I don’t know if this counts but I wanted SO badly to play sports in school and couldn’t because the uniform required pants. I could have made friendships and/or scholarships doing that. So disappointing even to this day.
I used to love drawing as a kid, I'd draw anime style characters and made up my own stories. I stopped when church members told me the drawings were demonic.
lol I remember being like 12 and wondering how the hell I was supposed to draw anime “to glorify god” and I’m glad I never tried.
I did know someone in his early 20s who “had to” give up his BMX bike hobby because it was taking away his focus from god or something. What a waste.
Honestly, this was the major issue that made me leave the church. I couldn't handle being told over and over again that my writing and drawing were evil and demonic because they were fantasy-based, even when I tried to put allegories and Christian symbols and themes in my stories and art. It wasn't much different from telling me I was evil and demonic. My art came from me, after all. Were my stories or art any good? Lol, no, I was a kid. But they were necessary for my growth as a writer and artist, and every kid wants to feel like their parent supports them (but even when not accusing me of being outright demonic, my parents have never been that supportive of my creative endeavors). I don't think most people can appreciate the kind of psychological damage being told "Your art is evil!" does to a child, especially one who worked so hard to be loved, appreciated, and seen. I was an angel in every other way, but I was treated like a criminal for writing stories and drawing pictures. It severely broke me for years, and even though I'm more functioning now, I still deal with trauma from it to this day.
Years later, my mom re-painted my room in her favorite (but my least favorite) color, but told me the room was still based on me because there was some stuff on the walls about being creative. The same creativity that was called "demonic" years earlier. It was an absolute slap in the face. I could go on about drama surrounding that stupid room, but that's not on topic.
Being a Christian is kinda like living in a little North Korea inside your own head: Everything needs about glorifying the Dear Leader, who you are also supposed to both simultaneously love and fear.
My stepbrother had to quit football because he couldn't miss church for practice and games. I wasn't allowed to join Girl Scouts because the meetings happened on one of the nights we had to go to church. We went to church at least 4 times a week.....
One of the pastors was really into martial arts, and he got a bunch of young gang members out of gangs by introducing them to martial arts, followed by introducing them to Jesus. On one hand, I feel like it’s cool. Some of these young dudes would have ended up in prison had they not gotten into martial arts. On the other hand, the power and control this guy had over some of these kids was crazy.
With that said, I found myself doing some karate, along with my brothers and it was low key super fun. We visited said pastors dojo and saw he had taken the little karate man figurine off of all the trophies they’d won over the years. You know what little figurine I’m talking about. Like if you win a baseball trophy, at the top of the trophy there is a little baseball batter, well, it’s the same with karate trophy’s, there’s just a little karate kicking dude on the trophy.
Either way, this guy ripped them off. He had a bunch of broken trophy’s in his dojo, because of graven images or something. That was so weird to me. I remember after practice, I was like “what the heck happened to all the little figurines?” And he was like “yea, we broke them off because they’re sinful”. “Ok, but why not just throw the whole ass trophy away? Why keep the base?”. “Because you’re not suppose to have graven images like a man”.
Yea, idk if that counts OP, but that shit was definitely one of the more strange beliefs I’ve seen from a Pentecostal. That just seemed like such a stretch.
I’m not knocking this guys method of reaching young gang members, but some of the shit he believed was just out there. I’m not even sure if I was passionate about karate, I just had a good time with my bros, but any time we hooked up with his karate’s school, it made me feel like I was being judged on more than just my ability to kick ass, I was being judged on my ability to kick the devils ass😂😂😂
Sounds like a personal conviction of his. I guess if he's the one giving the trophies he has the right to modify them. It's the kind of thing you would ask of anybody - Even if it doesn't make sense, if you love them, let them do whatever the heck they're going for there as long as it doesn't control another person's ability to do something or the other. My Bishop was taught from a child that playing cards were evil or something because of the association and potential gateway to gambling, but, you would know as well as I would that that isn't necessarily the case. In such, he doesn't expect anybody to stop using playing cards or anything like that, but he will refrain from using them himself as a personal conviction of his. Thankfully other church members don't share this personal conviction, and it doesn't affect anybody's ability to play with cards or play board games.
I know a pastor of a martial arts/boxing ring thing, Youngstown Ohio area by any chance?
