The Problem with the Christian Deconstruction Movement | Daily Disciple
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You know what the first step in my deconstruction journey was? I READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE WORD FOR WORD. Why are so many of the faithful unwilling to do this?
laziness and the fact people would much rather listen and be lectured to by someone else rather than read and come to conclusions on their own. It's why a lot of reading and political science courses make you read materials before a lecture, and are open for questions and criticisms. You won't see people asking a preacher many questions during a service.
I'm almost done with my 3rd 52 week bible course. I think your experience is really unique because everyone I've met in these classes feel stronger in faith afterwards.
Me. Too. YHWH is incompatible with Christianity, and has more in common with Muhammad than Jesus.
@@dangerbill7255 read outside a course with others. Read it without all the sermons you’ve heard. Read it alone with no influence from deconstructionists or Christians.
@@chaesshorts I finished a 52 week Bible course that simply gives you a goal of what you should have finished in a week and then we all get together and talk about what we learned. I think making congregation taboo is wrong.
These are all the same reasons I was told growing up to explain why people leave the church. Then I realized that these weren’t what people were actually experiencing when they left. Then I left.
They Chruch is good at feeding propaganda
Many false churches are out there that's why I stick closer to know what the word of God says then what a pastor's says, then you can easily see through the propaganda. Walking away from 'church' is one thing but that isn't God's fault that's fallible men for ya, no matter the reason it's due to a fallible person whether that's urself or someone else. Walking away from faith in Christ Jesus is totally different. But people have always and will always walk away from the faith we see this in Jesus ministry by those who followed him, so it's not a surprise it still takes place; "Jesus said to the Twelve, Will you also go away? And do you too desire to leave Me?".
@@realdealholyfield-dx3bf "false Churches .. stick closer. word of god .. isn't god's fault."
You make several very false statements based on false assumptions on your part.
God and the bible are not self proving.
The supernatural events of the bible are not real . (virgin birth, jumping out of the grave , Earth standing still, dead walking, turning water into wine, walking on water, healing the sick and raising folks from the dead.
Prove them real if you can. You'd be the first Christian to ever do so.
The crap about "false churches" is laughable because every person says that.
"from the faith we see... Jesus said ... Faith in Christ"
All that is b/s if you can't prove the supernatural events are real. You can't
Every religion claims their faith is the true faith
FAITH is NOT Fact
Belief is NOT Evidence
The bible is not SELF-PROVING without outside evidence.
The bible is not a super infallible book. It was written by a bunch of goat herders to support their god like every other faith did then and now.
How do you know they weren't really Christian? How do you get a say into who is a Christian?
He is full of shit. Like all the other christians talking about deconstructing. Its just propaganda for christians. This is the no true Scotsman fallacy
He puts himself at God's level... I wonder who else did that on the christian/hebrew mythology and was damned for eternity.
@@yukinadoll1906 it has nothing to do with putting ourselves on God's level.
Jesus said "you will know them by their fruit. Good trees cannot bear bad fruit and bad trees cannot bear good fruit".
Have you listened to the way the Christian deconstructionist talk? To me they don't sound Christian. For example one of them was saying that because they knew homosexuality was a sin they would look at homosexuals and be appalled at them, and not really be able to love them because of their sin. But see, a true Christian would look at a homosexual and their heart would go out to them and they would want to love that person more in that moment, then they would their Christian brother. Because, they need it more than that Christian brother.
Not only that but if you know that Christianity is the truth. Then you wouldn't leave the truth for a lie and then try to support that lie, unless of course you never believed it was truth in the first place. It would be impossible for a true born again Christian to ever leave the faith. Because, once you experience relationship with the father it is impossible to turn away from that. But it is very possible for a Christian who's not rooted in truth to be uprooted. Because their Roots weren't holding on to anything.
I‘m pretty sure ‚god‘ is the only one who can judge people according to Christian faith. But I’m an excommunicated apostate so what do I know.
@@alder8286 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1 Corinthians 6:1-3 KJV
Jesus said you will know them by their fruits. To be a Christian is to be Christ like, to imitate Jesus. Jesus walked in the miraculous. We, as children of god, should walk in the miraculous. So if you begin to doubt your faith and even go further to leave the faith. That makes me question whether you ever had a relationship with Jesus in the first place and/or if you ever walked in the miraculous. Because if you have ever walked in the miraculous there's no way to deny the miracles that God is doing through your life. Walking in the miraculous is a byproduct of sonship. It is a byproduct of your relationship with God.
That is why it is so difficult for true believers to understand when other people leave the faith and say they were true believers as well.
Then we also have to look at your fruit. Did you model Jesus? Did you make disciples of men and disciple them to Jesus? Did you trust in the Lord with everything in your life? Did you walk in the miraculous like Jesus did?
Mark Ch 16: 17-18
These are the signs that will follow those who believe. They will cast out devils, they will speak in New tongues, they will pick up snakes, they will drink any deadly poison and it will not harm them, and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.
Those are the signs and wonders that will follow those who believe. So if you truly believe these signs and wonders should follow you everywhere. So if you say you truly believe but these signs and wonders did not follow you everywhere and as a byproduct of not seeing any evidence, you leave the faith. It makes us question whether you ever truly believed in the first place.
Lots of Christians’ responses, similar to the ones mentioned in this video, are a huge part of the reason why I’ve considered leaving the faith. “You were never saved” and “you’re just leaving the faith cause you wanna indulge in the culture” can come across as easy cop out explanations for someone’s struggle that prove the Christian on the other end doesn’t wanna dive deeper or truly listen to the other person.
From an ex Christian.."Thank You".😉
Exactly! Here I am sobbing over another existential crisis, wishing Jesus would reach out to me after a year of screaming for help and more nothing. I was hoping this video would be helpful but it felt very blamey.
I'm so glad you said it! Aside from being terribly condescending, calling everyone who deconstructs "not a true Christian" is very much is a No True Scotsman fallacy. A
Also, I was born into the faith, baptized at age 10 and terribly traumatized by the rapture. How are you going to tell me I was never a true Christian, like?!?!?
@@GC-fj4lc hello there G C. I’m sorry to hear about the emotional and mental distress and torment you went through. If you’re comfortable may I enquire how did the rapture traumatise you? Feel free to share only if you’re comfy to talk about it
@@constantinarx7681 I am comfortable sharing because I want Christians to better understand the trauma many have experienced.
