Leanne, I am a long-time reader of your book, "Good and Cheap". I want to say thank you for doing your work and helping us all save money and be healthy through the magic of cooking. This post resonated with me, but not in a way you probably expected.
I was raised in a Pentecostal sect of Christianity, which is considered extreme by most other sects of Christianity--some may even say that it is cult-like. I would also describe it as such. It disheartened me to read that you, like me, were intensely concerned with the salvation of your loved ones, to the extent that you felt depression, anxiety, and needed an escape. I left my church, and Christianity, some time ago--I went to college and the rest is history. I became an Agnostic Atheist, and I've never looked back. It has given me boundless peace, and a framework from which to explore and reckon with this intense religious trauma.
Anyways, I'm writing all this to say that, in case you ever needed a sign to let go of your faith, here it is. A lot of what you wrote here feels a lot like a confession--a way to test the waters of non-religion. I just wanted to say that I see it and I feel it. When I was starting to let go of my faith, I would cling to any and every small thing that would help me validate it, because I was just so afraid of the unknown. I eventually ran out of things to cling to. In spite of it all, I feel much more at peace, and life seems so much more sweeter--because in reality, this brief moment in time might very well be all we have.
Hi Joshua, thank you for this! The church I was describing was also Pentecostal and totally cult-like. I don't go into detail about it in this post but I have looooooong ago left christianity behind. I was agnostic for many years and now I would say that I believe in the oneness of all things and that brings me utter blissful peace. And when I say cooking is my worship I suppose you could also say gratitude practice or therapy or any other word, but I wanted to say worship here because there is a kind of ecstasy I feel that is kind of like that old concept of worship. Sounds like we have a ton in common and it would be wonderful to chat and swap stories one day. Not an easy way to start out life, but I am grateful I had that experience.
Leanne, I am a long-time reader of your book, "Good and Cheap". I want to say thank you for doing your work and helping us all save money and be healthy through the magic of cooking. This post resonated with me, but not in a way you probably expected.
I was raised in a Pentecostal sect of Christianity, which is considered extreme by most other sects of Christianity--some may even say that it is cult-like. I would also describe it as such. It disheartened me to read that you, like me, were intensely concerned with the salvation of your loved ones, to the extent that you felt depression, anxiety, and needed an escape. I left my church, and Christianity, some time ago--I went to college and the rest is history. I became an Agnostic Atheist, and I've never looked back. It has given me boundless peace, and a framework from which to explore and reckon with this intense religious trauma.
Anyways, I'm writing all this to say that, in case you ever needed a sign to let go of your faith, here it is. A lot of what you wrote here feels a lot like a confession--a way to test the waters of non-religion. I just wanted to say that I see it and I feel it. When I was starting to let go of my faith, I would cling to any and every small thing that would help me validate it, because I was just so afraid of the unknown. I eventually ran out of things to cling to. In spite of it all, I feel much more at peace, and life seems so much more sweeter--because in reality, this brief moment in time might very well be all we have.
Thank you for reading.
Hi Joshua, thank you for this! The church I was describing was also Pentecostal and totally cult-like. I don't go into detail about it in this post but I have looooooong ago left christianity behind. I was agnostic for many years and now I would say that I believe in the oneness of all things and that brings me utter blissful peace. And when I say cooking is my worship I suppose you could also say gratitude practice or therapy or any other word, but I wanted to say worship here because there is a kind of ecstasy I feel that is kind of like that old concept of worship. Sounds like we have a ton in common and it would be wonderful to chat and swap stories one day. Not an easy way to start out life, but I am grateful I had that experience.
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate you!
This is so lovely, Leanne. Thank you for sharing it!