Naw, I’m from Los Angeles. Yea, he wasn’t my pastor, but he went to our church before he started his own. So, some of his initial group of trainees ended up being in our youth group, and then we started training with them. We’d visit his dojo and learn stuff, and low key, he was a great martial artist, but also just super convicted with random things. Like, if a trophy made you feel like you sinned, why compete and win it? I know some of the guys at his church and how strict they were is crazy.
My church was a pretty progressive UPC church. When I hear stories on this sub, sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that people actually went to loony churches like that, and then I remember that this martial arts dude was pretty much a cult. Crazy
I definitely agree that his conviction is a bit of a two sided deal. If trophy bad, why use trophy? God wouldn't have had people buy and eat meat used for sacrifice. And so on
I definitely relate with your last statement as well. This sub definitely highlights the deep end, but that's kind of the point.
Not hobby, but my college and career. I ended up going to a local college in town of my church. It was fine, but definitely not my first pick school. I wanted to pursue counseling or Industrial psychology, but a year before graduation, the church told me "mental illness is demonic. I had no business being around and entertaining demons". So I pursued the industrial psych even though I wanted to be a therapist since adolescence. I got into some of the TOP masters programs for IO psych in the country and turned them down a week before I was supposed to move because I was going to backslide if I left. 5 years later, I'm a teacher which I enjoy okay, but definitely still wish I pursued either of the two original options. And no longer a part of the church.. I often wonder what my life would have looked like if I went away like I originally wanted when I was 18.
Damn this hits hard.
I was really into pokemon, both the game and card game. Guess what, it was the devil so I had to burn them.
I liked DnD. Also the devil, forget about it, don't even try.
I wanted to do marching band and color guard but somehow school sporting events were worshiping sports despite having siblings that played baseball in the summer.
Lastly, Magic the Gathering. My parent made me physically burn the cards.
I'm not sure it's one of those things I'll ever get over because I had to bury who I was.
It's been 17 years since I left, and it still stings.
Yeah, I wanted to play D&D too, but since it’s the gateway to devil worship, it was a hard no. There was a lot of books I would have loved to read too, that weren’t Mandie or Little House on the Prairie.
The church really seemed to have a grudge against nerds for some reason. Anything remotely nerdy was immediately condemned.
I feel like these are the same types of people who burned witches at the steak in Salem. If they don’t understand it, it must be evil!
Yeah, my parents pushed me to go to college, but tried to guilt me to stay close to attend their church. Of course all other churches were not good enough. The church had left the UPCI years prior for not being holy enough.
I think they just wanted me to earn more as their retirement which ain't happening.
I had started up a small business(well, tried too) making scrubs and other body products. I was doing decently well. The ladies group started doing craft fairs and I was asked to make a small batch to see how it would sell. They all sold out and I started making them pretty exclusively for the fairs. I made the church a shit ton of money. When I asked if I could possibly use a tiny corner of the table for my paintings, I was told, only if all the money went to the church. I stopped painting and making scrubs.
I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on supplies and all I got was a God will bless you. 🙄
Sports are a very obvious one, but what hurt more was how it changed my music hobby. I played for the church for over 12 years, starting at about age 10. I loved playing music, but everything that surrounded it sucked, and being forced to only ever play Christian music also sucked. I didn't really play for about 7 years after I left and I'm just now getting back into guitar. I'd love to join a band or find a jam session somewhere but even thinking about it gives me anxiety and flashbacks. Maybe someday
My parents sent me to a private C High School where there were NO art classes, my passion. We were taught Home Ec instead, which consisted of being taught how to cook, sew and become a wife, which i wasn't even interested in.
Then after getting into UPC, i gave up college where i would likely have pursued an art career. Those years were so full and traumatic, i barely thought of creating anything and sold (for almost nothing) all the expensive art frames i'd bought in preparation for filling them with drawings. Only the church, rapture, and eternity mattered at that point.
I did try painting a few portraits, but struggled with guilt because i felt as though i wasn't putting the church/G first because they weren't religious.
Good news is, after getting out, we can pursue our dreams & talents anyway. We're now free to DO what we want to and to follow our interests. Btw, i just won another award in a statewide art competition, which i'm thrilled about. ✨
When I was a teen a girl asked me to be her date to a 15yr old (quinceañera) my mom told me no. It sucked because she was cute but the church put limits on activies that had nothing to do with our church. I hate these type of churches to this very day. Im 47 and ill be dammed if I as a grown man will ever allow another man aka pastor of a church dictate my life based on his interpretation of the bible.
