Way too many times I’ve been approached by a Christian inviting me to an event. It does seem harmless, and maybe it is. However, I do not see any atheists reaching out to a pastor inviting them to their anti-deism potluck.
What’s my gripe with free food? Well, going to a church is not the same experience for everyone. For someone who didn’t grow up in the church, appears clean (fits the mold for a viable future Christian, not queer), they can walk in the church guilt-free and without any fear of what the pastor may say. For others, as myself, there is a long history with my ex, God. I see my relationship with Christianity as a real relationship, but more on that another time. I feel as though I’ve been betrayed once I learned about God’s past. I realized that He is not the person (or being) I thought He was. When I walk in a church with that knowledge, and see a pastor preaching about his best friend (my ex), it makes me upset. It’s really hard to hear such good things about someone you don’t like.
In all seriousness, I have no interest in rejoining the faith. I’ve worked very hard learning about religion, Christianity, and belief systems. I feel like I really learned what spirituality means for me, not based on what everyone told me to believe. When someone I know invites me to an event at their church, I feel invalidated by the work that I did. I am proud of that work, but those people refuse to acknowledge it.
I was on campus in college and was approached by a few Mormon missionaries. They started asking me questions about my faith and tried to get my contact information. At the time, I was still a Christian, but I was still very uncomfortable. Fortunately, I was able to get myself out of the situation without sharing my contact info, but approaching someone walking alone at 9pm is not exactly enjoyable.
I also received an invite to go to church from one of my closest friends. Again, I don’t necessarily mind the invite, but going to a church after repeatedly saying I don’t believe feels invalidating. If you don’t recognize my new belief system, it is a form of disrespect to me. I do not try to convince him to stop believing in God, I don’t invite him to atheist conventions (which I don’t go to), and I don’t pick fights about my problems with his belief system. All I ask in return is the same, to let me be.
The same situation goes for my family. I have been invited to multiple events at my sibling’s church. However, the circumstances were a little bit different. My sibling’s spouse was getting baptized, which I recognize as a significant event for their beliefs. I did attend the church that morning, and was very touched by their testimony in relation to my sibling. I could see how much they cared for my sibling, which was the biggest takeaway for me, even if I didn’t believe the religious part of the conversation.
Ultimately, I do not intend on changing the minds of others. I do not care what they believe, so long as it doesn’t hinder my ability to believe what I do. I want to be respected and validated by my family and close friends. When someone is not willing to do that for my spiritual beliefs, it feels invalidating.
Christianity is all about evangelism. In order to spread the word, you have to reach out to “lost” communities. If there’s someone in your close circle, that’s who you ask first. It’s what I was taught growing up, though I never had the guts to go through with something that uncomfortable. I understand why they keep going after my “soul”, trying to save me. At the same time, I have no way to convince them that I want no part, and never will. I’m always open to a conversation, willing to learn and grow, and I also do not want to be forced into an uncomfortable situation in the culture of where I grew up.
Thanks for reading my rant today on a situation I recently experienced. I don’t really have advice to give, other than to trust yourself before accepting what other people tell you. I will separate myself and my beliefs from their actions, because I can see why they are reaching out and trying to “save” me. When the worldview is so specific and you are the target market, they are taking action because they want to help you. Find your people who recognize and accept you for who you are, they won’t be fighting your worldview.
Stay safe, take care of yourselves, and we’ll talk soon.
I know what you’re thinking— what on earth brought you there? An angsty family member, “God’s voice” in your ear? Instead, it was curiosity, but no, I didn’t go alone. My family wanted to make a trip to see it, and I decided to go with them out of interest in what Ken Ham had created for the Christian world.
I want to start this discussion with credits to the teams who worked to built this ark. It was very well built, with lots of attention to detail and cleanliness. The creative liberties they admitted to taking looked believable as a boat that would be built at that time. By no means am I an expert on history, though, and that may be what Ken Ham was looking to exploit with the exhibit.
Interestingly, this is not the only full-size Noah’s Ark interpretation. In the Netherlands, Johan’s Ark was built with a similar mission by Johan Huibers. It opened in 2012 to the public as a museum, and floats on the water. Ken Ham’s work opened in 2016 in Williamstown, Kentucky. It features three floors of exhibits, and surrounding areas with ziplines, playgrounds, and a zoo.
