Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Chuck Petch's avatar

Very perceptive article, Christine. You really get to the heart of a powerful spiritual topic in your last paragragh: "There is something magical about group gatherings with a united purpose." Highly spiritual people say spiritual energy flows powerfully among the crowd and performer at any event where people's emotions or spirit are engaged, especially when music is performed. (Barbara Brennan, Hands of Light, pg. 91))

Expand full comment
Shaina Fisher Galvas's avatar

I love this. I’ve just begun to be Swift-curious (I’m late to every party), so I’ve been watching YouTube videos (my algorithm is now 90% Swift) and I’m like “ah, I get it! Why is her persona affecting me like this?”😂

I love the way this piece illuminated my evangelical experience though. I had powerful social desires that I attached to the church, and served the church passionately for more than 20 years, before I finally realised, down to my bones, that my desires were not the same as the dominate social desires that formed the church. And I’m still working it out—what was it I wanted? Why did the church seem like the perfect receptacle for these desires? And what was it everyone else wanted? Why did we want such different things, but share so much of the same language?

while I don’t shy away from critique of the movement, I love approaching these questions from a place of curiosity, rather than assuming my desires were uniquely pure and everyone else’s were corrupt.

Expand full comment
12 more comments...

No posts