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“You can’t sit on the fence with Jesus” I say to a Year 8 girl with blonde plaits. It’s 2014 and we’re lying on a patch of grass overlooking the ocean. The bell is about to ring for dinner at the youth camp I’m leading on. “You’re either on the field or you’re off it. There’s no middle ground. Either Jesus died for your sins and is the God of the universe or he’s not” I say. She nods. She…

I spend a lot of time on this blog criticising the structures of organised religion. I don’t do this out of malice, out of a belief that religion is wrong or that the people within its communities are ignorant or naïve. I do it because I and many others who question faith or walk away entirely, have discovered the damaging effects of indoctrination and how this can hurt how we interact with people, engage in activities (sex) and/or see the…

I’m slumped on the couch and my phone buzzes. I look down as my popcorn slowly makes its way into my mouth. I read the name beside the envelope icon. Oh shit. It’s a text/email/Facebook message from ex-Minister/leader/Godsquad member that I’m not close friends with but once were on the basis that we shared a mutual faith. We haven’t spoken in years. How are you with Jesus? It’s been a while, but I want to make sure you’re doing okay….

I’ve been in therapy for a month now, trying to find a way to extricate myself from a life lived (and somewhat lost) in servitude to a religious body rather than a God. So far, the journey has been the cause of immense inner torment, coalesced with a paralysing loneliness and an inability to share with others how difficult the transition from existential certainty to uncertainty can be. The cause for my formal exit from Christianity, specifically the Sydney Anglican…