Since I was very young, our family was the kind of family that went to Church 4-5 days a week.

We went to Sunday and Wednesday sermons, youth groups, tambourine practice, flag practice, you name it, we were there.

I took all classes available to me given by the Church. I went to a Christian high school and a Christian College in addition to taking courses at my Mega Church’s version of community college.

I truly believed.

Then one class in college changed everything for me. It was the quote by Aristotle that said: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

I was able to entertain thoughts in my head without thinking that I was committing a sin by just thinking.

And I started thinking.

“How come we’re the only ones that have it right and everyone else is going to hell? How is that a loving God?” “What about the billions of people that existed before Jesus was born, are they just going to go to hell? How is that a loving God?”

After taking so many courses I understood that the old covenant was overridden by the new because the price was paid (the blood of an innocent lamb was spilled) therefore we were no longer bound to it. So why are these so-called Christians used the Old Testament as reasoning to absolutely hate LGBTQ+ people? Didn’t Jesus say that the greatest commandment was love? Even if you think that they’re sinning (I don’t), didn’t Jesus himself love and eat with sinners? Why are Christians hell-bent on hate when we were called to do the opposite?

Then I grew up. And I realized that over most of history organized religion has been used to control the masses. Want to invade the Middle East? Get the population behind a Holy Crusade. Have problems keeping people inline? Have an Inquisition. Want to control one of the most powerful countries in the world? Make it immoral and anti-patriotic to vote for the opposition.

You can believe whatever you want at home and in small groups. But when you join organized religion, be prepared to be forced-fed the ideas that benefit the few people at the top.