As I kid I heard about the rapture pretty much incessently at church. I would have to sit through multiple-hour sermons detailing the apocalypse and how anyone who wasn't "saved" would be left behind to die with no chance of making it to heaven. I was then told that even though I was a kid (9-11 years old) I was old enough to go to hell because I knew "right from wrong" and hadn't spoken in tongues. I was told everything from new money being printed to Facebook, to gay rights was a sign the rapture was happening soon. We were told it could happen at literally any moment, like the "thief in the night." It caused me to ultimately become depressed because nothing in my future apparently mattered.
Once I woke up late on a Saturday morning and both of my parents were outside. I went to their room and had a panic attack because I immediately thought they had been raptured and my sinful 6th grade self had been left behind.
If you are Christian, I ask you not to reply with how the Bible doesn't really mean that, or what have you. I am in no way interested in rejoining any faith whatsoever. Just take my story and use it as a lesson to be kind to those who have left the Church
The first attack at Rhett and Link was that they were never truly Christians... omg how very clearly this man is to be dismissed entirely...
The guy in the video?
I thought the very same thing! 😡
There’s several videos like this. And they usually use Rhett and Link and say things like you become nonreligious because you never had ‘true’ faith in the first place. It’s annoying and condescending.
You call it a movement as though it is monolithic. It's 1000s of us who individually realized that we were being abused in the name of Jesus. I kept Jesus, but tossed American Christianity. He's way bigger than church, and much more loving than I could have ever understood within the church.
Thank you. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Jesus loved people and didn’t load religious baggage on them like most Christian’s do. Christianity is one of the biggest threats to modern society. The more people who leave Christianity, the more likely they will find Jesus.
Dude. Opinions like these is exactly why there ISNT a problem with the deconstruction movement.
Most of us were real Christians who studied in seminary and believed more than people like yourselves. We gave that shit our ALL. I wasted 25 fucking years of dedicated energy. I did the things my fellow Christians didn't do, those extra chores, extra hours, extra loads on my back, and they would sneer at me for doing the most, and not living a normal more 'contemporary' life, and took advantage of any empathy towards the church like a narcissist would. And I did that despite being depressed and isolated the entire time and thinking that if I'm patient enough, it will all be worth it. It's all a cross to bear. One day I'll feel peace. Anything. It's like working as a wage slave for 40 years without promotion but sure, blame your overworked self. Only there is no boss and there is no god.
It’s almost as if you’ve never Heard a deconstruction story before. You’ve already made caricatures.
Honestly the loudest nonbelievers are former believers who’s passion never waned……. It just went in the opposite direction.
Exactlyyyy
👏👏👏
I think this world is full of misery because of sin. My own sin and other people's sin. I am not living for this life, but for the eternal kingdom. He who endures to the end, shall be saved! If you are looking for peace and happiness in yourself or the world, you will be disappointed!
I understand exactly how you feel people taking advantage of your good will and using your faith against you and working and working and it never getting better all while everyone coasts by but I promise you he that endured will be saved and please give it one more try you don’t have to work yourself to death because his yoke is easy and his burden is light
@MrBenjaminsisko Do you hear yourself? You can't be saved without believibg in one man. That is Grade A cult thinking. That's dependent. I don't need to be saved from the thing I left. I left the burden. Faith is the burden itself and so are the people. Why believe in things with shoddy and poor evidence instead of loving yourself and being good to others for Goodness sake, not for the reward of some afterlife. It takes more character to be a nonbeliever. But at least the world makes Sense and you are free. Why is it Christians are so opposed to freedom? Is it because freedom requires accountability and nobody wants to hold god accountable? As a mere human being? Surely you can do better.
I've started my deconstruction journey and it has been absolutely liberating and my mental health has improved significantly. I had no idea I had some trauma from churches.
@Thinkery People also found comfort in the Manson Family. Cult is gonna cult
@@justamie6916 🤣🤣
Roimko…yes!…so true❤️
I don't like the term deconstruction. It is like breaking out of hell on earth
I call it breaking the chains of the Christian slave ship and escaping. I understand the term "deconstruction" and how it helps. I personally just don't like the term. I also know I am on a meaningless side track here by focusing on the word lol.
After all seeing the truth and moving to that truth is far more important than the word that defines your change.
You are a great example of why people leave the faith. I find the most devout people to be the ones who've already decided who you are before they speak to you.
@andthepenglides you should probably tell that to someone who thinks your God is real.
@andthepenglides I read the rest of the Bible. A lot of truly awful things in that book. Justified slavery, mass murder, ruining a man's life on a bet. Weird rules about clothing and dietary restrictions. Not to mention all the testable assertions made about the physical world that aren't plausible or possible to replicate. Some bald guy asking God to punish a bunch of kids for making fun of him and God granting that request. Would you really worship a being that punishes teasing with bear murder? I certainly don't think a god like that is worthy of love and worship.
Beyond that, I realized no one is listening to my prayers. When I do anything, it's all me. If it isn't, it's the real people around me who helped. If two men pray to the same god before going to war with one another, does the victory prove that a god loved the victor more or that he was the better warrior?
@andthepenglides I'm lucky I had a really good NCO who asked me questions about my beliefs that really got me thinking about whether or not I believed something because it was real or because I needed to think it was real to stay sane. I'm thankful I got rid of my crutch, thankful to the real man who spoke to my face and helped me see my failures and weakness.
@andthepenglides yeah this is the kind of tall that makes belief ugly to me. I don't need God to be forgiving. I don't need God to be kind and generous. I do not care to do good deeds for a reward, eternal or otherwise. I seek the betterment of mankind and I achieve it through example. I wish people would treat animals better so I rescue them when I'm able. I wish strangers were kinder so I help them when I can. I wish harder times were easier, so I make them so for others.
If I had a fued with anyone, I take the time to apologize or forgive them once my anger has subsided. I take pride in the traits that make me likeable and beloved by the people I care about and who care for me. I try to improve the things about myself that push people away or hurt them. It should never take a god to be a better person, we ought to have an inborn desire to better our communities by being worthy of them.
