The History of Liars

"We forget everything. What we remember is not what actually happened, not history, not merely that hackneyed dotted line they have chosen to drive into our memories by incessant hammering. 

I do not know whether this is a trait common to all mankind, but it is certainly a trait of our people, And it is a vexing one. It may have its source in goodness, but it is vexing nonetheless. It makes us an easy prey for liars.

Therfore, if they demand that we forget even in the public trials, we forget them. The proceedings were open and were reported in our newspapers, but they didn't drill a hole in our brains to make us remember - and so we've forgotten them. Only things repeated on the radio day after day drill holes in the brain."

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The Gulag Archipelago.

Pushy "Friends"

"There will be no end of well-meaning people who will want to push their preferences and expectations on you."

- Wayne Jacobsen -

Don't Be A Churchy Manipulator.

"You’ll increasingly find yourself disconnected from obligation and the ability to be manipulated by guilt or fear. You’ll be able to be around others, even those who disagree with your journey, and not be influenced by their angst. It’s a tough lesson to be sure, but one that will reap great rewards. If we try to force others to our own conclusions, we’re playing the same game of conformity and manipulation that they are. Love doesn’t press; it entreats."

-Wayne Jacobsen. Beyond Sundays 

Church Conformity Virus And Blackmail

"There are congregations and pastors secure enough to let people have their journey, and if they no longer fit in, still treat them with kindness and generosity. However, I don’t get email from people leaving those fellowships. I get it from those who are either harassed as someone who has rejected God, or ostracized as if they were some kind of virus. The latter is part of their attempt to get you to admit you’re wrong and come back. In their minds they do it for your own good. This is how they “love” you, by withholding their friendship until you conform again."

- Wayne Jacobsen. Beyond Sundays 

If We Lose Our Freedom

"If we lose our freedoms in this country, the job will be done to us not by malevolent autocrats seeking do bad but by parochial bureaucrats seeking to do good "

~ Alan Borovoy

10 Lies Church Systems Tell You.

"10 Implied Messages of Institutional Church Because The Medium Is The Message:

1. Church is a place, a location, a building.
2. Christianity happens in services, classes, meetings, events, and programs.
3. What people need most is good information about God.
4. “God’s work” needs organizational or corporate infrastructure.
5. The more control the better; no telling what people will do if left to themselves.
6. It’s best you let us decide how to use and distribute your money.
7. Depend on us for the spiritual formation of your children; we are trained.
8. The bigger the church, the better.
9. People are more valuable and spiritual depending on how often they attend and how much they tithe.
10. Relationships happen in group meetings."

- Jim Palmer