I will refer to each point discussed in the various exhibits as Ken Ham’s world view, as some differ greatly from how I was raised only a couple states over from where the Ark lies. There are two locations you can visit for different aspects of this, including the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. As I discuss points from both, I won’t expressly mention where they came from. Both museums are created for a similar purpose by the same foundation, and complement each other.
The Ark Encounter starts from the base of the boat, walking up a facade of scaffolding and large packages with food for Noah and his animals. It’s dark and appears to creak, giving the impression of the storm getting closer. You are then led through a series of rooms with exhibits mainly quoting Genesis through the flood story and relevant details. This museum is focused on telling the creation story and flood story from the Biblical perspective.
The Creation Museum is much more scientific. There are many exhibits showcasing the beliefs of Christians as Ken Ham tells us as compared to the atheist view (as if we all believed the same thing). There are also alternative science arguments, such as challenging the use of carbon dating. There is clearly a skew in some of the statements made to give some existential dread to the atheist view, but I found most of the atheists points to be relatively fair as compared to the moral claims he makes throughout both museums.
I also want to heavily criticize the politicization of the shops. When I walked in to the lobby known as the Answers Center, the books lined up included critiques on the social activist movement of pride and another book that was called “Transgender to Transformed”. In addition, there was a t-shirt that said “the true meaning of the rainbow- Genesis 9:13”. I find these extremely offensive and invalidating of personal experiences including some of my own. It took a lot of religious unlearning to be able to love and care for myself, and they made careless claims about people they do not even attempt to understand. This is judgement, and I find it very ironic considering they teach not to judge. That being said, I did not take the time to read the books, so I cannot comment too much. The fact that they are so readily available in the bookstore before entering the Ark is a bit alarming, though.
There are many claims made in the Encounter that I would like to discuss. These center around historical claims to the creation of the world, a historical flood event, causes of climate change, evolution, the flat earth conspiracy, and finally, my first experience in a sermon in a couple years. Let’s dive in.
The Creation
Ken Ham is famously a “young earther”. This means that he believes the earth was formed only 6000 years prior despite numerous scientific research claims that suggest a much older earth. The exhibit does not shy away from this— instead, it compares and contrasts the viewpoints, ultimately siding for Ken Ham’s point of view.
There is a graphic displaying information about the ice ages, or in their world view, the only ice age. It occurred as a result of the global flood about 4000 years ago. They contrast this to at least four major ice ages that we have discovered
One exhibit takes a shot at some Christians, saying that they try to reinterpret the Bible to fit the old earth position. They mention the gap theory, progressive creationism, the framework hypothesis, and the day-age theory. However, their rebuttal only says that they are “littered with problems”. In the Creation Museum, these arguments are brought up again and countered with conflicts in the Bible. These include that some or all of the arguments would suggest that the creation was not very good, that there would be conflicts in the order of events, the Genesis flood was not global, or that most creatures would have been gone before humans existed.
I still find these problematic because we are taking scientific arguments and countering them with verses from the Bible. I think that makes all of these discussions and debates so challenging because we have a hard time agreeing on how accurate the Bible is.
The Flood
Interestingly, they lean into the various flood myths from around the world. They display a large graphic of the globe and argue that the other myths embellished history. They also argue that many of the legends were written before Christian missionaries interacted with their culture, implying that they may be discussing the same event but mis-categorizing the size or origin. I did appreciate that the other myths were mentioned, because they share so much in common. However, I still consider the flood myths to be myths, including the Christian one. Whether it was an exaggeration of actual local floods, or stories carried down from generations, it does feel like a stretch to drown all land mass. Where did the water even come from?
“In approximately one year, the wicked pre-Flood world consisting of a supercontinent is destroyed and a new world with seven continents rises from the waters”
They argued that before the flood, the earth had a shape called Rodinia, followed by Pangaea during the flood, then by the end of the flood the earth took the shape as we see it in seven continents. I didn’t realize that there was a form of earth considered before Pangaea. In this argument, they are combining what scientists have learned and applied it to their young earth timeline. Scientists would say that there were only microscopic lifeforms during Rodinia, but the museum’s graphic would consider the garden of Eden to be on that form.
