Religion: a chameleon’s worst nightmare

I often reflect on the religious aspect of my upbringing and whether it plays a part to the identity crisis I tackle daily. 

My parents were separated from as young as I can remember and whilst one half lived an approach to life that can be summarised as “YOLO” the other half were devoted Jehovah’s witnesses. 

Before I continue on I want to make it clear this is not a hate post about this religious group. Regardless of religion, sexuality, gender, race etc there are always both good eggs and bad ones. However, the core belief systems of some religious groups can be jarring and as someone who grew up thinking they were going to hell because they were secretly attracted to men…. it probably did some damage. 

As I grew older, I found out that hell isn’t even a concept this particular religious group beliefs (correct me if I am wrong) but the acknowledgment that I was never going to be what my family wanted me to be remains with me to this day. Ultimately, I chose to accept my sexuality as it one of the few things I have always been certain of. After being encouraged to leave home, my family became accepting of me but its save to say my relationship with some of them is strained and they’re actively encouraged to keep their distance from me. 

I am interested to hear if anyone has similar experiences and how you navigated going against core beliefs that were installed into you from a young age?

Look after yourself my fellow chameleons.