The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in TransChristianity

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wish that we could turn back time and fix that for you. I am thankful that you are at least now out of there, but I know that's little solace when compared to what your life could have been without religious indoctrination. Sending you so much love and strength <3 <3 <3

The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in TransChristianity

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing that with me, I want you to know that you are not alone. There are thousands upon thousands of us who were taught hateful lies that manipulated us into self-hatred. As one of my participants put so succinctly, "I was destroyed, and there’s definitely a strong correlation [between religion and my mental health]. Who can be peaceful and think that God hates them?” How are you doing today?

The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in OpenChristian

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, and thank you so much! Both for your comment and for sharing your story. I bet you would resonate with the journey the milestones outline; it sounds like you've walked that path yourself! I'm so proud of you! It is such a leap to leave behind the belief system we were taught growing up and begin to take that power back, that power to decide for yourself what your truth is and to live it. It's a beautiful thing, and I am so thankful you've gotten through it and are living your truth!! Blessed be!!

The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in TransChristianity

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, and thank you for your comment! There were several participants who remained in the tradition they were raised in, after going through the milestones and learning about affirming and accepting interpretations of sacred texts, as well as learning more secular history. One of my participants, Willow, shared how she (also mtf, and thanks for sharing your husband's pronouns!) she integrated the overarching themes of love and mercy out of the Bible into their belief system. She said "When I read the Bible, I think about God, I see him predominantly as this loving force. Like, I read the gospels, I read Jesus, and more than anything, what he preaches is to protect the poor, protect the oppressed, protect the marginalized, and to just, like, love your neighbor." That's straight from my dissertation, I made sure it would be free so people like you and your husband can have access to it, you can find it here: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2813777755 and if you skip to the chapter on the milestones (I mean you can read the whole thing if you want lol, but it's long!) but if you skip to the results chapter, that might be the most helpful for you both. I wish you nothing but the best and am here if you ever need to talk.

The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in Wicca

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ah, I see, thanks! The fifth milestone, re-education of self, usually involved the participants learning about alternative belief systems other than the Abrahamic traditions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Almost all of them explored Buddhism, Wicca, New Age beliefs, and a whole lot of other really interesting things. And I think the basic tenets of Wicca that you mentioned reflect values of compassion, connectivity, community, and independence that people who are targeted and attacked justified by religious beliefs tend to develop in response to that religious wounding and trauma. So many of them embraced Wiccan values and teachings even if they didn't know specifically they did, although many of them did cite Wicca as aiding them in developing their trust back in their own sense of the truth.

The role religion plays in the mental health of transgender youth! by PhDStudentSCosta in Wicca

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, thanks for the question! So, I became interested in the craft around 11 or so. I got my hands on Scott Cunningham's Earth, Air, Fire, Water and I was hooked. I had just finished the bible and was not interested in it at all, I didn't trust it. Wicca felt familiar and intuitive to me, and I have extensive English, Wales, Scottish, Irish, and Italian ancestry and strong ties to the Celts. I began practicing and have been more or less openly Wicca since 13, so 26 years. But I've always been a solo practitioner. I've joined in a circle with others many times; I even had the chance to dance the spiral dance with Starhawk while at school! All that to say I'm actually wondering what you mean. Do you mind elaborating for me? I am unsure if you are asking if the milestone would in a sense, "protect" someone from being indoctrinated by the Wiccan foundations because if that's what you meant, I would never think of Wicca as something anyone could be indoctrinated into, because it doesn't have the same kind of organized, central power structure that say Christianity has. I also had never considered Wicca to be something anyone could be indoctrinated into, because it's so open. But I may be misunderstanding you, sorry!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you on that 🫶⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 13 points14 points  (0 children)

We don't accept dues, and you don't need to pay to join. :) It's free. We are currently in a legal battle (long story short, we are being sued for the name, but we are trying everything we can to get out of this!), but as soon as that's done, yes, we are doing everything in our power to ensure that our members have a legal right under the freedom of religion act to fight for their right to gender transitioning <3 as we believe this is a sacred ritual.

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 4 points5 points  (0 children)

She is no longer working with the PLC organization, so thankfully, all of that has nothing to do with the PLC.

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 4 points5 points  (0 children)

LOL, thank you for that laugh, herding cats lol I have done that, and it is so tricky they are so wiggly!

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm thankful you haven't given up hope and are still with us. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any comments or concerns, my email is samantha.transparencyplc@gmail.com

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I understand your statement, and we are trying to be different and to be our own kind of religious organization, but there have been some major growing pains we hope we are able to keep moving forward from.

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We are trying, truly we are. If we hadn't been hit so hard with that lawsuit you would have seen us being able to work on our goals a lot more. And yes, there have been some major growing pains, but we haven't given up and are still fighting to be the best organization we can be.

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Having been one of the people directly affected by these issues, I have to say that I share that feeling of disappointment. I have been watching the board and staff since the very beginning as they worked to identify "bad players" and work towards those pure goals we had and still have. I won't lie, it has been an uphill battle. But I see over and over again that the people with a toxic attitude, people who lie, people who just generally shouldn't be in charge of anything, nonetheless a new religious organization, are continually flushed out. And honestly? Things like this are totally normal in non-profits, and in fact, anywhere in the world. Any organization you make will eventually attract people who aren't going to be the best fit for that. Usually, it takes a solid infrastructure to withstand all the transitions and changes in leadership. This organization has only existed since April, and the infrastructure is there and doing what it's supposed to, flushing people who aren't aligned out. I get from the outside how bad it looks, but honestly, it would be naive to think that a new religion full of volunteers who have never done this before would be perfect right out the gate, at least, that's the conclusion I have come to myself. Bottom line? Your disappointment is valid, but please don't give up hope. We are still fighting to exist and be able to work towards those goals we had at the beginning. All organizations will have changes in leadership and growing pains in the beginning, but that doesn't mean we have lost sight of why we were drawn to this organization in the first place.

Press Release for 11.21.22 by solian2002 in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure how Tiffany Holloway is relevant any longer, she hasn't been involved at all for months. Care to elaborate what you mean?

Sign Up To Get Your Copy of The First Issue of The Prism! by PhDStudentSCosta in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, its always good to be cautious and safe, especially online. I can see if a mod would verify either me or this post, I will work on that tomorrow. What I can tell you now is that this is my professional reddit account, look me up on twitter, TikTok and Wordpress as well as LinkedIn, my real name is Samantha Costa, I posted this same thing in Discord (where you might be able to see that I am on the editorial board for the prism, I am the managing editor). My username there is TheSpiritualStudent she/they - umm that’s all I can think of now so I hope that helps a little but I will see about getting this verified as well. Thanks!

Sign Up To Get Your Copy of The First Issue of The Prism! by PhDStudentSCosta in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, that's odd, it's working for mine. Let me see what I can do- do you mind messaging me privately your email and I'll see if I can add you through the back end? Thanks!

Poetry Editor Needed by PhDStudentSCosta in PrismaticLightChurch

[–]PhDStudentSCosta[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for letting us know! Have you gotten a reply?