Climate Change
As for the global climate, Ken Ham believes we didn’t do anything to cause rising temperatures. An unsurprising Christian view, he claims that if centuries ago, we didn’t cause a rise in temperatures and it cooled off, then why would we be causing it now? They show a graph of year 1 AD until 2000, conveniently missing the current rises in temperatures in the last 20 years.
Evolution
I found it very interesting on how evolution was approached in the museums. Going in, I expected a full denial of evolution because God created everything individually. Instead, they argued that natural selection was real, but only affects pre-existing features and cannot create new ones. They also discuss mutations, and say that the majority cause negative effects. Further, even if they are “somehow beneficial”, they are not adding information necessary to transform animals into different species.
In the Creation Museum, there are many discussions on natural selection with genes changing such as the famous Darwin’s finches. They also talked about how bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics. I noticed that this became a theme, sprinkling in modern science with Biblical views, potentially giving people the impression that they have credibility.
They separated this concept of natural selection from evolution, considering evolution to be the creation of new genetic information. This is what they refuted. If genetic information can be created, that means that new species can be created from one to another.
I have a hard time agreeing with them for the simple fact that our biology is so similar to other species. If so much of our DNA is shared with a fruit, then wouldn’t the logic follow that we are somehow connected in the evolution of different forms of life?
Flat Earth
Interestingly, there are a number of texts displayed refuting the idea of a flat earth. They stated that the Bible hints at a round earth in multiple places, but didn’t cite where. I found this somewhat bizarre because this is not an idea that I would consider popularly accepted or believed. It was mentioned that in the late 19th century, the flat earth argument was popularized to belittle Christians by making the Medieval church look ignorant. It also simply states that there are some Bible verses that imply a round earth, though there are no actual citations once again.
The Sermon
I found myself sitting through a sermon and music. Below, I have quoted some notable statements that he made:
“‘For God’ in John 3:16 doesn’t prove the existence of God, it is proclaims it. So there is a God.”
This is avoiding the actual discussion of the existence of a god and the Christian God. Instead, he says that it is so because the Bible states it. However, without accepting criticism and doubt, there is no amount of plausibility that a religion can uphold for me.
“The world began by chance- ha”
Once again, he avoids the discussion of arguments and doubts that one may have about the beginning of the world by scoffing at anyone who dares to think different than him.
“God loves the homewreckers, God loves the homosexuals…”
Here, we are being compared with people who do things that harm others. Nobody is harmed by a gay couple existing, except for the ones who believe it is wrong and get their feelings hurt. It’s something I’ve noticed a lot, equating types of sin. A murderer or pedophile is no different than a gay couple who loves each other. Depending on your world view, you would read that sentence very differently.
All this being said, it was a pretty uneventful sermon. The man chosen to preach was a recovered drug addict “through Christ alone”. I don’t want to mock the struggles he has been through in that regard, although I do want to note that it felt like cherry picking someone who has been through something really challenging to give a sermon for more power in the speech.
Summary
Ken Ham’s thorough creations are a very literal take on the Bible. They use citations as fact, with little questioning of wording, translation differences, or other conflicts. However, the most powerful message in all of the work is this- you are nothing without God. He is “patiently delaying” your final judgement so that you have the chance to turn to Him. You deserve death as a sinner. Your only hope at a future without pain and suffering is by giving your life to Him. Nothing worldly is going to ever fulfill you. You cannot question God’s judgement either, because He created you, so He can do as He pleases.
If it isn’t clear, I don’t agree with that message. I grew up believing it, so it is not new to me. I have a hard time agreeing that there is so much evil in the world, and yet we must live a fulfilling life on earth as well. Since leaving the church, I have found ways to find fulfillment in what is important to me. In the things I do for others and the experiences I have with people I care about, I can find peace being honest and open with myself.
While feeling out of place at times, I did enjoy looking through the exhibits as an atheist. It gave me more clarity on my beliefs because everything I’d ever been taught was on the wall for me to scrutinize two years after leaving the church. I’d encourage others to do the same if you have doubts or questions, while keeping a very critical view, even as a Christian, on each statement made. It cannot simply be fact because it is stated on a poster. Many statements are made with messaging that is not giving other arguments a fair chance. That being said, consider where you are spending your money if you go, because it is not a cheap fare to enter.
