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2024 Winner Announced!
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I grew up in the Christian faith (Baptist). My family has been heavily indoctrinated to Christianity for generations. I broke free of this mental slavery and haven’t looked back since. Here’s my story and how my views on life have changed.
I genuinely believed in Christ, prayer, missioning, anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, and many other Christian beliefs. During puberty, I noticed an attraction to the same sex but was in denial, thinking something was mentally wrong with me. I feared disappointing God and my family, thinking they wouldn’t love or care about me. I believed in indoctrinating others into the Christian faith, "leading them to God," and saving their souls. I thought begging God to wipe all my pain away, solve my problems, leave it all up to "him," and surrender my mind, heart, body, and soul was the right thing to do.
At 18, I came out to myself, realizing I liked men and women, but I was tortured inside. New neighbors then introduced me to the truth about religion. I learned it was manufactured, not real, and borrowed from ancient beliefs and legends. I discovered contradictions in the Bible, mistranslations, and missing books. The letter "J" didn’t exist when the Bible was written, making the power of the name Jesus a belief rather than fact. The sexist origins of the Bible and the strategic removal of Goddess from religion also came to light. My world was shattered. Do I pray before meals? Who do I call on during tough times? Without a higher power, how do I navigate life?
I started recognizing the poison of organized religion and its influence on the psyche and American culture. It was used to brainwash slaves into submission with the threat of hell, preventing them from resisting their oppressors. It also controls the average person, lining the pockets of the rich, priming us to obey authority, and keeping us submissive and compliant. It brainwashes people to vote against their needs, distracting us from those harming us. Women vote against their bodily autonomy, families against LGBT rights, and vile acts are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ, raising questions about accountability.
I once argued with a Christian man who couldn’t fathom that I could have morals without being Christian. He insisted that God was necessary to be good. This made me realize the depth of his mental constraints. I often wonder why we can’t respect each other’s differences and live peacefully without interfering in others’ lives. Without proper education and with hidden histories of organized religions, we live in a state of madness. Cognitive dissonance activates and critical thinking is abandoned regarding organized religion. People wait for someone to save them instead of fighting for what’s right, but we must save ourselves. Why wait for a hero who may not come in our lifetime or at all? What if they perpetuate evil to give their God something to do when he arrives? Wouldn't it be better if he came and discovered that we solved our problems?
This realization sparked my dream to create a better world. I dream of becoming an author, film director, writer, humanitarian, and philanthropist. I want to change the world, fostering dreamers like me who refuse to wait for heroes. I want to open a foundation that educates, decolonizes minds, provides scholarships, and nurtures the next generation of real-life heroes. I want my stories to inspire people to believe in themselves, take back their power, and fight for what’s right. This dream didn’t come from religion; instead, despite it. While brainwashed, I waited for a hero, but instead, I became my hero. I believe in people doing the work God is supposed to do. I see the atrocities committed in the name of religion and won’t wait for the God who allowed it to fix it. Instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to guide my moral compass, I believe in the spirit within and the spirit of others. It’s called compassion and empathy—a genuine human emotion that transcends any made-up belief system.
I genuinely believed in Christ, prayer, missioning, anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, and many other Christian beliefs. During puberty, I noticed an attraction to the same sex but was in denial, thinking something was mentally wrong with me. I feared disappointing God and my family, thinking they wouldn’t love or care about me. I believed in indoctrinating others into the Christian faith, "leading them to God," and saving their souls. I thought begging God to wipe all my pain away, solve my problems, leave it all up to "him," and surrender my mind, heart, body, and soul was the right thing to do.
At 18, I came out to myself, realizing I liked men and women, but I was tortured inside. New neighbors then introduced me to the truth about religion. I learned it was manufactured, not real, and borrowed from ancient beliefs and legends. I discovered contradictions in the Bible, mistranslations, and missing books. The letter "J" didn’t exist when the Bible was written, making the power of the name Jesus a belief rather than fact. The sexist origins of the Bible and the strategic removal of Goddess from religion also came to light. My world was shattered. Do I pray before meals? Who do I call on during tough times? Without a higher power, how do I navigate life?
I started recognizing the poison of organized religion and its influence on the psyche and American culture. It was used to brainwash slaves into submission with the threat of hell, preventing them from resisting their oppressors. It also controls the average person, lining the pockets of the rich, priming us to obey authority, and keeping us submissive and compliant. It brainwashes people to vote against their needs, distracting us from those harming us. Women vote against their bodily autonomy, families against LGBT rights, and vile acts are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ, raising questions about accountability.
I once argued with a Christian man who couldn’t fathom that I could have morals without being Christian. He insisted that God was necessary to be good. This made me realize the depth of his mental constraints. I often wonder why we can’t respect each other’s differences and live peacefully without interfering in others’ lives. Without proper education and with hidden histories of organized religions, we live in a state of madness. Cognitive dissonance activates and critical thinking is abandoned regarding organized religion. People wait for someone to save them instead of fighting for what’s right, but we must save ourselves. Why wait for a hero who may not come in our lifetime or at all? What if they perpetuate evil to give their God something to do when he arrives? Wouldn't it be better if he came and discovered that we solved our problems?
This realization sparked my dream to create a better world. I dream of becoming an author, film director, writer, humanitarian, and philanthropist. I want to change the world, fostering dreamers like me who refuse to wait for heroes. I want to open a foundation that educates, decolonizes minds, provides scholarships, and nurtures the next generation of real-life heroes. I want my stories to inspire people to believe in themselves, take back their power, and fight for what’s right. This dream didn’t come from religion; instead, despite it. While brainwashed, I waited for a hero, but instead, I became my hero. I believe in people doing the work God is supposed to do. I see the atrocities committed in the name of religion and won’t wait for the God who allowed it to fix it. Instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to guide my moral compass, I believe in the spirit within and the spirit of others. It’s called compassion and empathy—a genuine human emotion that transcends any made-up belief system.
Danielle Jones
Fairfield, CA
Solano Community College
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