My apology to my evangelical upbringing….

I’m sorry I for struggling with my faith for so many years, but the good news is I don’t struggle with it anymore. Let me explain…..

I’m sorry I never could be sure of my salvation. I still don’t know if I’m “saved,” but I don’t worry about it anymore either. My faith in Christ and his Infinite Atonement is more important.

I’m sorry I can no longer believe in the Rapture. This doctrine scared the crap out of me as a teenager…. I’m also sorry, for your sake, that this teaching is nowhere to be found in the Bible. I just don’t see it there. I’m sorry.

By the way, those “Rapture” films from the 1970’s (Thief in the Night series) that they forced us to watch in Christian school did a lot of damage to my spirit; I just wanted you to know.  And I don’t think I was the only one frightened by them. In fact, I’m sure I wasn’t.

I’m sorry I didn’t heed your warnings about Joseph Smith being a “false prophet.” I’ve been to the Sacred Grove and felt the Spirit there.

I’m sorry I went against everything you taught me about the Bible. I’m working on my doctorate in theology now, which I’m sure comes as a surprise to you. Yeah, you wouldn’t exactly approve of me using a feminist hermeneutic, would you?….and what’s a hermeneutic, you ask?

Oh, and I believe in the Book of Mormon too. It helps me understand the Bible better. I know that’s not what you expected to hear, but it’s the simple truth.

I’m sorry I no longer give in to your condemnation and the hurtful voices from my childhood. It’s okay. My faith in Christ has taught me that I don’t have to believe those lies anymore, because I am a child of God with divine purpose and inherent worth.

Oh, and one more thing….I also thought you should know that I have discovered the Hebrew Goddess right there between the pages of the Holy Bible itself —   and because of Heavenly Mother, my faith in Jesus Christ has been restored.

All that said, I choose to forgive you because Christ is teaching me how to truly forgive. I also pray you will forgive me for going against everything you ever taught me – in the way that you taught me.

You see, it was never so much about the content of your message, as it was the presentation.

At least now you know I was listening. Heavenly Mother must have been listening too.

Michelle Wiener

Dr. Michelle Wiener holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and a Master of Ecumenical Studies from the University of Geneva in Switzerland where she studied for a year with the World Council of Churches. A convert from the Bible Belt, she loves genealogy and serves as Temple & Family History Consultant. A devotee of Heavenly Mother, she also runs the Finding Heavenly Mother Project. Michelle just completed her PhD in comparative theology through Euclid University.

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