@andthepenglides I do not need an ill-conceived almighty being to know the folly of pride, ego, and idols. I do not need to worship the vengeful sadistic being written about in the Bible to be good and kind. I strive each day to be better better the sake of the people who occupy this planet. I regret deeply the person I was when I did have faith, that is my ultimate motivation; be better than the old me, show others they don't need to fear eternal punishment or work towards eternal reward. Be good for the sake of goodness.
It’s ironic hearing Christians who’ve never experienced deconstruction describe it as some “trend” or lifestyle choice. Go to any video of a pastor or apologist on this subject and notice they all spit the same canned narrative to discredit the phenomenon. Why would someone that is traumatized by the church’s toxicity be moved by this argument? This dismissive language is the reason that people are leaving in droves in the first place. And not to cap but this guy is in his 20’s living his mom’s basement. How much life experience can he speak to? (See what I just did there?)
Wait a few years and he'll say: "I'm the way and the truth and the life!".
Just kiddin'...
So what you're saying is you left the faith, not because it wasn't true, but because of other people's toxicity. It's that easy for the devil to drive you away from the truth?
I love the church but the devil goes to church too. He has too, one of the easiest ways to defeat an enemy is to beat him from the inside.
@@YHWHOnlyOneTrueGod i left because it wasn’t true. There are so many inconsistencies in the Bible. For one the fact that Jesus is supposed to be God in the flesh but God is also his father? Ludicrous. Why would God pray to himself? Second, why is one of the Ten Commandments thou shall not kill but at the same time “God” literally says to kill people in so many instances? If God is all knowing and all powerful why did he test Job? Was allowing his entire family to be slaughtered something a loving God would do? If God is all loving then why is there a verse that literally says he created evil? And why did God give Job a new family rather than resurrecting his old one? Why does he test ANYONE? Why does it say that Jesus is the only person to have ascended to heaven but then say that another (I forgot who) ascended in a chariot? Why are there so many different accounts of Jesus’s resurrection? If he loves us so much why did he curse Adam and Eve and ALL OF THEIR DESCENDANTS? Why was a human sacrifice required to rectify this? Why didn’t he just…idk wave his magic God hands and fix it? Forgive? He’s supposed to be super forgiving right? Why was Jesus’s name changed if his name is so sacred? (Because his name is not actually Jesus). I could literally go on for days about all the shit in the Bible that makes absolutely no sense.
@@justamie6916 well I don't know why you were mentioning about jesus's name being changed because it was sacred or whatever. That's not biblical. Now, his Hebrew name is Yeshua Hamasiah. (I might have wrote the last name wrong) but it wasn't changed because it was too sacred or whatever. No it was changed because English is weird and we love to change words. Like Iohn to John.
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. God is one being but is three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It's not "hey God it's me God praying to you".
No, it's "hey father God, it's me your son".
Also a lot of the time when Israelites went out to battle, those "people" were not people whatsoever. The Philistines and Canaanites (I don't know if all of them were nephilim) but a good majority of those were nephilim. So they were not people whatsoever. Not only that but they were incredibly wicked people who sacrificed their children to a statue. Not only that dude but come on, think about it. Do you really think people who are living on some land are just going to happily move out of it just because somebody comes up into the land and says hey God gave me this land. No they're going to fight for it. You either have to fight back or get slaughtered. that's when God told them "don't be afraid I'm with you".
And God did not test job. The devil wanted to prove to God that people did not want God but rather needed God for the things that we could get from God. The devil even says in the Bible if you let me curse him, he will curse you to your face. God, knowing that Job was different, knew that the devil's endeavor would backfire and be like a slap to the face. And because Job endured he got blessed with two times more then he had before.
I don't know what you're talking about when it says Jesus is the only one to have ascended to heaven it never says that in the Bible. Enoch, Elijah, and maybe even Moses were all taken. I know Enoch and Elijah for sure but I don't know about Moses.
And with the Adam and Eve thing, we kind of did that crap to ourselves. He told us what would happen if we ate of it and he kept to his word when Adam and Eve did eat of the fruit.
It requires blood to cleanse blood. It required life to make a covenant between us and God. The old covenant was made with animal blood, and blood is the life. However that covenant was not sustainable. The New covenant only required one sacrifice which is why it was infinitely more sustainable than the covenant with animal blood. God is a just God so therefore there has to be punishment for sin. And that punishment was poured out on Jesus so that way when we die we won't have to have that same punishment poured out on us. That is why the gospel is good news. Its because Jesus took that punishment, not only to save us from impending doom when we die, but also to have relationship with us. He didn't die just to get us into heaven either, he died to get heaven into us. That's why we can pray "your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven" because we have heaven in us, so we can accomplish his will.
So far I haven't found a single inconsistency yet. What I am sering from your statement though is that you lack understanding of the Bible. Because regardless what inconsistency you think there is, it does not change the fact that there is physical evidence of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Lastly in that verse that talks about him creating evil. Evil in this verse is not the definition of the word evil back 2,000 years ago. When you're reading the word evil you have to do a little bit of research and look at not only the definition of the word evil they use back then but you also have to look up the Greek manuscript for the word that got translated into evil. And what you'll find is it didn't mean evil like we think of evil but it meant catastrophes. Like earthquakes and tornadoes. Another thing is if you actually look at that verse it was talking about contrasting things. That's another way you know that it didn't mean evil like we think evil
i've been deconstructing for about a decade now and no longer call myself a christian. I know your intentions are good but i feel this video lacked a huge amount of understanding of what going through the process of deconstruction is like. firstly, very few people want to deconstruct. the idea that people leaving the faith are just wanting to "conform to the culture" is just blatantly wrong. people deconstruct because the basis of the religion, the bible, is ultimately being questioned. telling someone to go back to the text they're questioning for answers doesn't help because the lack of answers from the bible is the reason they're questioning in the first place. if the bible is in fact true then sources outside of itself should confirm its truth and thats why going to other sources of information is important in seeking truth. you HAVE to be willing to suspend belief in order to properly test something. thats just a fact. another thing thats not accurate at all is "pride" in not having all the answers. i'm not sure how admitting you don't have all the answers is prideful but its incredibly humbling coming to the conclusion that i was wrong about this and that i'm probably wrong about other things as well. admitting we're wrong leads to ACTUAL change in us while admitting we're right gives us a reason not to change at all. not knowing things isn't fun and its why some people go to religion in the first place, for answers and meaning. i think its far more humbling to admit you don't know something to be true than to claim you know it is with no proof besides faith. in regards to going to other people for help, isn't that what we're supposed to do? humans are highly social creatures and we don't want to go through anything alone nor are we supposed to. going to people who don't believe in the same thing you do is a very good thing and diversity of thought should be highly praised inside and outside of religion. its important that we don't all believe the same thing because thats exactly what creates a little something we call an echo chamber or a church. ultimately i think you're giving a take on something that you have no experience with and because of that your points aren't very accurate.