I was not able to discuss everything that I saw in the museums, due to the massive amount of exhibits. If you would like to see more about the Ark Encounter, Bill Nye visited with Ken Ham and debated some of the issues discussed on the posters. Here’s the video:
Thank you for reading, and I hope this gives you some insight to Ken Ham and his work. Whatever you may believe, remember to stay critical and allow yourself to question before you take blind faith in someone else’s idea.
I’ll leave you with one image that was displayed in the creation museum that sums up what Ken Ham really thinks of non-Christian morals:
Stay safe, take care of yourselves, and you’ll be hearing from me soon.
For a long time, I felt really out of place with society. I never really cared about fitting in, I just tried really hard to not be noticed. I didn’t want anyone to comment on something I was wearing even if it was a compliment. I just wanted to be ignored so I wouldn’t have to face judgement.
In middle school, a confusing time likely for all of us, I got to be very shy as a result of this. I wasn’t afraid to talk to people, I was afraid to talk about myself. If I shared anything about myself it would put that part of me up for scrutiny, something I couldn’t handle. So I stayed quiet for a very long time.
It took a trip out of the country during college to finally realize what I wanted. A thrift store in Amsterdam, namely. The questions started flooding in, one after another. What clothes do I like? What do I want to look like? Who do I like?
Soon after, I stumbled upon Love, Simon, and then Love, Victor. I identified with both, but especially the religious aspects of Love, Victor. I realized that I had been performing for everyone else, hiding behind the shadows. I wore the clothes that I thought would blend in. If nobody complimented or insulted what I had on, it was a win.
The questions continued for another 6 months as I started piecing together the person that I wanted to be. I discovered that I was bisexual. I found clothes that made me look more like myself. I connected better with the people around me. The people that I surrounded myself with became more selective. One step at a time, I moved towards the person I felt I was meant to be.
What does it mean to get along with society? It felt so existential to me, and I felt a need to be accepted by everyone. If someone doesn’t like me, I must be wrong and I must change myself. I decided to take the opposite approach for a while, and become the person that some people hated. Nothing malicious was necessary, because being openly bisexual is enough to boil the blood of some southern Christians. I became someone who was more honest to themselves about how they felt. I realized that it was not fair to continue to lie to myself or hide from myself in order to please others. Further, society is the community you build yourself around. If someone doesn’t like you, they don’t have to be in your life. In place of that person that takes away your energy, hope, and inspiration, there is someone else who can help you become a better person that is more true to themselves.
It no longer became an issue of becoming someone who was accepted by society, but instead finding people who already accepted me and making them my society.
There will always be someone who doesn’t fully accept you in your life, and I believe that is okay. If you surround yourself with people who do, you will learn to hold the judgmental person’s opinion much lower than you once did, and allow yourself to live freely. I hope that everyone is able to find a safe community as I have, and hope you can find some comfort in this space I have started building to share and connect and grow with other people who may feel lost or disconnected and in need of community.
Why am I having to say this? I thought that my generation understood a little bit of nuance, however it seems that black and white thinking still has a stronghold beyond past generations. Let’s talk about it.
Recently, my friends talked to me about our mutual friend finding out I was bi. However, that’s not what they said. “He said, G is gay? I was first to call it!” The conversation continued with other people saying they knew earlier, too.
There’s a lot to unpack here, because I didn’t come out to myself until midway through college. Did they know me better than myself? Am I just gay after all? I haven’t dated a woman since coming out and dating men. That’s at least what my friends see me as.
I’m bi. I always have been. Some hometown friends from high school still think I’m straight. Now, my college friends think I’m gay, like being bi is a stepping stone to being gay. For some this may be the case because it is somewhat easier to come out as bi, but it’s not supposed to take anything away from my sexual identity. I’m attracted to men and women, regardless of who I’m dating. No stepping stone, no phase, that’s who I am. Yet, even my friends who claim to be allies can’t accept the nuance of my identity and instead go to one side or another.
