I used to believe
In an all-knowing and
All-powerful being
That I and those around me called
God.
To be more specific
I believed in the God of
Abraham and Isaac
The God of David
Of Moses who parted the seas
The God of wrath and vengeance
Who sent his only son
To absolve me of my sins
And to preach love to His people.
I did not ask for this
To be raised in faith
And religious practice
I did not ask for
A preacher father
Or devout mother
Who refuses to see the merit
Of basic biology and evolution
I did not ask to be indoctrinated
Told I was a sinner
And that only God
Through His son
Could cleanse my immortal soul
I used to believe so fervently
That I would tell
Children like me
That they were destined for hell
If they didn’t share my
Narrow-minded version
Of Christianity
I believed so dearly
That I thought being anything
But straight
Was an abomination
And a sinner’s choice
And that I had to suppress
That part of myself
That looked at other women
With lusty eyes
And told me I should just kiss her.
My world shattered
When my pious parents
Divorced from each other
My father stopped preaching
My mother lost her faith
And church became a thing
That we used to do
My indoctrinated brain
Couldn’t handle it
So I searched for a different truth
Guided by my mother’s words
“You can believe anything
You want to believe and
I will support you.”
And, one of my favorite teachers