I have no animosity or ill will towards you and i'm not anti christian by any means (i find a lot of aspects of christianity to be beautiful still) but its hard to explain something that you've never been through and easy to come up ways to write off the experience of other people in order to make sense of why they left. i will lovingly say some of your points are pretty judgmental. saying things like "they weren't actually christians" or "their hearts weren't transformed" is an offensive thing to say to someone who has gone through the process of leaving their faith. its a very easy way to write off our experience as something that we wanted all along and that couldn't be farther from the truth. also doesn't the bible say that only god can judge others and only he can know the heart? i find it irresponsible to make such blanket judgements because you cant know where their heart is or was. i wholeheartedly believed in the words of the bible, the father, the son, the holy spirit, all of it. i even wanted to devote my life to missions or being a pastor at one point in time. my faith was my ENTIRE life to me and i mean that. but after years of constantly fighting off doubt, being judged and indirectly shamed for my struggles, questioning the authenticity and claims of the bible, finding out that so much of what i was told was wrong was actually true, what i was told was true was actually wrong, and finally realizing all the ways i abused, manipulated, and shamed others for the sake of the gospel lead me to leave it all. leaving your faith is scary and no one wants to do it just like you don't want to. i think the best thing to do for those deconstructing is to show them you love them even if they come to the conclusion that they no longer believe because the scariest part of it all is the fear of losing so many relationships in your life that centered around christianity especially your family.
I too deconstructed from Christianity. This guy has no identity out of his cult and isn’t open enough to understand the flaws in his faith and thinking. He thinks he means well, as did I when I was a born again Christian, but he’s only adding to the problem. He’s lost in a fantasy and it hurts his feeling to see others see his way of life as being false. It’s kinda pathetic, but sadly simple and plain
@@kristheexxtian do you know what it means to be a born-again Christian?
The only reason why I'm asking and I'm not trying to be offensive or anything but you said you was a born again Christian but yet in the same sentence you said you deconstructed from it. to be honest that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
To be born again means to have relationship with the father, and because of your relationship with him you became a new creation under adoption to him. Like, when I say relationship I mean like you talk to him and you heard him audibly talk to you. And when I say relationship I mean like every one of your needs met without you ever having to worry about anything and having Joy unexplainable. You had all that, but you still left? You had no worries, and Joy unexplainable? But still decided to leave? And you had all your needs met without having to worry about anything and still left?
That's the kind of relationship I have with God the Father. I speak to him and he speaks to me. I spend time with him and he's spends time with me. He meets all my needs without me ever having to worry. But you still decided to leave the faith
Just why? Did you just enjoy struggling on your own and enjoy having depression and anxiety and stuff? Did you just enjoy knowing that you're in the hands of the devil?
@@YHWHOnlyOneTrueGod I too had an imaginary friend named Jesus, whom I had a personal relationship with. Hope that answers your question
@@KeytarKris I'm not talking about an imaginary friend buddy. I'm talking about the creator of the universe. Because he told me things that we're going to happen way before they happened.
An imaginary friend can't do that. If you have to answer my question like you did, That shows me you haven't experienced what it truly means to be in relationship with the father. What I talked about is what it actually means to be born again. No one who becomes born again and it's filled with life would go back to a life filled with death
@@YHWHOnlyOneTrueGod that is great it sounds like you have a relationship with the HS which can make all the difference.
In the last days people WILL depart from the faith for various reasons, so once saved and always saved IF you REMAIN in Him. He forces no one to stay bc free will. The devil did it, Solomon did it etc...
If you are trying to understand someone's reasons for deconstructing, just ask them! Please do not assume they "were never a Christian" or left because "the church has cliques" and the pastor "was a hypocrite". These are all shallow and don't come close to understanding what it means to turn your whole life upside down in search of truth and morality. I am happy to discuss my experiences and most others are if you take the time to listen and show empathy.
What was your, if i may ask, most intimate reason for leaving faith?
(I dont ask about rationality, contradictions and evil tyrannical christians parents).
I totally agree with you with how everything in his video is under assumptions.
I think it is incorrect to deduce that if someone no longer identifies with the christian faith, then they never were actually christian. this is false. if you really knew the bible you would know that only God sees the heart. you do not know this, you assume.
secondly, I think that taking the time to question your faith is healthy. it is hard growing up in the church and then never getting the opportunity to see differently. i think better leaders in the faith come from backgrounds where they truly and deeply inquired. i think learning from opposing views is good. i think deconstruction should be encouraged and ultimately leads to people being authentic in their pursuit of christianity, or they walk away. no one should be manipulated into faith. I think your view is close-minded and lacks true empathy, however i do admire you trying to be sympathetic.
1 John 2:19- “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
I do fully agree tho that we should examine all our tough questions and honestly examine our core beliefs instead of just assuming hell is real, the trinity is true, etc
@@JoshNewlinPerformance john was written 70 years after Jesus died by an anonymous source. Not John, not an eye witness, not a disciple. Using it to prove a point shows your ignorance.
@@xlxdeboxlx3767 first of all I quoted 1 John, not the gospel of John
@@JoshNewlinPerformance John's an idiot. What's next? "We were children, but they grew to become adults; for if they had been children, they would've never grown to become adults"
@@JoshNewlinPerformance You act as if the authors of the bible aren't capable of literally commiting logical fallacies or something.
It is isn't one church why I removed myself from the church. It is church in its modern state. When 70 percent of white church goers vote for Donald Trump and for the last 30 plus years lay in bed & sleep with conversative politics and advocating their agendas as Christianity & Christian theology, I left. The church has become a spokesperson for politicians and politics rather than Christ. I left the church when they stopped following Christ and instead have become more and more focused on culture wars. I'm over it and won't return until the church either collapse over it, as it should, or it has a reawakening & removes the cancer of politics.
