{Book 2 in the Journey of Faith series}
Meet the author behind "Christian and an Ally" in her second nonfiction work about sexuality, God, and more.
Why am I doubting the religion that I grew up with and believed for most of my life? What are my tho...
Yay, you have reached the final chapter of this book! Woo-hoo! 🎉
It would be an understatement to say that it has been a wild ride since I first published this book back in June 2018. I want to thank all of my readers, from those who were with me from the very beginning to my most recent additions, from those who voted/commented on every chapter to those who were silent readers, and from those who agreed with me to those who disagreed with my every word. You know who you are. ;)
But before I continue, I want to address some apparent drama surrounding my Journey of Faith series, myself, and some users on Wattpad. I have had multiple users inform me that I have users who have come to dislike me, are frustrated with me, or think that I am unfair or unreasonable during my discussions and debates with them.
I'm not going to be petty and list people off. I'm not going to be passive-aggressive, rude, immature, difficult, arrogant, ignorant, or a liar — all of which I have been called, either to my face or behind my back. Nor will I act like a "brainwashed child," block people who "violate my opinions" or "invalidate my argument," skip over people's arguments, or play "riddle games," as I have also been accused of doing.
I do, however, I want to address this.
When I started Christian and an Ally back in November 2017, I had a very simple but difficult goal in mind: help spread tolerance of, awareness of, and love for the LGBTQ+ community throughout Christian Wattpad, as well as to show queer people the love of Christ. I didn't expect it to spiral into what it has, which includes a response book written by an evangelical Christian, this sequel Thoughts of a Doubting Christian, and several mentions in rant books across Wattpad.
Unfortunately, with that popularity (and the inherent subject matter) comes dissent, and with dissent comes drama, heated tempers, and name-calling. It is fortunate that I have a thick skin, because cyberbullying is difficult to handle. (Let's not kid ourselves that this is anything less: cyberbullying is defined as "sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else" by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The chapters and comments about me that I have seen definitely fall under this category.)
This isn't a chapter meant to call out users who have said mean or inflammatory things about me. Nor is it a chapter meant to plead people to stop what they are doing, although I do suggest that people think about whether their words are constructive, loving, and peaceful before they post them. I just want to clarify where I stand and why I'm here on Wattpad in the first place.
I don't hate anyone on this platform. Not any of the users I've disagreed with, not any of the users I've blocked, and not any of the users whose opinions and views of life are so far away from mine that we might as well live in different galaxies. I may get frustrated by interactions I've had, but I don't hold ill will against anybody. We all have improvements to make, as we're all flawed human beings. There is not one person on this platform that I genuinely hate or don't have compassion for.
We're all human, and everyone is welcome here.
For all of you who have said mean or inflammatory things about me, I forgive you. I understand that these debates can get heated, and from where you stand, things might look very different than from where I am. I don't hold any ill will against anyone who disagrees with, dislikes, or otherwise has negative feelings where I am concerned. You can't please everybody.
I want to reaffirm that I am here on Wattpad to spread tolerance, awareness, and love, not bigotry, ignorance, or hate. I am here to unite people, not divide them. I am here for equality and social justice, not injustice or discrimination. I want my books to be a place where people can learn and grow, meet new people and new ideas, and consider things from a new point of view, even if they disagree. This is a place for everyone. White or black, gay or straight, rich or poor, theist or atheist, liberal or conservative, men, women, and everyone in between.
I have grown and changed so much as a person since starting the Journey of Faith series. For that, I want to thank all of my readers, regardless of whether we agreed or disagreed. I've had my eyes opened to a lot of new ideas, philosophies, and points of view. I've learned countless amounts of new information in researching and writing this series, and I hope that I have passed on some of that knowledge and curiosity to you. I've laughed and cried, made new friends and found new authors, and most importantly, I've learned a lot more about myself and who I want to be. Thank you for coming with me on this journey. It is an honor to have so many people invested in reading my opinions and learning about the world along with me!
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As with the ending of Christian and an Ally, there is a sequel to this book, and an announcement that I would like to make. This will surprise some of you, and others of you will think grimly that it was inevitable. It doesn't matter to me what you think about it or why you think it happened, just that I am given a chance to explain myself.
As of a few months ago, I am no longer Christian.
What this statement does NOT mean is that I am now an atheist, as if the only two options are Christian or atheist. I'm agnostic, which is defined as "a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God." Simply put, I don't know if there is a God or not. I'm open to the idea, but I don't think that any of humanity's religions are totally "right" about God or the afterlife. I still care about being a good person, and my life still bursts with meaning, but I can no longer claim the Christian label for myself.
Hence the title of the next book, Why I Am No Longer Christian, where I will explain exactly how I got here and why I believe what I do.
I hope to see all of my readers who read my past two books in Why I Am No Longer Christian, which I will be publishing as soon as this chapter is up and Thoughts of a Doubting Christian is marked complete. Having you all along for the ride has been the best part of writing this series, hands down. Thank you for being here with me and taking a journey through faith with me! :)
