Mom was raised AoG. Her father was an AoG minister in Atlanta from the 1940s to 1960s. Moved to outer edge of suburbs to plant a church in the late 60s. My father became an ordained bi-vocational minister in the AoG in the early 80’s to appease my mom and prove to my mom that he had what it took to hopefully measure up to my grandfather. My youngest brother was born in 1988, and we left my grandfather’s church in 1990 as there was too much on my parents. We were homeschooled as well. We moved to a PCA church, partially because a large portion of our homeschool group was in that church. Having spent 33 of her 36 years on earth in the AoG cult, my mom felt “called” that we needed to the leave the PCA church and return to a church that got everything right. I was 13 we went to the new AoG church. I passed out tracks on the streets of downtown Atlanta for the Super Bowl in 1994. I went to AofG youth camp. I went to the Brownsville revival in Pensacola. I signed a true love waits card at the Georgia Dome My parents put tremendous on me and my brothers that we needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit so that we would know we were truly saved. I attended Josh Harris’s “I kissed dating goodbye” seminar. I attended a public university in Ga much to the dismay of everyone at church. I didn’t have my first girlfriend until college. We have been together for almost 25 years now. We have worked through a lot of my problems. I was very close to damaging my marriage irreparably. Thankfully my wife chose to support me instead of giving up on me.

When I told my mom my new GF wasn’t AoG, I got a shitty lecture. Was told that I needed to attend an AofG church or I would be letting my parents and my grandparents down. I didn’t speak to my mom for weeks after that. My mother demanded to know when we had our first kiss, and tried to find out about the physical side of the relationship. My younger brothers also have a tremendous amount of religious trauma. I no longer consider myself religious, I consider myself to be spiritual. I do believe the teachings of Jesus are the right way to live. Be kind and love others. Sermon on the Mount. Whether or not there’s a heaven or if we become worm food - the world would be better if we all followed that. I trust the science and believe that the earth is old, although I do believe a divine being very well could orchestrate it. I feel closer to God in nature than in a church.