Wow!! Bravo! That's the level of comfort discussing these topics I now aspire to.
News flash: the only thing that makes you a racist, sexist homophobe is being one. Damn straight! It's so ridiculous how people throw that around. And how they generalize, but of course it's not really them, it's the programming causing that. Once upon a time I was programmed. I grew up in a Born Again Christian house, church on Sunday and Wednesday, taught from the time I could think that there was one way to Heaven and if you stray you're heading to a place of eternal, nightmarish torture. At the same time my parents were really loving people, I had a great childhood, they just truly believed that so out of fear for the children they loved, they had to impress it on us.
There is no indoctrination in this world that could compare for me, breaking it was the mental version of climbing Everest in my underwear. And I'm grateful for all of it, that journey made it so I could see through all kinds of mental and emotional manipulation with very little trouble. (Also I should note my mom has become very flexible in her older years. Her love for her kids is such that she broke free of a lot of doctrine herself:)
I will be checking back often, You are a voice that the world needs!
I relate so much to this. I believe I also influenced my own mother's breaking away from the church (Catholic, this time). And I think the further you get on in life, the harder it is. Because it's an act of courage to say okay yeah, maybe I was wrong all this time. It's hard for me, at 23. Let alone at 50, or at 70. I think that's what does most people in -- you've been living a certain way for so long, it's easier to just stick it out then maybe admit you had it wrong all this while.
Why Wednesday, though? My own extended family does the every Sunday thing, but what's Wednesday?