D.L. Mayfield (they/them)

Serial child predators are attracted to patriarchal Christianity for multiple reasons.

1). If they are male they are privileged and prioritized
2). Easy access to children and their trusting/gullible caregivers
3). The doctrine of forgiveness*

*this only applies to men, not children just FYI

Inside the Mind of a Pedophile Purity Culture is Pedophile Culture Part 3

Anyways I believe the rot at the core of Dr. James Dobson's beliefs are abusive on every level. Which is why I have spent the past 18 months deep-diving Dobson, purity culture, and how serial child predators operate: strongwilled.substack.com/p/inside-the...

For me, "goodness" is related to how you treat people and much less to do with religion. Do you treat people as human beings deserving of care, compassion, and human rights? My parents cannot offer that even to their own children, let alone anyone outside of their insular religious group.

Is it any wonder that some of us leave? We've been hurt by the people who claim to love us, but we have to tell them constantly that their worldview is correct or else they withdraw what little support/affection they have. Their abusive, conditional love is the big secret we cannot say aloud.

When people disparage exvangelicals or anyone who has had to set firm boundaries with their evangelical parents I wish I could communicate how we were born into systems that we have no control over. The rules of the game are comply with the veneer of goodness, suffer silently, or leave.

The image of goodness that they cling to is what makes it so difficult to be in relationship with these folks. They only want to interact on their terms -- and those terms are that they are good people and their actions and beliefs are loving. Therefore they cannot listen or even apologize!

He (and other popular Christian writers, speakers, and pastors) also exported this way of being in the world to millions of people. So many of us exvangelicals struggle with this dichotomy in our own families. Every time we try and bring up how we have been hurt, we are met with dismissal.

The reason I am determined to expose people like Dr. Dobson is because he (and so many other evangelical men) tried to hide their abusive personalities behind the veneer of being good and godly people.

Purity Culture is Pedophile Culture Part 1: It's Not the Man in the Trench Coat you Should Be Worried About

read more here:
substack.com/home/post/p-...

Starting with Freud, there have been strategic and intentional efforts to not educate people on who is actually harming children, and we are all suffering as a result. Stranger Danger became a helpful myth to protect predators and leave children vulnerable.

As people are waking up to the reality that MAGA has done nothing to protect children, it’s a good time to delve into the history behind men with power who have done everything they can to ensure predators keep having access to children.

Hiding in Plain Sight: How Child Sexual Abusers Operate (and How to Spot Them) Purity Culture is Pedophile Culture Part 2

Not to sound too conspiratorial but powerful men have known the profiles of those most likely to abuse children and have consistently worked to keep that information out of the public. So, we are doing that work for them: strongwilled.substack.com/p/hiding-in-...

The movie doesn't end with a revolution! but with the idea that the people cannot be unbrainwashed and so their illusions must be kept in tact. I just didn't understand it.

As a reminder Dr. James Dobson in his 70s was making podcasts where he called 18yos "perfection" and that this was really normal behavior for all men. Part of his work was to normalize this belief that ALL men were attracted to teenagers.

Sometimes I just think some of us need to celebrate how angry we make our relatives, you know?

My extended family members worked for Lockheed Martin, were Republican Senators, evangelical pastors, predatory realtors and proud members of the John Birch Society. And I turned out to be a leftist anarchist writer who won't stop yapping about the harms of white patriarchal Christianity!!!!

Plus you get access to our discord! Like most creators, times are tough for us and your small financial contributions ($4 a month) really means. Thanks for helping us keep everything we do ad-free!

Holidaze (patreon only episode) | STRONGWILLED Get more from STRONGWILLED on Patreon

Krispin and I talked about navigating the holiday season with toxic/enmeshed families over on Patreon. If you like our content and want to support us -- plus find some solidarity and solace this holiday season, come join us and listen! y www.patreon.com/posts/holida...

It's the third legacy media publication that seems to have been more concerned about my pronouns than my writing/thoughts/actions. Which is . . . not a good look for any of them.

Also a reporter from the NYT called me a few weeks ago to interview me about turning my little free library into a little free pantry and at the end I told her my pronouns and she went quiet and then said something about editorial standards. Guess who didn't make it into the story?

I needed a NYTimes subscription to access some reporting from 1985 for my purity culture is pedophile culture series . . .

and damn it felt good to cancel that subscription today and tell them why :)

Inside the Mind of a Pedophile Purity Culture is Pedophile Culture Part 3

Here's part three of our deep-dive into how purity culture is actually pedophile culture: strongwilled.substack.com/p/inside-the...

For my project STRONGWILLED we look at evangelical parenting and family life materials. So much of them cater to serial child predators in multiple ways but an important component of that is pressuring young women and teenagers to always, always forgive and forget those who abuse them. Always.

Just a little reminder for all my fellow people who come from toxic, enmeshed, and emotionally immature families:

You deserve holidays that are comforting, nourishing, and are about good food and being around people you actually like being around. Full stop.

Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.

“I want their morale as low as possible because a team with low morale is ineffective.”

Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter

Learned a bit too much about Epstein's Zorro Ranch and now my tummy hurts

Just when I think the SBC can't get any worse, it does! But weirdly enough, protecting pedophiles is very much connected to being fascist racists who enjoy terrorizing non-white populations and always has been.

Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.

Two Hispanic pastors who lead Southern Baptist churches in New England say that SBC President Clint Pressley and its executive board received briefings on the plan and discussed it with Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and WH Border Czar Tom Homan. thisweekinworcester.com/exclusive-tr...

You can ask anyone in your life rn: do you believe in protecting children from predators? And see how they respond. Take careful note if they use any language to protect the powerful people they vote for or tithe to. They are revealing themselves to be unsafe people, and should be treated as such.

My younger sister is trying to help a friend get into publishing and asked me if it's true that they want authors to have a decent following on social media. Yes, I said. Why do you think I have been busting my ass on social media this entire time?

She said she thought I just enjoyed it 🙃