From Rising Strong by Brene Brown:
Research participants who shared stories of shame around religion had less in common than most people guess. No specific denomination has emerged as more shaming in my work; however, there is a strong pattern worth noting.
Over half of the participants who talked about experiencing shame in their faith histories also found resilience and healing through spirituality. The majority of them changed their churches or their beliefs, but spirituality and faith remain important parts of their lives.
They believed that the sources of shame arose from the earthly, man-made, human- interpreted rules or regulations and the social/community expectations of religion rather than their personal relationships with God or the divine.
Our faith narratives must be protected, and we must remember that no person is ordained to judge our divinity or to write the story of our spiritual worthiness.
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*For KC CoDA purposes, articles are sometimes edited to come from an "I/me" perspective. They also may have been edited for content and format.