'The Day the Dam Burst' by Peter Enns
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
Hi John
I wrote my autobiography, my life story and coming out at age 65. I was wondering if you would interested in sharing this in your Newsletter sometime?. Here is a blurb from my friend.
From my good friend John Hinds. Thank you
Dear friends, I had the profound honor of revising and editing a dear friend’s story—@Peter Enns’ story. And let me say this plainly and without apology: it is a breathtaking testament to the power of truth over dogma, authenticity over fear, and love over the suffocating grip of fundamentalism.
Peter is an LGBTQ+ atheist who was born in Mexico and raised in a rigid old-colony Mennonite environment after immigrating to Canada. From childhood, he was handed a script—one written by religious authoritarianism and enforced by a culture that confuses obedience with virtue. He was told who to be, how to think, what to feel, and—most cruelly—what not to feel. Like so many LGBTQ+ people trapped in conservative religious systems, he was expected to amputate parts of himself to fit inside a narrow, “acceptable” mold.
He spent years moving from old-colony traditions to evangelical and Pentecostal circles, desperately searching for truth, belonging, and peace. But here’s the hard reality: systems built on superstition and control rarely offer peace to those they marginalize. They offer conformity. They offer shame. They offer silence.
Behind the polished image of the “faithful man” was someone fighting a quiet war against himself. He tried to “live for Christ.” He tried to conform. He tried to pray it away, suppress it, bury it—because that’s what conservative theology teaches LGBTQ+ people to do: deny your humanity in exchange for conditional acceptance.
But truth has a way of surviving, even in hostile environments.
Years later—after wrestling with indoctrination, after enduring the internalized guilt that toxic theology manufactures—Peter did something radical. He chose honesty. He chose himself. He rejected the lie that he was broken. He rejected the idea that ancient dogma had authority over his identity. He stepped out of the shadows of religious control and into the light of authenticity.
And now? He lives on his own terms—freely, openly, unapologetically.
Reading his story brought me to tears. Not just because of the pain he endured, but because of the strength it took to break free. It is no small thing to walk away from a worldview that shaped your entire life. It takes courage to challenge religious orthodoxy. It takes even more courage to do so when you’re LGBTQ+ in spaces that treat your existence as a theological problem.
I am deeply grateful that Peter trusted me to be the first to read and revise his story. But let me be clear: I am not the author. This is his voice. His truth. His triumph. And it is one of the most powerful, moving things I have ever read.
Stories like his matter. They expose the human cost of rigid conservatism and anti-LGBTQ+ theology. They remind us why secular humanism, reason, and compassion are not just philosophical preferences—they are moral necessities. They show us that authenticity is not rebellion; it is survival.
Peter’s journey is a declaration that LGBTQ+ lives are not sins to confess but stories to celebrate. That freedom from oppressive belief systems is not a loss—but a liberation. That love, truth, and dignity are stronger than fear-based doctrine.
I am proud to call this man my friend. I hope one day to travel to Manitoba, Canada, to see him in person and celebrate not just his story, but the extraordinary human being he is.
Mr. Enns, thank you for trusting me with your truth. Thank you for your courage. I hope thousands—no, millions—read your story. The world needs it. Especially those still trapped in silence, still told they are “less than,” still waiting for permission to exist.
Your story is proof that we don’t need religion to be whole.
We don’t need conservatism to have values.
And we certainly don’t need anyone’s approval to live authentically.
Your life is beautiful. Your truth is powerful. And your voice deserves to be heard.
Here is the link to his website
where you can read more about him and even buy his book.
John Hinds.
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If Peter would like to send me a copy of the book to read, I can do a follow up review here for you to read and help promote the book further. John Bellamy
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