A Found Poem of Lost Voices
These are the words of my new liturgy.
I borrow them reverently from the faith of my youth
for the continued work of justice.
I was told that I shouldn't have gone over to his house by myself.
I shouldn't have gone over there alone (wearing a dress) because
it caused him to be “overcome by lust”—
Not that they were sorry.
Not that his role would be changed.
I had been raped, I felt shame about not being pure.
[The female church volunteer] responded by asking
if I had repented of my role in what happened.
I was 11.
I went to the restroom. I was followed by the youth pastor. He grabbed my arm. I was lucky enough to fight him off and escape. I just wonder how many girls weren’t so lucky.
The only question: whether or not the church will do the hard work of correcting itself.
A reckoning is upon us in the U.S. and in the church, and it’s about time.
Y’all should scroll through #churchtoo when you have a minute.
Between the ages of 6 and 12, one of the Sunday school teachers would take me into a room, lock the door, and make me sit on his lap while he rubbed all down my legs.
Graceful Atheist: Church leadership is accountable for #ChurchToo.
Praying for women in churches/religious orgs to have the same courage to speak up and share their stories at a time of disillusionment and deception.
#MeToo
One time my youth pastor took down my paintings at a church art installation because this character had too much cleavage. That is how exhausting the purity culture is. They couldn't handle a line on a cartoon chest, drawn by a 14 yr old.
Someone I esteem who WAS abused, faces ongoing slander and opposition
because she didn't stay silent.
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear,” Isaiah 58:8
This is not a time for the church to pull a “not all Christians” defense.
It’s a time to LISTEN, and CHANGE.
A time to hold people accountable, protect survivors,
and prevent it from happening in our communities.
I was sexually abused by a pastor.
When reported, the social worker chose to protect the minister instead of my 7yo body.
Bcs of that, the abuse continued for years.
Kids deserve better. #churchtoo
That “Handmaid's Tale” thing is starting to feel less and less far-fetched these days, isn't it?
If your church is making excuses for these men rather than listening to these women,
it’s time to #EmptyThePews.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can seek help by calling
the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673). For more resources on sexual assault, visit RAINN, End Rape on Campus, Know Your IX, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
This poem is a compilation of tweets (the lost voices). Only minor edits and line breaks have been made in the original tweets.
