Now that you have realized the truth and have become an adult, you can watch and read what you want! I have complied a list of my favorite movies and books that are relatable to people who grew up in a restrictive, usually Christian environment. Gone are the days of watching "VeggieTales," because people like us need to come back to the real world. All you need is a subscription to Netflix, and some party snacks! Here are the seven things you should watch or read if you grew up in a conservative home. The time to binge watch is now.
1. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
Tina Fey outdid herself on this one. So many people told me to watch it, and one winter evening I did. The whole season -- in one night. Kimmy's spirit and struggle is so relatable and the theme of the whole show is that she is recovering from a cult and trying to put her life back together! She totally understands the "fish out of water" feeling that every cult or religious trauma survivor has experienced!
2. "Saved"
This quirky comedy is about a super religious girl in a Christian school that gets pregnant after "Jesus" tells her to make her boyfriend straight by having sex with him. She, obviously, does not turn him straight, and the movie follows several teenagers as they try to find their way in the world while going to a Christian school. They make religious discoveries for them selves, and grow as people. This movie is super relatable to anyone who has attended a private Christian school.
3. "Hunchback of Notre Dame"
Now, I know this is a weird addition but hear me out -- I'm a huge Disney fan, and when I was younger, this was the most relatable Disney movie to me. All Quasimodo wants is to be normal and be out in the world and to not be sheltered anymore. My favorite quote is, "All my life you have told me that the world is a dark, cruel place, but the only dark and cruel about it, is people like you." The movie doesn't bash the religious people either, it just shows how it can be used for the wrong reasons.
4. "Room"
This movie with Brie Larson, based on the award-winning novel of the same name, is not about a cult, but it sums up the feelings you have when you leave one. She was abducted, and lived in a shed for seven years, and the world outside was new to her son. You learn all new things when you leave a cult and, like Larson, you think that if you leave everything will go back to normal and you will be happy. That is not always the case. I also like how she makes it a point in the movie to say that she was the only one that abnormal things had happened to.
5. "Vivian Apple at the End of the World"
This book is about a girl who's parents are members of the Evangelical Church of America and they insist that the Rapture is coming. One night after a party, Vivian Apple comes home to find that her parents and all the other church members are gone.
6. "Jesus Camp"
Jesus Camp is a documentary about children who grow up in strict conservative Christian homes. The parents home school them, and refuse to teach them evolution; and every year in the summer the kids get sent to camp to become warriors for Jesus. This is a good, eye-opening thing to watch because it shows how children are victimized in religions, and how not all Christians think the way they do, but they seem to be the prominent ones in power.
7."Harry Potter"
Come on, you know you want to. You finally can watch or read the series. You can either hide them under your bed, like I did with all my "worldly things," or you're an adult and you make your own decisions now. They aren't promoting witchcraft, and they are a fantastic series! Read them! Watch them! Get some closure to your childhood! I'm a little late to the game; I've watched the movies, but I've never read the books -- but I'm working on it! I'm reading the first book now, and I love it.
