My family was never what you might call religious. I mean, we owned a bible which my mom would even try to read every now and then, and we would make an appearance at one local congregation or another around Christmas or Easter, but that was about as far as things went.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I came home after my Freshman year at college to discover that my parents and younger siblings had become totally obsessed with a local church while I was away! It was a new congregation that had popped up a few months earlier. It was small but quickly growing and didn't seem to be a part of any recognizable denomination.
I went along to a few services with my family to try to see what the fuss was all about, and honestly, I didn't get it. The pastor was one-hell of a speaker, don't get me wrong, but the actual substance of his sermons was a bit... off. I was no theologian, so I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I got the impression the religion he was proferring wasn't entirely inline with anything mainstream.
I decided I was done with the church. If my family wanted to keep going, I wished them the best, but I just didn't feel it. When I told them that, the insisted I go one last time and meet with the pastor myself. In the interest of familial harmony, I agreed to their terms.
When I met with the pastor, it was just the two of us in my office. Rather than try to convince me that his faith was true and all that, he just asked me to allow him to give me a blessing. I agreed, not seeing the harm in it. As he laid his hands on my head, though, I felt a strange power running through my body. As the pastor spoke his prayer in a language I didn't understand and couldn't place, my body transformed into that of a young woman!
I was shocked, of course, but somehow my new body felt... right, I suppose, for lack of a better term. I felt like I'd always been a woman, even though I knew that wasn't the case, and even found myself naturally behaving like a shy, soft-spoken girl!
I was also surprised to find that my family was unphased by their son and brother emerging from the pastor's office as a woman. On the way home, Dad explained to me that as a woman it was no longer my place to concern myself with the particulars of the faith. And, of course, I am forbidden to wear any pants and go outside without pantyhose. He'd find a good young man for me to marry from the congregation, and he'd be the spiritual head of our new family. While there was a small part of my mind that was still reeling at what had just happened to me, I found what Dad was saying to be acceptable, and even comforting! I actually wanted to marry a man and let him be in charge and to support him as best I could in that role!
Of course, I have a lot to learn from mom and the other women at church about cooking and cleaning and all sorts of other womanly duties if I'm going to be ready for that when the time comes. But I still have time, and hopefully when my wedding day finally comes I'm be ready to be the best wife I can.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I came home after my Freshman year at college to discover that my parents and younger siblings had become totally obsessed with a local church while I was away! It was a new congregation that had popped up a few months earlier. It was small but quickly growing and didn't seem to be a part of any recognizable denomination.
I went along to a few services with my family to try to see what the fuss was all about, and honestly, I didn't get it. The pastor was one-hell of a speaker, don't get me wrong, but the actual substance of his sermons was a bit... off. I was no theologian, so I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I got the impression the religion he was proferring wasn't entirely inline with anything mainstream.
I decided I was done with the church. If my family wanted to keep going, I wished them the best, but I just didn't feel it. When I told them that, the insisted I go one last time and meet with the pastor myself. In the interest of familial harmony, I agreed to their terms.
When I met with the pastor, it was just the two of us in my office. Rather than try to convince me that his faith was true and all that, he just asked me to allow him to give me a blessing. I agreed, not seeing the harm in it. As he laid his hands on my head, though, I felt a strange power running through my body. As the pastor spoke his prayer in a language I didn't understand and couldn't place, my body transformed into that of a young woman!
I was shocked, of course, but somehow my new body felt... right, I suppose, for lack of a better term. I felt like I'd always been a woman, even though I knew that wasn't the case, and even found myself naturally behaving like a shy, soft-spoken girl!
I was also surprised to find that my family was unphased by their son and brother emerging from the pastor's office as a woman. On the way home, Dad explained to me that as a woman it was no longer my place to concern myself with the particulars of the faith. And, of course, I am forbidden to wear any pants and go outside without pantyhose. He'd find a good young man for me to marry from the congregation, and he'd be the spiritual head of our new family. While there was a small part of my mind that was still reeling at what had just happened to me, I found what Dad was saying to be acceptable, and even comforting! I actually wanted to marry a man and let him be in charge and to support him as best I could in that role!
Of course, I have a lot to learn from mom and the other women at church about cooking and cleaning and all sorts of other womanly duties if I'm going to be ready for that when the time comes. But I still have time, and hopefully when my wedding day finally comes I'm be ready to be the best wife I can.