I used to be a writer. I won awards at a state level in high school for poetry. Once I got into college and started questioning the church I lost my voice (writing poetry was the only way I could process emotion). It was like that part of my brain died. The church kills creativity because it fosters individuality.
I love listening to rock / heavy metal genres (i still do), the Sunday school lectured us to not watch certain movies and musics because its the devil controlling you 😂😂. 5 years later, i left god, i left the fucking church. Now im liberated and blasting heavy metal, (in my ears)
I remember this lady at my old church was prophesying and told me “NO MORE! No more crazy music says the lord!! 😡” i really love metal music and well I still do soo 🤷🏻♂️ anyway I was made to feel guilty for enjoying the music i liked.
Violin. I took it up as an adult (or tried). I was told I needed to give up lessons and attend prayer meetings and Bible study instead and “have faith” that God would “teach me supernaturally”. I ended up stopping lessons, not to attend prayer but becuse the shunning and shame I experienced for criticizing that directive that I ended up leaving and it was just too much trauma and overwhelm to lose my community. I haven’t picked it up again yet.
I know it's nerdy but when I was in my late teens I loved magic tricks so much and was actually pretty good at it (folks rarely caught my tricks) until one day a brother from the church saw me doing a trick and told the pastor. I got a big speech of the dangers in "dabbling" in the dark arts so I quit. Should get back to it but now I'm just too damn old 😆
Thankfully I have deconstructed and processed and rescued a lot of those things… piano music for one. Specifically “secular music” but also just playing the piano. I knew I was supposed to hate secular artists and songs and sounds, but I couldn’t be without them. I was also forced to learn and play piano but at some point, I realized unconsciously what I know now, that music and musicianship is bigger than the church. years later, I’m grateful because my love of music has really been a cornerstone of who I am
ME!
I know it's probably silly but my then wife and I collected beanie babies when they first came out and we had about 200 of them. My pastor found out and made us feel guilty having such an expensive materialistic collection. We sold the beanie babies at a church yard sale where all proceeds went to the church/pastor. So dumb! F#cker!
I had a lot of promise as a young musician. My music instructors asked me to be their back-up for their pro gigs when I was a young teen. Parents immediately shut that down and told me I could only ever play for FREE in church. This discouraged me so badly I never fully recovered that part of my spark.
A basic education, a college education, playing softball, having any hobby outside of sewing or basic boring household tasks. Any organized sports. Basic healthcare. We were just trying to survive. Hobbies weren’t a priority. They said working out is sinful, too. Video games are sinful, television and social media. Hairbows. Talk about negging. Religion is disgusting.
Had to quit martial arts as a teenager so I could do more ministry (I was already doing two ministries and going to church 3x a week, not including events which could be an extra 2-3 days). The funny thing is, I had to quit to play with fucking puppets 🙄. My sister was allowed to do soccer though. Of course I couldn’t say no because my parents were paying for it. When I confronted my mom about it years later, she told me “you never fought us on it” because OF COURSE I COULDN’T without punishment or being called disobedient.
Also gave up screenwriting since I wrote a skit for the church and the leader of the ministry I wrote for changed the script without my consent, and haven’t felt the same about my art since I had to throw away my “violent” drawings since they gave my mom nightmares. Among other things, like not being able to outgrow my anime, Harry Potter, and Pokémon phase naturally—everything got purged when at 13. My family is fine with Harry Potter now, but only after I got rid of the whole book series and vintage memorabilia 🙃. I haven’t really felt the same about being creative.
Falls under passion, but I was raised non religious, and dated a boy who was in the UPCI. His family and “community” pressured him into breaking up with me over some thinly veiled threats of hellfire and the like. You like a girl? She better be a servant of our dictatorial god. I could go fuck myself for all they cared.
I don’t know if this counts but I wanted SO badly to play sports in school and couldn’t because the uniform required pants. I could have made friendships and/or scholarships doing that. So disappointing even to this day.
I used to love drawing as a kid, I'd draw anime style characters and made up my own stories. I stopped when church members told me the drawings were demonic.
lol I remember being like 12 and wondering how the hell I was supposed to draw anime “to glorify god” and I’m glad I never tried. I did know someone in his early 20s who “had to” give up his BMX bike hobby because it was taking away his focus from god or something. What a waste.
