It occurred to me that one way of opening Islamic societies up is to obtain greater visibility for people like me who have rejected Islam: Apostates. Naturally, Muslims aren’t going to promote our presence, so we have to. I’m going to start a new blogroll, linking to blogs written by apostates from Islam. I think it’s admirable that out of such a repressive religion, people are nevertheless choosing to speak up. They have my support, even if I don’t agree with all their views. If you are a

I have been writing an ongoing series in regards to the troubling subject of religiously motivated child abuse--one of the darker secrets of the dominionist community--starting with an article regarding one of the five to fifteen or more reported deaths a year in the US attributable to religiously motivated child abuse and which are largely summarised in a wrap-up here. Some of these cases are truly horrifying--including kids being shuttled to multiple locations for continuation of abuse and ev

This blog is intended mainly for clergy abuse survivors and those who seek information about Baptist clergy abuse. It's just my own thoughts. For more information and the voice of SNAP Baptist, see StopBaptistPredators.org. My Photo Christa Brown Wife, mom, attorney, jazz-lover, slow-runner, and survivor of Southern Baptist clergy abuse

Apostasy Personally, I'm an advocate of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it comes to apostasy: Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Of course, this sentiment is not shared by all. There are troubling

Weekend retreat for fundamentalists in recovery. Conducted by Marlene Winnell, author of Leaving the Fold Between an introduction and appendix provided by Babinski, 33 former Christian fundamentalists explain how and why they first embraced, and later abandoned, that belief system. Of these, eight have become atheists, eight (including Babinski) agnostics, one a wiccan, and one a Zen Buddhist; the remainder have remained Christian. Major contemporary religious writers such as Harvey Cox and S

Psychological Issues of Former Members of Restrictive Religious Groups by Jim Moyers, MA, MFT While this article was originally written for psychotherapists working with ex-fundamentalists, it should be helpful for anyone who has been involved with a restrictive religious group. Restrictive religious groups, characterized by rigid beliefs, authoritarian structure, rejection of mainstream culture, and isolation from outside influences that might lead to questions about the group's teachings