"they weren't actually Christian" lol is that really your call bro? No. It's not ✌️
I have lived the evangelical life my entire life. Now as an older woman I began asking questions I ALWAYS wanted to ask. Why???? Because of what's happening to all them and their evil promotion of National Christianity & expecting our government to set up rules based on the evangelicals religion. I saw my church openly turn into hateful,racists,bigots. They only care what they want and the hell with ANY one else's needs or beliefs. I cry every day! I'm am heart broken to realize I will never see my younger sister or brother again who died too young. I feel lost over realizing my entire life was spent in a lie. Don't you dare tell me my faith was not real! I witnessed and brought ppl "to Christ" All my life decisions were based off of a Bible I FINALLY read ALL THE WAY THROUGH. The religious right are hypocrites and NOTHING like Jesus from the New Testament. You do not know what you are talking about!
I am a conservative Christian. but neither Democrat or Republican. I understand the American Christianity patriotism problem. That is not me. Of course I think outside the box. But I keep hearing that most Christians are racist. I don't see that. Where is that coming from? Also that they are bigots? There is a difference between having moral standards that we read in the bible and being a bigot. I know that some like West Boro Baptist act hateful towards LGBT+. But most Christians I have been with, are loving and kind to them, while being morally opposed to their actions. Most of us aren't in there face and calling them out. I know some do that. If they ask me, I would tell them. But honestly, I have my own sins that I struggle with too.
I'm still a Jesus follower but have been through periods of wrestling with my faith. As someone who has walked through childhood trauma, depression, and having a kid outside of marriage, I've been heavily judged more in the church than outside. I never see a deconstruction journey as wanting to indulge in culture or not being a true Christian. Christ has saved me far more times than I deserve. Yet, I have an anchor in His Word that speaks to me and I still keep asking questions and walking alongside those living other lives to hear the beauty in their lives. God made and loves the humanity He created. Wherever you are in your journey, be authentically there, always ask questions, and cling to and share hope with those around you.
I am sorry you have gone through that. I know many Christians can be judgemental and show a lack of grace and understanding. I think it's good to ask questions! I started a ministry at church where we discuss topics that aren't talked about in church, but have relevance to truth and the bible. Things that may challenge our faith. Personally, I am questioning traditional doctrines that I can't find in the bible. Or I don't believe the bible teaches it. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their traditions that aren't in the bible. The church has done similar things!
To anyone watching this video who hasn’t deconstructed: this man has done an immeasurably poor job conveying the complexity of someone who has deconstructed. He has no first hand experience and is constructing a straw man from a 10,000 ft high view. Please do not approach a friend or family member who has deconstructed with the image this man has painted, as you will likely cause harm.
Completely agree.
Yes.
True!
👍👍👍
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Thanks, Amen
See folks like to quote this verse and use it as an us vs them mentality, when really the church needs to coke alongside the world and change it for the better with the love of Christ. But so many Christians just want to do their time and get out and rpay for everyday for the Lords return instead of cherishing every moment that God gives them and every chance to make the world a better place
@@ianlund97 Damn, Ian. I can tell you did the work. Good for you. That's some sound wisdom.
Sounds like an endorsement for leaving the faith.
Literally 85% of the country I live in is Christian.
@@ianlund97
Well Christian Fundamentalists read it "literally"!
It's really harmful! They twist and pervert it's real meaning.
The real meaning of the world here is not the people of the world but the sinful and godless moral standards in the society.
God bless us all!❤️🕊️
Will they ever stop the gaslighting? Lol. So glad I left.
Thanks for such wonderful message. God bless. 😍
I’m currently on this deconstruction journey right now after being a christian for the first 20 years of my life… and i have a problem with the go back to the bible thing that you said. reading the bible is actually the biggest reason why i’m questioning everything about my faith. Too much of it is so historically unreliable and the gospels are surprisingly different from each other for supposedly being first hand accounts from the disciples. about 6 of pauls books are agreed by most scholars to be forgeries, the list goes on and on. also if you look into the actual history of hell in the bible, the old testament doesn’t even talk about hell, and neither does jesus. The early jews didn’t even believe in the afterlife. The whole concept of eternal fire and damnation was brought onto the church by the influence of the roman empire and greek mythology. So i don’t think most people are leaving the christian faith because they simply want to abide by the culture and don’t want to follow jesus. Rhett and link even said that their faith was pivotal to their lives before the long process of deconstructing. I think it’s because the very thing we’re told to hold all our truth in has lies in it. I also find it interesting how you put Jon in your thumbnail but never actually talked about him and his journey like you did rhett and link. Not sure why that is.. So i think there’s a little bit of a misunderstanding here. No hate, just an observation :)
Hey Naomi. Thx for being honest and transparent about your journey. I would encourage you to look into certain Christian TH-camrs who have vastly helped my understanding of the Bible and it's trustworthiness. Look up Mike Winger. He has loads of videos about thinking biblically. Look into Cross Examined, Alisa Childers, Michael Heiser, Inspiring Philosophy as well. If you need more recommendations, I am here cause I think what u r doing is important and good, diving into scripture. You just need some resources that can help you with your questions and struggle. I pray that you continue to keep seeking God and loving Him. Don't give up. God bless you and keep you.
You'll be shocked, that Jesus himself talks about of the eternal fire of hell. I don't know where this narrative comes from - but was believing it too, until I read it in the new testament.
I feel everything you said so hard
One thing that helped me was watching TH-cam videos of people that have
‘ died and seen hell ‘.
There are some really great(and convincing)testimonies there. They finally helped me understand why we should fear a loving God. Almost every single person that had these experiences became
preachers/evangelists, without question.
I hope you will give this a try. Sometimes learning about hell makes it easier to understand heaven.
@@angiedixon8017 i read this book called “Heaven and Hell, the history of the afterlife” while I was decunstructing my faith and i recommend you read it. It gives a very detailed overview of the concept of the afterlife in regards to early judaism and the start of christianity. It really helped me not fear the idea of hell. Lots of people have had near death experiences but they are all different depending on their beliefs. I try to come to my own conclusions by listening to the evidence, and witness testimony is the worst type. Cause you can’t trust other people and what their own intentions might be.