Next, I asked myself why they would think that about me before I came out. I thought I was straight passing. Growing up, I was pretty shy and wasn’t very confident in myself. To some, that may have been seen as feminine due to being “submissive” in a sense. I allowed people to walk over me because I didn’t want to cause drama and avoided the spotlight. I never asked to be in the spotlight, and yet I was the subject of their conversation for a very deeply personal part of my life while they played it like a game on who knew first.
What’s worse, if I ever were to bring this up to them, they would say all the supportive things that they do, yet continue the behavior I have experienced due to a lack of understanding of my identity. This is not the only situation I’ve seen with these friends, this is everyone. Even people in the queer community are guilty of questioning my bisexuality. Of course, my family as well. Thinking I am going to somehow change my orientation based on who I’m dating is simply ignorant.
I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted from sharing my identity and being misunderstood over and over instead of someone else doing the work for once and trying to understand me better. Yet, we continue to settle to live in a society who doesn’t care to understand who we are, and makes us feel like we’re the problem.
All I know to say at this moment is to stand together with each other. Bi people exist. If you are bi, I stand with you and recognize you for all your nuance and love that you are capable of loving so many people in so many ways. If you aren’t, I ask that you take this opportunity to continue to learn about who we are and consider the words you say to and about bi people. Every bit of change you make for the better creates a more welcoming community for us. It really is as simple as saying, “yes, I see you.” We don’t want to be erased. Stay well, you are valid no matter what anyone says. You know who you are.
I want to talk about a few things about modern queer culture I’ve learned in my experience. Modern queer acceptance is an interesting yet complicated subject that some people believe we have “figured out”. Let me explain.
I was having a conversation with a family member then they said that I’m accepted in society right now. When they first said that, I didn’t have a great response because, in a lot of ways, they’re right. The gay rights movement has made so much progress and I can’t even imagine what it was like to live in the US when there was no chance of being openly in a couple in public or getting married. But I kept thinking, “then why doesn’t it feel like it?” I think I found a few reasons why.
First, I had to answer the question, what does it mean to be accepted in society? After all, society is filled with a lot of people we will never meet and have no influence on our lives. To me, being accepted in society means I’m accepted by my family, my friends, and my coworkers. Essentially, all of my social circles’ acceptance of me is what makes me feel welcome in society. These people are the closest to me and those I may have to come out to.
Another less influential group of people to me personally would be politicians and political media. We are surrounded by news that can influence how we perceive the public opinion on queer rights and even sway the public opinion. Politicians also write the legislation that determine how we get to live and our place in society.
All of these factors tend to raise anxiety levels when there are so many people that can hurt you just by being yourself. This alone means that there is a lot more nuance about acceptance in modern society than a blanket statement that likely comes from my family member’s perception of mainstream media. With all these factors, for me personally, do I feel accepted?
For my friends, I absolutely feel accepted by most. It’s pretty easy in my experience to have this, living in a decently large city with queer presence. Friends are also chosen which means, though hard, are not impossible to let go of if they are not accepting. I understand that depending on where you live, you may not have the luxury of choice where everyone seems to think the same, and I’m sorry that you experience that. I hope for those of you in that situation, you will find a source of relief by places like this website where you are truly cared for and can someday find that group for you, too. My experience with my friends doesn’t translate the same for family, however.
My family is not very accepting. I would consider most of my family members as tolerating my sexuality, and it definitely takes a toll on you. I don’t feel welcome to share my personal life with them when it comes to relationships because when I do, there are awkward reactions that I feel would be very different if I were dating a girl. As I’ve also shared before, there is a bias towards who I date. Check that article out here. They simply have no choice in who I date, which leaves them with being tolerant yet praying and wishing for me to “follow a different path” in life.
There is not much to say yet about my coworkers because they are not aware of my sexuality. However, I don’t see that as an issue as many are around my age and seem to be accepting without any clear evidence to speak either way.
If it wasn’t already abundantly clear in the news, there are a number of politicians who think very differently about us, or at least their platform runs on this. I believe it has to do with the recent harmful speech about trans rights that has caused the most uproar and a feeling of moving backwards in society. I do not feel supported or represented by US politicians or in recent elections, though I believe there is enough we see on the news that I don’t need to further explain. It hurts me that many people overlook social issues in the name of their wallets, despite moral concern for safety and wellbeing of other people in your same country.