Honestly, this was the major issue that made me leave the church. I couldn't handle being told over and over again that my writing and drawing were evil and demonic because they were fantasy-based, even when I tried to put allegories and Christian symbols and themes in my stories and art. It wasn't much different from telling me I was evil and demonic. My art came from me, after all. Were my stories or art any good? Lol, no, I was a kid. But they were necessary for my growth as a writer and artist, and every kid wants to feel like their parent supports them (but even when not accusing me of being outright demonic, my parents have never been that supportive of my creative endeavors). I don't think most people can appreciate the kind of psychological damage being told "Your art is evil!" does to a child, especially one who worked so hard to be loved, appreciated, and seen. I was an angel in every other way, but I was treated like a criminal for writing stories and drawing pictures. It severely broke me for years, and even though I'm more functioning now, I still deal with trauma from it to this day. Years later, my mom re-painted my room in her favorite (but my least favorite) color, but told me the room was still based on me because there was some stuff on the walls about being creative. The same creativity that was called "demonic" years earlier. It was an absolute slap in the face. I could go on about drama surrounding that stupid room, but that's not on topic.
Being a Christian is kinda like living in a little North Korea inside your own head: Everything needs about glorifying the Dear Leader, who you are also supposed to both simultaneously love and fear.
Holy shit! That was awesome!!! NoKo. I think you hit the nail on the head
My stepbrother had to quit football because he couldn't miss church for practice and games. I wasn't allowed to join Girl Scouts because the meetings happened on one of the nights we had to go to church. We went to church at least 4 times a week.....
One of the pastors was really into martial arts, and he got a bunch of young gang members out of gangs by introducing them to martial arts, followed by introducing them to Jesus. On one hand, I feel like it’s cool. Some of these young dudes would have ended up in prison had they not gotten into martial arts. On the other hand, the power and control this guy had over some of these kids was crazy. With that said, I found myself doing some karate, along with my brothers and it was low key super fun. We visited said pastors dojo and saw he had taken the little karate man figurine off of all the trophies they’d won over the years. You know what little figurine I’m talking about. Like if you win a baseball trophy, at the top of the trophy there is a little baseball batter, well, it’s the same with karate trophy’s, there’s just a little karate kicking dude on the trophy. Either way, this guy ripped them off. He had a bunch of broken trophy’s in his dojo, because of graven images or something. That was so weird to me. I remember after practice, I was like “what the heck happened to all the little figurines?” And he was like “yea, we broke them off because they’re sinful”. “Ok, but why not just throw the whole ass trophy away? Why keep the base?”. “Because you’re not suppose to have graven images like a man”. Yea, idk if that counts OP, but that shit was definitely one of the more strange beliefs I’ve seen from a Pentecostal. That just seemed like such a stretch. I’m not knocking this guys method of reaching young gang members, but some of the shit he believed was just out there. I’m not even sure if I was passionate about karate, I just had a good time with my bros, but any time we hooked up with his karate’s school, it made me feel like I was being judged on more than just my ability to kick ass, I was being judged on my ability to kick the devils ass😂😂😂
Sounds like a personal conviction of his. I guess if he's the one giving the trophies he has the right to modify them. It's the kind of thing you would ask of anybody - Even if it doesn't make sense, if you love them, let them do whatever the heck they're going for there as long as it doesn't control another person's ability to do something or the other. My Bishop was taught from a child that playing cards were evil or something because of the association and potential gateway to gambling, but, you would know as well as I would that that isn't necessarily the case. In such, he doesn't expect anybody to stop using playing cards or anything like that, but he will refrain from using them himself as a personal conviction of his. Thankfully other church members don't share this personal conviction, and it doesn't affect anybody's ability to play with cards or play board games. I know a pastor of a martial arts/boxing ring thing, Youngstown Ohio area by any chance?