This video is very one-sided. Read After Doubt by AJ Swoboda if you want to learn about deconstructing without losing your faith
I’ll read the Bible, thanks.
As a former evangelical pastor who is now an atheist, I absolutely abhor your gaslighting of Rhett and Link in saying they were "not Christians". I often get the same things said to me by Christians and it is a very nasty thing to say to someone. You are not the gatekeeper of belief and you do not know how fervent I was, how many hours I laid face down in the carpet at church weeping out my worship and prayers. Please stop gaslighting people just because it doesn't fit your narrative.
Why did you left faith?
Church hurt didn't cause me to deconstruct. It caused me to have a deeper faith in God. The "church" broke my trust. God said, "Trust ME."
Likewise, the hurt made my relationship a thousand times stronger!! HalleluYAH!
@@rosiemcking72 Amen! 🕊🖤🎶
“Love without truth is meaningless.” Powerful line right there.
Giving me Ecclesiastes vibes
What does that even mean? Love without truth is meaningless? What is "truth" referring to here? It's not referring to THE concept of truth..it's referring to this doctrine which you believe is equivalent to truth. It's not. Truth and doctrine are not the same thing. Truth is its own thing that stands up to scrutiny. You don't know it is true until you've tested it. You didn't test to see if anything you believe is true. The people deconstructing are doing that and finding that the belief doesn't stand to scrutiny.
These people preach love and act unlovingly. So either people are full of shit, or the religion is full of shit. God doesn't even act lovingly in that book by his own standards. Wtf is that? We're expected to be better than God behaves. Lol That seems kinda weird doesn't it?
@@xaviergarcia7965 Legit, Ecclesiastes might have been the realest shit ever written. Lol Very big existential Millenial vibes. I leaned heavily on that nihilistic book in my early deconstruction. Particularly still love: 1:18 "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge the more grief."
I know from personal experience this is true. The person who wrote that understood the world and how much it sucked. It sucked then and it sucks now, but we're still here 2000 years after some dude wrote that and that makes me feel pretty good.
Love without truth isn't love.
Literally an empty platitude. Y'all think anything is deep.
Truth without love is also meaningless. Wow. Amazing.
sounds like you don't want people to think for themselves
Thank you so much for this video. Very informative.
In the beginning, the comment section was crowded with "firsts".
And the firsts were with the comment section
And the firsts are the comments section
And through the comment section all firsts were made; without the comment section nothing was first that has been first before.
I came to the faith as an adult and have never been so traumatized in my life. Evangelicals/fundamentalists were the issue, not Jesus. Deconstructed only 3 months later. Freeing, but still suffer ptsd.
My husband and I experienced a mishandling of a situation in a church we had been a part of for years and though we were without a home church for some time, not entirely due to that situation, we never "deconstructed" our faith. We recognized that God wasn't the author of what happened. Men and pride were the reason. We're all human and imperfect and we expect mistakes to be made. Thankfully we are part of church of believers who know they've messed up and we say we're a body made up of misfits. Several families in our church body have been rejected by other churches. It seemed that their faith in God didn't waver it was just disappointing there wasn't a church that welcomed them until they came to ours. It's all glory to God!
I don't understand why people keep putting "deconstruct" in quotations like it's theoretical. It's an actual thing. It's an actual term. The fact that you guys aren't taking it seriously enough to use the term without quotations as if you're rolling your eyes at it shows you're exactly another reason. You don't listen. You talk and expect people to listen to you but you don't listen.
Also, the deconstructing realize the Bible was written by HUMAN HANDS...several hundreds in fact...which means there is no way it can be trusted.
th-cam.com/video/l_sxxzc0SKg/w-d-xo.html
Without men and pride and humans beings, as you say, god wouldn't (effectively) be there to be believed in, in the first place.
It's a shift in accountability.
Your spiritual adversary would rather you get offended by someone “in church” rather than out because satan always goes after your Faith.
I’ll post scripture here
He referring to Peter here or (Rock)
Luke 22:31-32
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
When you wear the armor of God, your weapon is the Word and your faith is your shield. If satan takes away your faith and replaces it with doubt
You can’t defend yourself. If you want to confirm this again go back to the garden like he referenced that first weapon he used against Eve & Adam was doubt of God’s word.
Awesome that he highlighted it here just awesome
i think the main reason why some of us deconstruct, is not to "sow our wild oats" so to speak, but instead we genuinely are seeking what we were taught to see as Jesus, but we dont see it in the church anymore. Were still looking for Jesus, we just dont go where we dont see him ie the church. Also when you do have questions and doubts the church doesnt leave any room for asking these tough questions. Dont get me wrong i love the church, i enjoy the idea of religion and enjoy the structure and order that gives to ones life but the church definitely needs to fix some things.
Outstanding- The insight was very helpful- Thank you
I think your heart is in the right place but you erred at around the 2:29 mark. You don’t get to judge someone’s heart. Ever. That’s for the Highest alone. Anything that comes after that is therefore misguided.
Yes. We are putting faith in our own thoughts and opinions. That pretty much sums it up - well done!
I really enjoyed this video. I recently went thru my own thing, as I began to notice that some of the things I had been taught as a believer didn’t actually line up with scripture when I read it for myself within the context it was written. My approach to what was going on wasn’t wether the Bible was true or if the God I served was true, but more on my understanding and the things I had learned about the Bible. I decided to really focus on John 14 where Jesus mentions that the coming Comforter ( the Holy Spirit) would be our guide, teacher, and revealer. I realized that I hadn’t been consulting the Holy Spirit about my own questions and the things being taught to me. But I always knew that God was real and the Bible was His Word. So it began my journey of realizing that the Bible was written FOR us but TO us. Meaning I had to understand the culture of the people it was written too first, then I could correctly understand how it applies to me and us today. And every word absolutely applies to us today. God truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What was sin then is still sin now, and the plan He had then ( Jesus dying by shedding his blood for our sin and rising from the grave 3 days later) is still the plan for us today! But what I am truly growing to understand is that The Father wants, has always wanted, and will always want a relationship with us! He has been faithful to us even in our unfaithfulness. The Bible tells a very specific story, just because something isn’t in the Bible ( ie Adam and Eve’s other children) doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It just isn’t important to the story He is telling. Also the people it was written too had a different worldview at that time and The Father would of course communicate to them in a way they would understand. God wants us to SEARCH-OUT those hard to understand things, we should be allowed to question things we don’t understand within the body of believers, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the answers.
