Deprogramming from "Natural Law": How my brain is fighting the trap of "Spiritual Harm"
I need advice on how to completely wipe a specific piece of conditioning from my mind. I’ve done the work: I recently sent my formal apostasy papers, I’m officially out of the church, and intellectually, I know my sexuality doesn't hurt anyone. I don't steal, I don't kill, I don't violate anyone. My therapist keeps reminding me of this, but my brain still gets stuck in fear-loops. I finally realized why the guilt sticks: it's the concept of "Spiritual Harm" vs. "Earthly Harm."
High-control religions manipulate us by redefining what "damage" means. They don't care if an action makes you happy, healthy, or doesn't hurt a soul in the real world. To them, the worst damage is "damage to the soul." Under their twisted logic, my consensual sex life, masturbation, porn consumption, and my voluntary sterilization (being proud to be childfree and antinatalist) are "self-harm" because they separate me from their narcissistic god. They’ve wired my mind to believe that breaking their rules is a rebellion against the "sacred order." They don't value individual autonomy; they value blind submission. I am trying so hard to deprogram from this Catholic "Natural Law" bullshit—the dogma that sex is only permissible if it is unitive and procreative within marriage, and that any deviation is a one-way ticket to the lake of fire. How do you force your brain to stop measuring "harm" through a supernatural lens? How do you fully accept that real morality is based on consent, empathy, and reality, not on the fragile ego of a cosmic judge? I need logic, reality, and strategies to finally shut down this software of terror.
Posted May 23, 2026, 6:28 AM UTC