Purity Culture Shackled Me in Shame but I’m Finally Free
<p>We kneeled at the altar on Sundays, asking God to take away our desire and make us pure. We confided in each other when we lost self-control and worried we’d never be able to tame ourselves from feeling how we did. To feel how we did was to be human, but religious doctrine and the church soon convinced us our humanity simply wasn’t enough.</p>
<p>Shame is like being shackled underwater and unable to breathe; it’s being frightened, regretful, and unstable; it’s greater than guilt. Guilt is, <em>I did something bad</em> and shame is, <em>I am bad. </em>Shame will eat you to your core if you let it, keep you underwater, and overtake every good feeling and emotion. Shame is powerful and painful.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/purity-culture-shackled-me-in-shame-but-im-finally-free-and-more-whole-than-i-ever-was-while-8d25f992db2f"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>