Find the prompt here:
@daily.prompt/28-december-2025-mariannewests-freewrite-writing-prompt-day-2965-the-authority
The authority. Is there an "Authority"? As in capital A, all great power above all else? This is a key facet of Christianity, that God is above all, is the Alpha and the Omega, and that the Bible is the infallible word of God. And this is so problematic. So authoritarian. And I used to believe all that. I wonder what it was that drove me to want to believe in all that. I was raised Christian, yes, but plenty of folks are raised Christian but decide for themselves early on that they don't believe. But I went the opposite direction and decided for myself that I believed and that some Christians were true believers and others were not, and I was one of the true believers. I guess it gave me a feeling of belonging, of being part of an in-group, and maybe that was a feeling I was lacking somewhat. I was homeschooled, we had moved to Virginia when I was 14, I didn't feel quite at home or in place at the barn where I learned to ride horses, or in the 4-H groups I belonged to. I mean, I didn't feel like a complete outsider, but I didn't have a group that felt like it was all mine. So being one of the readers of Brio and then participating in that mission trip to Brazil, that made me feel very much like part of the group, and my experiences with Bible school made me feel that, too. And maybe part of why I was able to leave that was just part of maturing, knowing it was okay to not be part of an in-group like that, and that I would still be okay. There's a level of confidence that comes simply with aging and maturing, at least, I think there was for me. Anywhoodleberries, the time is past.