Not The Weaker Vessel

Ria and I discuss rape culture in the Bible and how rape is viewed in modern-day Christianity. We always wanted to tackle this subject, getting to the root of why rape is still mishandled in patriarchal organizations and religions to this day. Most of the focus of activism is on child sex abuse, as it should be, but we wanted to dive into how even as an adult, being indoctrinated with purity culture, and essentially rape culture in the bible can make it very difficult to understand consent. How guilt and shame is already programmed in you and can muddy the waters.   Resources: Rainn.org Consent video: https://youtu.be/pZwvrxVavnQ

In May, Holly was featured in an article about hurricane Harvey, she lost everything in that flood but still stayed on track and graduated. Resilience is an understatement. For most, losing everything would be the ultimate obstacle, but Holly was also raised in a cult in which education is frowned upon. Jehovah’s Witnesses discourage higher education and view it as spiritually dangerous. Pew Research shows that only 9 percent of Witnesses get undergraduate degrees. Holly is also gay and realized this at a young age. Now she is in the phase of her life where authenticity and achieving her goals is paramount. We only have one life, and Holly is such an inspirational example of being true to yourself and having the strength and resilience to get what you want out of life no matter what obstacles present themselves. I'm excited to follow her journey. You can find her on twitter @potofclay, She has started her own podcast. She will be sharing her journey and tackle LGBTQ+ issues as she takes the journey herself.    Holly's Podcast:   https://lil1izme.podbean.com/   News Story:   https://www.woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=60714

Shelbie Dimond is a fine art photographer, print-maker, model & actress. Her work has been published & exhibited internationally. She is also an uninhibited and outspoken atheist apostate. She uses her platform to expose the Watchtower as a cult. Countless people exit the religion still believing that it is Gods one true organization. These individuals have fear and guilt placed on them which they end up packing away for years.   Shelbie was influential in my family's journey to awakening. My daughter came across her photography as a Witness and was intrigued by her work and vulnerability. She currently interlaces her photographic works with her activism and posted a chart comparing the tactics of Scientology to Jehovah's Witnesses. This was the first tangible visualization my daughter was able to see the organization she was raised in for what it is: a cult.   You may never know the butterfly effect your words and actions have. I'm delighted we were able to thank in person for her activism. I'm also incredibly humbled that she trusted us with her story. She shared her struggle with BPD which is exasperated by the most obvious Jehovah's Witness trigger, fear of abandonment. Her early work reflects some of those emotional struggles, and you can see the transition in her photographs over the years. Follow and support her work, links below.   Her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shelbiedimond   Her Blog: http://shelbiedimond.tumblr.com/post/167953796807/bio   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notshelbiedimond/?hl=en   If you are having suicidal thoughts, please seek help: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/wiki/suicidehelp http://suicideprevention.wikia.com/wiki/International

The Philly Inquirer featured Jenn Haugh and her family. They shared their experiences regarding the sex abuse coverup within the Jehovah's Witnesses. I encourage you to read the article if you haven't. A link to her husbands Martin's interview on the John Cedars channel is also below. It is an incredibly insightful, in-depth interview following the Philly Inquirer report. Jenn and I talked about her daughter's case that is now open because of the traction the article got. We discussed how misogyny can play a big part in how cases of sex abuse are mishandled. Women's perspectives and recommendations are needed to fix the situation. Most institutions understand this, but religion is always the last to get the memo because the bibles bad ideas override common sense. Numbers 31:15-18; Deuteronomy 21:10-14; Judges 19:22-26 Our conversation turned to general issues regarding headship and misogyny. We also talked about internalized misogyny and how women in the cult tended to "shoulder check" other women. When stripped of our power, sometimes we unconsciously exert unnecessary power downhill. Even now we can reevaluate how we treat other women. Can we find ways to build each other up even if we don't agree with one another?   Philly Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html   SCAARS page: https://www.facebook.com/SCAARS.CA/   John Cedars Interview with Martin Haugh https://youtu.be/C8AVhEev7AM      

Religious dogma set out to make us feel lesser than. There are so many ideas to undo coming out of religion; sexism, misogyny, and homophobia to name a few, the basis of which was laid down in the first few pages of the Bible. We want to address these issues from a women's perspective. When we heal from spiritual abuse, we make the world a better place and pass on better, more evolved ideas to the next generation.  Finding our power is a universal experience coming out of religion.  Women have extra layers to uncover.  Let's peel back all the layers, one story at a time.