Trigger Warning!
We’re talking about sexual trauma as a result of religious abuse and purity culture. If that sounds like too much, feel free to skip this episode. Take care of yourself, Dear Listener.

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re talking about how we grew up and, in particular, the real downer we’ve come to know as purity culture. As so many listeners were, we were raised in Evangelical Christian fundamentalism which valued a women’s sexual purity above all else. As a result, we didn’t understand our bodies and how they worked and we were presented with purity rings from our parents that contractually bound us to abstinence until marriage. As you can imagine, it was smooth sailing from there—psyche!—quite the opposite!

Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

References:

• Qveen Herby - American rapper and singer
• “Surfbort” - lyric from “Drunk in Love” by Beyonce
• “Soulmate” - song by Lizzo
• “How Purity Culture Harms Mental & Sexual Health” - online article by choosingtherapy.com
• Vaginismus - Wikipedia page

Check out our other episodes about spiritual deconstruction/fundamentalism:
- 21: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 1 02.09.24
- 22: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 2 02.16.24
- 59: Fundamentalism, Mental Health, and Creativity 11.15.24

TIMECODES:
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - The Qveen Herby show!
3:38 - Writing about more than romantic love/self-care
7:16 - “Pussy” as feminist energy
9:33 - We grew up as Christian Evangelical fundamentalists
21:20 - Lack of sex education/body awareness in purity culture
24:03 - “If you have sex, no one will want you.”
26:25 - Purity/promise rings!
37:17 - How purity culture has affected how we create

Hosts: Emily Hatch and Carrie Schaeffer
Instagram: @honestlydearlistener
Youtube: youtube.com/@honestlydearlistener

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re circling back around to how the way we were raised (in fundamentalist, Evangelical, Pentecostal Christians) has influenced the way we create now. We also dive into how the beliefs we inherited when we were kids continues to contribute to our mental health struggles.

On a lighter note, we also discuss the holes in our pop music upbringing, exploring what the rules were for what kind of music we were allowed and not allowed to listen to. We also discuss Carman—yes, that Carman.

References:
- Women Who Podcast Magazine wrote an article about us! Buy the #15 October/Fall 2024 online issue HERE
- The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon - book
- The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, book by Julia Cameron
- A Thief in the Night - 1973 rapture film
- “Who’s in the House” - Christian rap song by Carman

Check out our other episodes about spiritual deconstruction/fundamentalism:
- 21: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 1 02.09.24
- 22: How Fundamentalism STILL Affects How We Create PART 2 02.16.24

TIMECODES:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Do we have slipper friends?
3:46 - Ugly Dinner Party
6:40 - Everything is a lot harder in “Nork”
8:48 - Go buy Women Who Podcast Magazine! We’re in it!
10:17 - How religion affects creativity
22:06 - Conscience vs. anxiety?
25:21 - Scrupulosity/OCD
40:07 - Creating in survival mode
43:35 - When Carrie first saw Emily

Hosts: Emily Hatch and Carrie Schaeffer
Instagram: @honestlydearlistener
Youtube: youtube.com/@honestlydearlistener

Note: We recorded this episode the day after Election Day 2024, and we gave it all we had--which wasn't much. We feel empathy and compassion didn't win this time, but we're not giving up hope. We talk about where we're going from here, what we plan on doing, and what we're going to be pushing into even more now.

Please take care of yourselves and be kind. Hope is not lost, Dear Listener.

Hosts: Emily Hatch and Carrie Schaeffer
Instagram: @honestlydearlistener
Youtube: youtube.com/@honestlydearlistener