scandals where abusers are often protected, and subsequently connecting the dots that the church is already inherently committed to protecting the abusive character of god in order to avoid an identity crisis and the collapse of their worldview.
• Facing the conflicting doctrines of god being all good but also creating evil.
• Struggling with the concept that if Yahweh had been real, he would effectively be placing small children into harm's way every day on purpose.
• Intensely fearing a literal hell as she grew up.
• Realizing that many Christians do not truly believe in hell, even when they claim to, because if they really believed it was real, they could not enjoy a moment of this life while knowing people are actively being tortured there and would spend every waking moment sharing the Gospel to try to rescue people from hell.
• Being heartbroken over Christians gloating over people going through torture both in this life and in the mythological construct of hell.
• Realizing that while Christians claim to be "pro life," their worldview is inherently "pro death."
• Experiencing struggles and challenges during her early parenting phase of life that caused her to continue to ask hard questions about her worldview.
• Seeing the Christian worldview as a horrible magic spell that needs to be broken.
• Being overwhelmed with joy to realize that hell, and the entire Christian worldview, are not real.
• Using her skills and passions to help move humanity through our existential crisis with the hopes of a better future, especially the future generations.

Many thanks to Wren for sharing her story and insights!


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Connect with Wren!

www.pensight.com/x/wrenstory

IG
@simplybeeingwren

FB
  / wrenstory  

Tiktok:
@simplybeeing/


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Tim may be reached by email at: [email protected]


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--Tim


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Ending music by Eyal Raz, "Friends"

   • Friends  


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