My family is very concerned that my boyfriend is abusing me. Their reasoning is mainly that I don’t keep as close contact with family anymore, I’m supporting him financially, and I met him before I’d stopped believing Catholicism so it must be his fault. Of course, I don’t keep as close contact as I used to partly because I no longer live close to family, and partly because it can be downright uncomfortable how wrapped in their religion they are. I’m supporting him financially because I love him, have the means, and don’t want to be alone in a strange city (obviously, I’d prefer if he supported me, as I’ve mentioned before, but we’re not in that situation right now). I did deconvert after meeting him, but only because someone else convinced me to read a book that showed me evolution is true.
My contention is that my relationship with Jesus was much more abusive than my relationship with my boyfriend has ever been, and when I discovered an article by a woman who escaped the Quiverfull Movement, that opinion was only solidified, as it showed exactly how some forms of Christianity are abusive.
The article is called “How Playing Good Christian Housewife Almost Killed Me” and is, I think, a powerful resource for those who cannot explain on their own why “a close, personal relationship with Jesus” might not be appealing to some of us. Please give it a read, regardless of your position.
The Complete History of the Universe: A Personal Journey 