Angela Wright

So I grew up Southern Baptist. I went to church six days a week. Monday was like youth council. Tuesday was choir rehearsal. Wednesday was Bible study. Thursday was Boy Scouts. I'm dead serious. Friday was youth council again. Saturday was the junior layman. And Sunday I went to church. So I grew up always thinking that the church was everything. And my uncle was a deacon. My father's a deacon.

So I grew up Southern Baptist. I went to church six days a week. Monday was like youth council. Tuesday was choir rehearsal. Wednesday was Bible study. Thursday was Boy Scouts. I'm dead serious. Friday was youth council again. Saturday was the junior layman. And Sunday I went to church. So I grew up always thinking that the church was everything. And my uncle was a deacon. My father's a deacon.

Grandfather's a deacon. My aunt's a pastor. So I was always a part of like the quote unquote clergy. But I just always felt like... When I asked questions, I got shunned. And it was always like, listen to what I say. If you ask questions, then you don't believe the way you're supposed to believe, so you're going to hell.

Grandfather's a deacon. My aunt's a pastor. So I was always a part of like the quote unquote clergy. But I just always felt like... When I asked questions, I got shunned. And it was always like, listen to what I say. If you ask questions, then you don't believe the way you're supposed to believe, so you're going to hell.

And that scared me because I was like, I don't want to go to hell, but I also just don't believe. So then it made me afraid of believing anything because I was kind of like, well, if I don't believe the way y'all believe, then I'm going to hell. So then I just don't believe, you know, so I'm...

And that scared me because I was like, I don't want to go to hell, but I also just don't believe. So then it made me afraid of believing anything because I was kind of like, well, if I don't believe the way y'all believe, then I'm going to hell. So then I just don't believe, you know, so I'm...

After years of trying to ask questions and getting shunned, when I turned 18, I said, I'm going to college and I'm never going to church. And I haven't turned back.

After years of trying to ask questions and getting shunned, when I turned 18, I said, I'm going to college and I'm never going to church. And I haven't turned back.

That's crazy. That was 22 years ago. Okay, awesome.

That's crazy. That was 22 years ago. Okay, awesome.

That's how I grew up. You had to speak a certain way, dress a certain way. I can't be myself.

That's how I grew up. You had to speak a certain way, dress a certain way. I can't be myself.

Women couldn't wear pants. Oh, no. Yeah.

Women couldn't wear pants. Oh, no. Yeah.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

One thing you said, Wes, that resonated to me was getting older and understanding church, right? And then, Lawrence, you said the same thing about being taught. I know this being a father now, right? My children are not mature enough to understand certain things, right? It's like you take a kid and you like, here's calculus, right? Pythagorean theorem, cosine, tangent.

One thing you said, Wes, that resonated to me was getting older and understanding church, right? And then, Lawrence, you said the same thing about being taught. I know this being a father now, right? My children are not mature enough to understand certain things, right? It's like you take a kid and you like, here's calculus, right? Pythagorean theorem, cosine, tangent.

They're going to be like, what is this? I felt like that in church. When they were trying to teach me the Bible, it sounded like Pythagorean theorem. And then because I couldn't understand it, I felt less than. I felt like something's wrong with my spirit. Like people getting up and running around and they crying and I'm just sitting there like, what is happening? I feel, you know what I'm saying?

They're going to be like, what is this? I felt like that in church. When they were trying to teach me the Bible, it sounded like Pythagorean theorem. And then because I couldn't understand it, I felt less than. I felt like something's wrong with my spirit. Like people getting up and running around and they crying and I'm just sitting there like, what is happening? I feel, you know what I'm saying?