Dude, you are trying to rationalize the deconstructions by linking them with abuse in one form of another. I can tell you that this misses the point. People leave the faith even though they haven't experienced abuse. I am an example.
There should be no surprise that those who have been hurt particularly badly tend to vent their anger in public. For those people a public deconstruction is part of their "therapy". But a lot more people deconstruct fairly silently, especially when they do not need to grapple with a trauma that was inflicted on them. Those people simply realize that what they had believed so far, what they had been taught to believe, doesn't hold water. They have gotten around to scrutinize it in a way they didn't before, and found it seriously wanting. That's enough for many people to let go and don't make a big fuzz about it. For many, the biggest hurdle is the fear of hell, and once you managed to let go of that, the path is wide open.
I venture the guess that many who aren't deconstructing are held back almost exclusively by this fear of hell, and they rationalize their fear by telling to themselves how much god loves them, even though they don't really perceive any of it.
If you really want to know why people are deconstructing, stop making your own theories about it. Listen to what they've got to say, and try to understand.
I want to thank you so much for your videos! And I thank God for the wisdom He has given you at such a young age. What is your education besides homeschool? - finnish missionar in Estonia.
Really needed this! THANK YOU!!
Hey Issac bro, I remember the Rhett & Link video that you made sharing your thoughts. I found your channel thru that vid. Before finding yours I've seen another video from a Christian channel on the same topic and they've blamed that the ministry they were in as missionaries has a False Gospel and that's the main reason they fell away from Christianity. Since I'm a part of that ministry, ( I grew in it) and when I've heard they telling that the Gospel I believed in is wrong (its not) I've had a great spiritual emptiness for a couple days. I mean I've never felt such emptiness spiritually. I wish I'd never seen that Christian response video or even heard about R&L. But I tried to get away from that emptiness so I wanted to watch other response. And I've found your video on it. You just don't know how it meant for me that day I was so Glad and Refreshed after watching your response. 'You have just Information and no transformation'. This might be a little thing but I still can remember that Void day when I felt like I was cut off from God. But your Video helped me. Glory to God. Love your work and Thank you! (This happened like a year ago and I don't usually comment, Hope u read this) God bless 🙏
Praise Yahweh (God
I’m loving the way y’all are calling out this man’s disingenuous tactics in these comments. Well done.
One thing i noticed as a person who was in the faith left it and came back is that people have little faith in God. 2 they fail to actually put any effort in thier relationship with God. 3 they fail to see past the people at church who more or likey are unqualified to be at a pulpit and i dont mean by degree or title. 4. And this is the biggest one they wont die to their flesh. Sin is much better and more pleasurable than doing the right thing.
I don't think the foundation of your faith should be based on someone else's testimony. Like by all means let other's testimonies strengthen your own beliefs but you need your own personal convictions. People are imperfect, they mess up, so if your faith is based solely on someone else's sermon there's that risk that when they fall suddenly your own beliefs crumble apart.
I think you need to personally have a Paul moment or moments. You need to have experiences in your life, you can look back on and have your faith founded on.
For me I look back at being 10 years old and crying for no reason other than simply experiencing God's Holy Spirit during worship at church. I remember also lying in bed during my first year of university and crying in bed and praying to God telling Him that I can't and that I don't have the strength to handle all the work that's expected of me. And then a voice in my head simply saying "You can." Four years later I'm in my fifth and final year...
I remember 2019 being an absolute crappy year for me and my entire family with money and moving houses and stresses and so much struggles and suffering. I remember going abroad for a semester exchange but finding myself with a bitter heart. Me, the born-again, preached in youth ministry, oh-so-righteous Christian found himself at a point where he hated God. Let it sink in that I have been at a point where I hated God, cause He didn't come through in the way I wanted, He didn't answer my prayers when I wanted, etc.
And then I ended up coming to the revelation that I needed to be broken. I had been living like an onion or a jaw breaker with so many layers. Layers like kindness and selflessness were hiding layers of bitterness and doubts and lust and so much negativity. I'm so grateful for the people who helped me at the time to realise my own bitterness towards life and God.
I hope and I pray that every Christian would have an origin story with their relationship with God. There needs to be testimonies that give reason to your convictions. Like really I hope God impacts you not only through your senses and feelings but through your thoughts and even through other people, I hope that His Holy Spirit would move through the people around you and it would give you reason to keep on keeping on.
I'm no perfect Christian but if there's one truth I will never forget, it's that after being born-again, I'm stuck with God. I've tried to run, and even now I still wander. But no matter how far I get, I still find myself surrounded by Him.
Anyways, I hope whoever reads this experiences their own truths and testimonies that will strengthen their faith and convictions.
your view of why people are deconstructing and what their own reasonings and beliefs are is extremely boxed in and assumed
Eh, I'm deconstructing and it didn't really come from any clash with modern culture or hurt from the church any biblical contradictions or wanting to sin or whatever. I just kinda don't believe in a god exists. Why Christianity? Why not an African folk religion? Islam? Hinduism? All these people feel just as strongly about their beliefs as the most devout christians - I should know. I grew up very much in the church, but yah, through meeting a more diverse set of people, it seems like people's main reason for believing in [insert religion] are:
1. Their parents/family/community/culture is closely related to that religion.
2. Personal "spiritual" experience
Upholding your religion over the million other religions, ultimately, requires debunking all the other ones, which requires in-depth study of an epistemology that people probably have PhDs for and, more troublingly, has a very robust apologist scene.
Or
You're gonna say Jesus or God or Muhammad or whoever revealed themselves to you and you feel it so strongly in your heart that you know it's true. Sadly, that's a bunch of people in all religions on earth - not very convincing that it's actually your god and not just the human brain playing tricks.
So, yah. I don't have anything against Christianity or The Bible or anything... I just have a problem with the idea of a specific diety in general. So much so that I don't find it very interesting anymore whether or not God exists. I think the universe is a lot more interesting than that.
Also, some parts of this video are very shallow. The whole "They weren't really ever [insert identity]" isn't just a Christian apologist thing though. Every single ideology does it as a weak little defense of their world view. "🥺 Omg they just never TRULY had their heart changed!!!" Shut up Lol
The part of deconstruction you're not talking about is examining how the Gospel relates to our own cultural Christianity.
