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Paige Veinot | Life After Religion

@paigedaniellev

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recovering religious good girl making up for lost time and sharing it all online
life updates | rants | Exvangelical
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10/10 recommend doing whatever you want with your life. No rule book required. I mean, just don’t be an asshole. It’s really not that hard 🤷‍♀️

And I promise you, you don’t need religion to be a good person or have an amazing life 👌

#liveyourlife by @paigedaniellev

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2 months ago

A small orientation post because apparently “recovering evangelical with a lot of thoughts” does not, in fact, explain the whole situation clearly 😂 by @paigedaniellev

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3 months ago

I’m sure there’s more to add to this list I just can’t think of it right now 🤣

So tell me - what’s one thing you SWORE you never do and needless to say…you did it? Drop it below 👇 or drop me a DM 👌 by @paigedaniellev

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3 months ago

The irony of ironies is belonging to a religion that functions with obvious cult-like dynamics, while pointing at every other high-control religion like, “See? Now THAT is a cult.”

And yes, nuance, because apparently it always has to be said: I’m not saying every single church is identical or that every Christian has bad intentions.

I’m talking about evangelical Christianity as a belief system.

Cause when you claim to have the one ultimate truth, believe everyone outside of it is lost or deceived, make it your mission to convert people to your way of living, and then control what people believe, question, read, watch, feel, wear, date, marry, and do with their bodies, that is not just “community.”

That is high-control religion. Aka also - a cult. I know I know, no one likes that word. But it has a definition, and these groups meet the criteria the majority of the time.

People aren’t just welcomed in to freely exist. They are welcomed in with the hope that they will eventually become the approved kind of person.

Different theology. Different branding. Same control.

Evangelicals love calling everyone else a cult.
Maybe it’s time they looked in the mirror 🪞

#exvangelical #religioustrauma #deconstruction #leavingreligion by @paigedaniellev

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5 days ago

Not sure why it’s so problematic to call a cult like religion such as evangelical Christianity out on its bs when the entire system demands you sacrifice your entire life AND try to convert every single human being on the planet to your belief system + live exactly as you deem fit 🤷‍♀️

#exvangelical #deconstruction #leavingreligion by @paigedaniellev

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11 days ago

Somehow telling people they’re sinners, that they’re going to be eternally damned and need to commit their lives to following a bunch of religious rules is “loving” and should be beyond critique.

But me out here sharing my story and critiquing the beliefs within the religion of evangelical Christianity is pearl clutchingly horrifying. Like, how dare I challenge a belief system where a bl*od sacrifice was apparently the best solution to a problem created by an all powerful deity. Cool cool cool. Super unproblematic. 👌

#exvangelical #deconstruction by @paigedaniellev

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21 days ago

I spent 30 years believing I knew ultimate truth, the best way to live, and tried my hardest to convert other people to this system.

The problem with high control religions like evangelical Christianity (one of them, anyways 😆) is that they cannot give solid, reasonable answers and evidence as to why someone MUST convert to their way of living beyond Bible verses, personal experiences, or cherry picked historical events that don’t prove that their deity actually exists.

I’m wayyyy oversimplifying this. There are people with channels who dive deep into the biblical inconsistencies, historical evidence and inaccuracies etc.

All this to say: religion and faith can be meaningful to someone - but other people should not be needed to be convinced that they need to convert to your religion.

#exvangelical #christianity #deconstruction #leavingreligion by @paigedaniellev

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24 days ago

This is coming from someone who spent 30 FREAKIN YEARS as an evangelical Christian. Then I did a 180 and realized my entire belief system was not, in fact, the “one true faith” and now I’m sharing my story.

Harsh, I know, but someone’s gotta say something - we need to stop normalizing this stuff and encouraging critical thinking skills 👌

#exvangelical #leavingreligion #deconstructingchristianity by @paigedaniellev

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a month ago

Farewell, August ✌️ you were swell.

#summerlovin #endofsummer #livinlife by @paigedaniellev

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a month ago

The actual audacity of believing that you are being persecuted and the world is out to get you when your religion is held by a large percentage of the population AND has many privileges/freedoms is beyond me.

Are people sometimes mean, belittling, etc to Christians? Yep. Not ok in my books. I will attempt to engage in good faith if we can have respectful dialogue.

There are people with actual real problems in North America - cost of living, equal rights, domestic violence, etc. being held accountable when certain beliefs cause actual harm is not persecution 🙄

#exvangelical #deconstruction #exchristian #leavingreligion by @paigedaniellev

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a month ago

The thing you NEED to know about evangelical churches is that they are trying to convert you to what they believe is “the only right way to live”

You will not be accepted as you are - you may be welcome through the doors, invited to church, a fun event, etc. but make no mistake - the mission of this organization is to have you conform with the group in order to “save you from hell”.

These organizations have gotten reallllly good at making it look inviting, harmless, and like all they want to do is help, but looks can be (and are) deceiving.

And for the love of all good things, don’t send your children to these places. As someone who spent 30 years in this religion, trust me - just don’t do it.

#exvangelical #noreligion by @paigedaniellev

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a month ago

Relationships with evangelicals are not doable or even safe for everyone. I get that, and I respect and support anyone’s choice to choose which relationships work/don’t work in their own life.

Religion is, in my opinion, inherently harmful and breeds many awful things. It’s not something I can say I support at this time. And who knows, my boundaries with these people could change over time. I really don’t know.

I’m curious to hear if anyone else has maintained relationships with people in these systems with boundaries/how that’s going for you?

#exvangelical #leavingreligion #deconstruction by @paigedaniellev

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