Comments on: Getting Over Religion http://www.mindonfire.com/2007/12/12/getting-over-religion/ Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:55:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: John http://www.mindonfire.com/2007/12/12/getting-over-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-5894 John Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:44:41 +0000 http://www.mindonfire.com/2007/12/12/getting-over-religion/#comment-5894 John, the harsh blogmaster, is slowly won over to xJane's forward-looking methods! :P Yes, I like the tagging approach better now, but it took me a while to break out of the categories I had been using for years. Old dog meet new tricks. *grin* What I really like about the religion = addiction metaphor is that it's an alternative to the negative terms always used to describe leaving religion. Faith is something you "lose;" one "falls away" or becomes "apostate." Escaping addiction is a laudable thing, demonstrating integrity, perseverance, strength. It's something that requires support and encouragement rather than isolation. And reconverting would be like falling off the wagon. The other comparison that works for me is religion as the abusive partner in a dysfunctional relationship. For me, getting over religion has been an escape from emotional abuse. John, the harsh blogmaster, is slowly won over to xJane’s forward-looking methods! :P Yes, I like the tagging approach better now, but it took me a while to break out of the categories I had been using for years. Old dog meet new tricks. *grin*

What I really like about the religion = addiction metaphor is that it’s an alternative to the negative terms always used to describe leaving religion. Faith is something you “lose;” one “falls away” or becomes “apostate.”

Escaping addiction is a laudable thing, demonstrating integrity, perseverance, strength. It’s something that requires support and encouragement rather than isolation. And reconverting would be like falling off the wagon.

The other comparison that works for me is religion as the abusive partner in a dysfunctional relationship. For me, getting over religion has been an escape from emotional abuse.

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