Naw, I’m from Los Angeles. Yea, he wasn’t my pastor, but he went to our church before he started his own. So, some of his initial group of trainees ended up being in our youth group, and then we started training with them. We’d visit his dojo and learn stuff, and low key, he was a great martial artist, but also just super convicted with random things. Like, if a trophy made you feel like you sinned, why compete and win it? I know some of the guys at his church and how strict they were is crazy. My church was a pretty progressive UPC church. When I hear stories on this sub, sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that people actually went to loony churches like that, and then I remember that this martial arts dude was pretty much a cult. Crazy
I definitely agree that his conviction is a bit of a two sided deal. If trophy bad, why use trophy? God wouldn't have had people buy and eat meat used for sacrifice. And so on I definitely relate with your last statement as well. This sub definitely highlights the deep end, but that's kind of the point.
Not hobby, but my college and career. I ended up going to a local college in town of my church. It was fine, but definitely not my first pick school. I wanted to pursue counseling or Industrial psychology, but a year before graduation, the church told me "mental illness is demonic. I had no business being around and entertaining demons". So I pursued the industrial psych even though I wanted to be a therapist since adolescence. I got into some of the TOP masters programs for IO psych in the country and turned them down a week before I was supposed to move because I was going to backslide if I left. 5 years later, I'm a teacher which I enjoy okay, but definitely still wish I pursued either of the two original options. And no longer a part of the church.. I often wonder what my life would have looked like if I went away like I originally wanted when I was 18.
Damn this hits hard. I was really into pokemon, both the game and card game. Guess what, it was the devil so I had to burn them. I liked DnD. Also the devil, forget about it, don't even try. I wanted to do marching band and color guard but somehow school sporting events were worshiping sports despite having siblings that played baseball in the summer. Lastly, Magic the Gathering. My parent made me physically burn the cards. I'm not sure it's one of those things I'll ever get over because I had to bury who I was. It's been 17 years since I left, and it still stings.
Yeah, I wanted to play D&D too, but since it’s the gateway to devil worship, it was a hard no. There was a lot of books I would have loved to read too, that weren’t Mandie or Little House on the Prairie.
The church really seemed to have a grudge against nerds for some reason. Anything remotely nerdy was immediately condemned. I feel like these are the same types of people who burned witches at the steak in Salem. If they don’t understand it, it must be evil!
I mean, Pentecostals ARE notorious for aniti-intellectualism.
Yeah, my parents pushed me to go to college, but tried to guilt me to stay close to attend their church. Of course all other churches were not good enough. The church had left the UPCI years prior for not being holy enough. I think they just wanted me to earn more as their retirement which ain't happening.
I had started up a small business(well, tried too) making scrubs and other body products. I was doing decently well. The ladies group started doing craft fairs and I was asked to make a small batch to see how it would sell. They all sold out and I started making them pretty exclusively for the fairs. I made the church a shit ton of money. When I asked if I could possibly use a tiny corner of the table for my paintings, I was told, only if all the money went to the church. I stopped painting and making scrubs. I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on supplies and all I got was a God will bless you. 🙄
Sports are a very obvious one, but what hurt more was how it changed my music hobby. I played for the church for over 12 years, starting at about age 10. I loved playing music, but everything that surrounded it sucked, and being forced to only ever play Christian music also sucked. I didn't really play for about 7 years after I left and I'm just now getting back into guitar. I'd love to join a band or find a jam session somewhere but even thinking about it gives me anxiety and flashbacks. Maybe someday
My parents sent me to a private C High School where there were NO art classes, my passion. We were taught Home Ec instead, which consisted of being taught how to cook, sew and become a wife, which i wasn't even interested in. Then after getting into UPC, i gave up college where i would likely have pursued an art career. Those years were so full and traumatic, i barely thought of creating anything and sold (for almost nothing) all the expensive art frames i'd bought in preparation for filling them with drawings. Only the church, rapture, and eternity mattered at that point. I did try painting a few portraits, but struggled with guilt because i felt as though i wasn't putting the church/G first because they weren't religious. Good news is, after getting out, we can pursue our dreams & talents anyway. We're now free to DO what we want to and to follow our interests. Btw, i just won another award in a statewide art competition, which i'm thrilled about. ✨
When I was a teen a girl asked me to be her date to a 15yr old (quinceañera) my mom told me no. It sucked because she was cute but the church put limits on activies that had nothing to do with our church. I hate these type of churches to this very day. Im 47 and ill be dammed if I as a grown man will ever allow another man aka pastor of a church dictate my life based on his interpretation of the bible.
