We’re Taking a Break from Church Because Religion Made My Child Hateful

Trigger warning: This article contains negative references to the LGBTQIA+ community and religious beliefs that may upset some readers. “I believe there are only two genders: male and female,” my preteen son said, out of the blue, as we rounded the corner of our street. We were taking our daily one-mile walk through the neighborhood. The comment caught me off guard, and I paused in front of a neighbor’s house to gather my thoughts. “Huh? What made you think about this?” I asked. My son replied, “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. There aren’t all these different genders. It’s weird when guys want to be girls.” I stared at him in shock as he continued. “It’s not normal. It’s gross. It’s a sin to be transgender, and the Bible says so,” my son explained. Ah, the Bible reference. My son must have picked up these ideas at church. After a long hiatus from organized religion, we recently returned for weekly youth group sessions at a small Baptist church. The parents of my kid’s friends — who are lovely people—told us about the program. I was grateful for the invite because my family looked forward to Wednesday nights there. The church reminded me of the church I loved as a child, and I wanted my kids to have a shot at creating similar memories. <a href="https://medium.com/the-memoirist/were-taking-a-break-from-church-because-religion-made-my-child-hateful-6d39068be776">Website</a>