Every story has a beginning...

"There is only one way to heaven. The Bible is the written word of God. The truth was revealed to a man from the Far East, specifically the Philippines, in 1914, just as the Bible prophesied in the book of Isaiah. That man then founded the only religion that carries the name of Christ." That, I was told, was the Good News or the Gospel written in the Bible. And that was the story I believed.

I grew up religious, zealously going to church multiple times a week. I also decided to dedicate my life to serving the church and married a church pastor. Serving in the ministry was living my life's ultimate purpose. I couldn't imagine a better way to live a meaningful life. Until I experienced a life-changing realization. 

After identifying problems in the church's teachings I decided to look for answers, despite all the fear that has been holding me back to address my doubts. That's when I realised, that the story I was made to believe my whole life cannot be true. It dawned on me that the organization I was part of was not a church but the largest religious cult in the Philippines. Realizing that I was born into a cult, controlled by fear and brainwashed my whole life, felt like losing the ground I was standing on. The lens I viewed reality was shattered. 

In the process of starting over and rebuilding my framework, I initially turned straight to the Bible to look for answers. However, it didn't take too long until someone threw every possible objection against Christianity and the inerrancy of the Bible at me. I couldn't answer the objections and I started to wonder if we could make any sense of our reality. With nothing to lose and determined to find reasonable answers, I started to go on a truth quest. I looked into every possible belief system, especially non-theistic worldviews and claims against Christianity. I followed the evidence where it led me and the evidence I found supporting the historic Christian worldview was enough for me to acknowledge it would be intellectually dishonest to deny the facts grounded in reason and history. Regardless of my feelings or preferences, I had to admit that something was compelling about a theistic worldview, specifically the story of Jesus. Long story short, I went from questioning if my belief was true, to looking for truth, to questioning if something can be true, to finding truth in Jesus. 

This discovery sparked a new passion in me to learn more about Theology, Philosophy, Psychology, History, and Christian Apologetics. Learning about my faith intellectually has been an ongoing process and I have acquired several Certificates in Christian Apologetics and Evangelism since. I continuously educate myself in these areas and partner with mentors and trained professionals in this field. This has helped me to rebuild a solid framework that is grounded in intellectual knowledge and evidence. I now desire to help people with a similar story and hope to be a voice of hope and reason as they take on the overwhelming task of starting over. Through my blog posts, I hope to encourage readers to critically think about their beliefs and to consider the evidence that supports a Christian worldview. Although I hope readers will consider knowing the truth of Christianity, I do not wish to push my beliefs upon anyone but rather motivate readers to make informed decisions based on accurate information.

So whether you have been a victim of religious abuse or are struggling with finding answers, I hope this platform can be a helpful resource in your faith journey. 

My name is Christine, and this is the story behind 'More Than A Tale'.