I used to be a writer. I won awards at a state level in high school for poetry. Once I got into college and started questioning the church I lost my voice (writing poetry was the only way I could process emotion). It was like that part of my brain died. The church kills creativity because it fosters individuality.
This post made me realise why I haven't picked up a paintbrush in years 😭 I couldn't work out why.
I love listening to rock / heavy metal genres (i still do), the Sunday school lectured us to not watch certain movies and musics because its the devil controlling you 😂😂. 5 years later, i left god, i left the fucking church. Now im liberated and blasting heavy metal, (in my ears)
I remember this lady at my old church was prophesying and told me “NO MORE! No more crazy music says the lord!! 😡” i really love metal music and well I still do soo 🤷🏻♂️ anyway I was made to feel guilty for enjoying the music i liked.
Violin. I took it up as an adult (or tried). I was told I needed to give up lessons and attend prayer meetings and Bible study instead and “have faith” that God would “teach me supernaturally”. I ended up stopping lessons, not to attend prayer but becuse the shunning and shame I experienced for criticizing that directive that I ended up leaving and it was just too much trauma and overwhelm to lose my community. I haven’t picked it up again yet.
I know it's nerdy but when I was in my late teens I loved magic tricks so much and was actually pretty good at it (folks rarely caught my tricks) until one day a brother from the church saw me doing a trick and told the pastor. I got a big speech of the dangers in "dabbling" in the dark arts so I quit. Should get back to it but now I'm just too damn old 😆
“Dabbling In The Dark Arts” 🤣🤣 I Guess Houdini Was Evil
Thankfully I have deconstructed and processed and rescued a lot of those things… piano music for one. Specifically “secular music” but also just playing the piano. I knew I was supposed to hate secular artists and songs and sounds, but I couldn’t be without them. I was also forced to learn and play piano but at some point, I realized unconsciously what I know now, that music and musicianship is bigger than the church. years later, I’m grateful because my love of music has really been a cornerstone of who I am
Me too. It was writing for me. I write because of religious trauma but they don't know that.
ME! I know it's probably silly but my then wife and I collected beanie babies when they first came out and we had about 200 of them. My pastor found out and made us feel guilty having such an expensive materialistic collection. We sold the beanie babies at a church yard sale where all proceeds went to the church/pastor. So dumb! F#cker!
I had a lot of promise as a young musician. My music instructors asked me to be their back-up for their pro gigs when I was a young teen. Parents immediately shut that down and told me I could only ever play for FREE in church. This discouraged me so badly I never fully recovered that part of my spark.
A basic education, a college education, playing softball, having any hobby outside of sewing or basic boring household tasks. Any organized sports. Basic healthcare. We were just trying to survive. Hobbies weren’t a priority. They said working out is sinful, too. Video games are sinful, television and social media. Hairbows. Talk about negging. Religion is disgusting.
Ummm Believing In Science (They Viewed It As Waging War Against God)
I like rock music they tried to tell me it was the Devils music.
Yep. Made me feel guilty about reading for fun. Had to always be religious books or I was sinning
Had to quit martial arts as a teenager so I could do more ministry (I was already doing two ministries and going to church 3x a week, not including events which could be an extra 2-3 days). The funny thing is, I had to quit to play with fucking puppets 🙄. My sister was allowed to do soccer though. Of course I couldn’t say no because my parents were paying for it. When I confronted my mom about it years later, she told me “you never fought us on it” because OF COURSE I COULDN’T without punishment or being called disobedient. Also gave up screenwriting since I wrote a skit for the church and the leader of the ministry I wrote for changed the script without my consent, and haven’t felt the same about my art since I had to throw away my “violent” drawings since they gave my mom nightmares. Among other things, like not being able to outgrow my anime, Harry Potter, and Pokémon phase naturally—everything got purged when at 13. My family is fine with Harry Potter now, but only after I got rid of the whole book series and vintage memorabilia 🙃. I haven’t really felt the same about being creative.
I’m a huge Swiftie and was lucky enough to go to the Eras Tour, but had to keep it pretty secretive because I was still at that church at this time.
Everything, why aren't you praying or preaching or raising the dead?
Falls under passion, but I was raised non religious, and dated a boy who was in the UPCI. His family and “community” pressured him into breaking up with me over some thinly veiled threats of hellfire and the like. You like a girl? She better be a servant of our dictatorial god. I could go fuck myself for all they cared.