Adena M'lynn's Voice

How Rape Is Being Rebranded Under America’s Rising Theocracy “When churches become courthouses, when judges quote scripture more than law, when a girl’s future is determined not by her dreams but by her womb— you are not in a democracy.” These words are not poetic metaphor. They are a warning—and for many, a lived reality. Across the United States, a dangerous convergence is happening: faith is being weaponized by the state, and violations once condemned are now being sanctified. Rape, abuse, coercion, and control—especially when the victims are women or children—are no longer just ignored. They are being renamed. Repackaged. Rebranded. They are being called something else. Disguising of Violence Let’s be clear: rape is the forced violation of one’s body and autonomy. But in America today, it’s being dressed in the language of “godliness,” “redemption,” or “traditional family values.” A 10-year-old girl in Ohio was forced to travel out of state for an abortion after being rap...

If you’re like me—trying to piece yourself back together in a world that often feels upside down—I want you to know: you are not alone. Truth is still worth seeking. Peace is still worth making. And love is still the most powerful resistance to darkness. Imagine this, a president of one of the wealthiest and most influential nations in the world loses an election. Instead of conceding, he tells his supporters the vote was stolen. His words are filled with fury and falsehoods, igniting rage across the country. Then, the unthinkable happens—he calls them to action. On a cold winter day, they storm the building of governance, armed with hate, weapons, and the illusion that they are heroes saving the country from the evils of equality, equity, inclusion and diversity.  The insurrectionists assaulted Capitol police officers, shattered windows, and defiled the building by urinating and defecating on floors, furnishings, walls, and even sacred spaces. They stole laptops, files, histori...