William Wren
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William Wren
@william-wren.bsky.social
18 followers 60 following 4 posts
Ex-Christian writing about why I left and why it matters for all of us. Politics, philosophy, and the pursuit of greater understanding.
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william-wren.bsky.social
"Broadly speaking, there are two common strategies for dealing with a sacred text that contains material you find morally repulsive."

#Christianity #hermeneutics
Reading Backwards
How Christians Decide What the Bible Means Before They Open It
williamgwren.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:57 AM
william-wren.bsky.social
"Education equips you to evaluate competing claims. Indoctrination equips you to reject them."
We don't let children sign contracts. We don't let them vote or consent to medical procedures. We recognize—correctly—that they lack the cognitive development to make binding commitments about complex matters. But we let them be baptized, confirmed, and catechized into metaphysical worldviews before they can evaluate the claims being made. We teach them that doubt is dangerous, that faith is a virtue, and that the consequences for disbelief are eternal. Then we act surprised when they struggle to think independently about religion as adults. Religious formation of children isn't education in any meaningful sense. Education equips you to evaluate competing claims. Indoctrination equips you to reject them.
February 13, 2026 at 3:08 PM
william-wren.bsky.social
"The harm happened inside the house."
#atheism #religious-trauma #trauma #religion
When someone tells you they were harmed by their religious upbringing—that they spent years believing they deserved hell, that they suppressed their identity to conform to doctrinal expectations, that they lived in fear of a God who would punish thought crimes—the correct response is not "that wasn't real Christianity." It was Christianity. It was a recognizable, scripturally grounded, institutionally supported version of it. The people who taught those doctrines weren't fringe actors. They were pastors, elders, Sunday school teachers operating within established theological traditions. You can argue that your version is better. You might be right. But you don't get to retroactively excommunicate every harmful expression of the faith just because it makes the tradition look bad. The harm happened inside the house.
February 11, 2026 at 5:50 PM
william-wren.bsky.social
#atheism #philosophy
February 11, 2026 at 3:42 PM