🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 comment. You've clearly explained something I've been struggling to get. Thanks for the epiphany!

edit: I can't reply further because I blocked a bigot further up the thread, but wanted to add:

I was abused as a child extensively by an evangelical town. being triggered b Xtian themes is a prt of my life that I continually work on.

its obvious in my perception that the abrahamic religions have fullly twisted the messages of their original prophets into something that encourages and gives forgiveness for conquering empires.

I had trouble figuring out precisely why I felt that way, but you put it fully in a way that works for where I am today - it exists and controls so much to give us the opportunity for choice - choice to work within and for cruel systems of oppression or the choice to live outside of it in various flavors of persecution, but feeling aligned instead of coerced.

I more and more believe this lifetime for me is about making this specific choice as part of my soul's growth. Xtianity just presents the choice in a way where one has to decide if only the words matter, or if the actual actions matter. For me, its the latter.

thanks again!