Being accepted is a complicated idea to express. It is a feeling we experience from a combination of the people around us treating us as humans, not differently based on who we are. Whether you have accepting friends, family, coworkers, or other social circles or not, know that there are resources available to you. Even though this website can’t give you new friends or family, I hope that it brings you some peace knowing that you are not alone. There are other people out here that feel like you do, understand and validate your feelings and who you are, and truly care about you as a human. Those people are who deserve the closest place to your heart and will make this life just a little more fulfilling. Stay well and keep fighting for your place in society, you deserve it.
It feels unnecessary to say, but sexuality is not a choice. Sexuality is not a lifestyle. Why would this be such a hard concept to grasp?
I came out almost two years ago as bi-questioning, then bisexual, but the questions have never ended. I’d like to address a few of these in the hopes that one more person can understand who we are better.
What percentage men and women? How about now?
There is no percentage. Sexuality isn’t a math equation that gives you a probability of who I date. Even if there was, how would I calculate it? Give me every qualified partner option and I’ll swipe left or right? It’s an exhausting question that has led me to feel more confused during my bi-questioning journey.
Are you just gay?
No. I’m bi.
I feel so invalidated when this question arises. I started dating a man, so I was in a gay-presenting relationship. My relationship does not change my sexuality.
I believe that we as humans seek to find the black and white— that is, all or nothing, not a little bit of both. However, we can always do better to understand the nuance of each situation and life as a whole.
Can you try a girl this time?
After my breakup, I was asked to try a girl this time. Shockingly, this is not the same as trying a new ice cream flavor.
I’m not sure if this was out of hope that I would date a girl, but it is a statement that makes me question my motivation for who I date. Do I want to date them because of who they are, who my family doesn’t want me to date, or who my family does want me to date? There’s no reason I should date out of spite or obligation because that will lead to hurt for everyone involved.
I am a bisexual man. To me, this means that when I’m looking for a partner, the last thing I care about is gender. I do not choose who I am attracted to. I believe that it is beautiful that I am capable of loving so many people, and that doesn’t mean I have to hurt anyone because of it.
Remember that you are deserving of greater love than being reduced to your sexuality. You are a person with so much love to give, so much compassion and understanding of the world, and you have something amazing to offer the world.
Sometimes during the holidays I feel like there’s nothing to be thankful for. After being out to my family for two years and having dated someone of the same gender, I would think they were used to it. Instead, we hold the same conversations, disagree about the same things, and they still believe the same misconceptions. How could that be?
I would hope the words I speak are being listened to, but I have a hard time believing that is the case. I often feel that I put a lot of effort into understanding my family, but that is not reciprocated. If this continues, how can I be thankful for them? Thanks for not kicking me out!
In all seriousness, it can be hard to even show up at family events such as Thanksgiving knowing you are always going to be seen as different. Having this feeling of judgement about your life and how you choose to live. This leads us to the question, what can we be thankful for this season?
Remember that we have community.
We all have someone who loves us unconditionally. That could be a family member, coworker, friend, or someone on the other side of a helpline. It doesn’t matter who it is, there is always someone willing to give you the love you deserve.
Queer TV and Movies
For me, it’s been great to see a number of TV shows and movies with queer representation, including more bisexual men. While it’s left to be said if it is changing the culture around these topics, it gives us some comfort watching a show that can really resonate with who we are.
You
This website is about a lot of things. Whether you have to deal with the battle of acceptance from your family based on who you are or your religious beliefs, it can be very exhausting to have to continue to explain yourself. However, you know who you are. You don’t have to explain yourself to yourself. Self-love comes at no consequence because there’s no condition and no strings attached.
Be thankful you have yourself for this journey, and you will never leave your side. It may sound silly to read at first, but it’s true. Cook for yourself, go to the gym, or get enough sleep. Whatever you would consider a loving action for someone else, you can take that action for yourself too.
No matter where you are, there is a place where you belong. Whether it means you spend Thanksgiving with your family or not, you deserve respect. Take care of yourself and remember you have so much love to give to those who will accept it.