A lot of the stuff we've grown up into does not reflect the Gospel, so many of us step back and examine our worldview to see what to keep and what to step away from.
For example, white evangelicalism has been so tied to being Republican or supporting Trump.
Obviously that's not part of being a Christian, so many say they're "deconstructing" when they step away from tying their faith to a political party. The better phrase for this that I heard recently is "decoupling". Our faith has been coupled to many beliefs of behaviors that are completely unnecessary to being a Christian. This examination and decoupling is definitely helpful, but should be done prayerfully and in the context of community.
I never voted for Trump, nor do I think he is a Christian. Most Christians vote Republican because they are pro life and believe in traditional marriage. Some get into American Christian Patriotism, but most believe our country is too far gone at this point. I don't know what you mean by white evangelism. I have always been a conservative Christian and have never been a racist, and haven't seen it in the churches I have been in. I am sure it exists, but that's not the norm. Maybe I am missing something.
I have a very different take on deconstruction on my channel. I hope you come by and leave a message in the comments! Christianity absolutely holds up to examining and scrutiny, but we need to realize that we are not God. He is Holy and worthy of our worship and praise, we do not decide what truth is based on what we want to be true. We should absolutely examine our faith and hold it up to scripture and beef up on apologetics so we don’t believe what we believe just because our parents did or we “always have” etc- we can even lean into our doubts and take those doubts to God and deal with them in a healthy way- but that’s not deconstruction. It gets to be semantics I know but I think there are better ways of expressing this concept.
I have also watched many videos of people who have deconstructed their faith. I must say that your analysis of them is biased and inaccurate as well as judgmental.
Also, I was what every person in my life would have considered a real Christian. I went to church faithfully. I believed that the Bible was the infallible and inherent word of God. I studied at a Bible college and served God in missions. I strongly believed in God and my faith impacted every part of my life. I also studied the Bible and the original Greek new testament. My entire identity was at one point tied solely to the fact that I was a Christian.
It was while taking classes online (through a Christian college) and while serving in missions that I began questioning the existence of God. While there are various reasons that I am no longer a Christian, one reason is that the existence of God cannot be proven. Or at least, it can't be proven without using the Bible, which of course is biased towards the teaching that God is real. Can you prove that the God of the Bible is the one true God without using the Bible? If so, I would be willing to listen.
"The majority of people are going to hell. That's a fact". Sounds like a good, loving God to me!!!
Majority of people choose hell over heaven. God gives u the freewill and everything you need to come to him, yet the majority reject and spit on him. What makes u think the majority that doesn’t even want to spend their limited time with God, would be allowed to spend ETERNITY with him?
@@theholyhulk, let's see, this god's way of letting people know about its existence is this ridiculous collection of books which have been put in or taken out at various times in history, written by authors that cannot be proven, edited by who knows, full of contradictions and inaccurate sciences. And the people this being has deliver its message about its existence using these faulty collectionof books, which will determine if you will be tortured for all eternity, is another human being, who has their own particular spin on the meaning of these books, which have been interpreted in many different ways, and according to whatever particular bias they have. And normally when I bring any of this up, the go to response which is somehow meant to trump all these obvious issues is "Faith". 🤦🏿♂️
@@theholyhulk research the entomology of the word Hell.
Ah yes the classic blame God for how evil we are
@@JoshNewlinPerformance, huh, I don't believe there was any mention during this discussion of a God being responsible for human behavior. 🤔
As a life long Christian who is currently deconstructing my faith, I can say that some of your points are somewhat ok and somewhat angering.
I’ll try to convey what I have to say in a respectful manner even if it may be tough.
But honestly, I think you’re misunderstanding that every individual has their own journey in their deconstruction.
I have faced so many reasons, (I don’t want to get into here), for me to deconstruct my faith from my experiences.
I AM TIRED of hearing all the basic answers that are often surface level.
And NO.
I AM NOT forming an idol for me to follow.
I am not an idiot who just jabs the bare basis of “oh I don’t believe in God because of *insert typical atheist comment from a Christians point of view.*”
I am re-evaluating my faith outside of the overly rose tinted goggles that almost all Christians I have met, have.
I TRULY want the truth.
I am ASKING questions and EVALUATING why I have believed what I believe, and wether or not I should keep with my faith.
I am truly serious about this.
Because even though, I am deconstructing my faith, I feel so empty within the church.
And I want to know why that is among other things.
I don’t completely see a problem with this prospect as you do.
I personally think it is a good thing in at least every human being’s life at least once, to deconstruct their faith to know with 100% certainty why they believe what they do.
So please, with people who are trying to keep an open mind about why they believe in what they were raised in, understand that every person has their own journey and not every question they ask can be answered with the surface level basic statements that worked when they were children.
Some of what you said has made me feel as if I cannot show my questions outside of my own head without getting pushed back into the tiny box I’ve been forced to live in as a Christian.
And I absolutely hate that.
Didn’t you say that the church should be a safe place to ask questions?
Well, I’ll say right now, it certainly does not feel like it.
So I don’t think you should just tell those who are deconstructing their faith that they are doing this to create an idol of themselves and that everything is solved by God.
Because clearly it’s not.
If it were, then no one would be deconstructing their faith.
I hope this clears up at least a bit more to you just a little bit of the massive complexity that comes with the process of deconstructing ones faith.
Because you may be 100% certain and firm in your faith, but not everyone else is.
Nor will some take those basic reasons as definitive answers to their questions.
I hope those who see this will understand that deconstruction is more than the bare basis decided within this video and I hope if someone knows another who is also in this process, that they can respect and honor their deconstruction journey.
Because I think more people should understand and offer support just as the early Church was told to do.
Sorry for this being so long, I just wanted to make sure that I was as clear as possible with what I had to say on this.
You were very clear and don't ever apologize for the length of writing to try to be understood, even though most people, like this guy in the video, is not even trying to understand the other side of his own righteousness
How can you say they were not Christian? I related to Rhett deconstruct. Yes I was a Christian. I miss community of church and support. What I didn’t not agree is the rules that were written by men.
Thank you for making these video’s.
Thank you so much. I needed to hear this and it really blessed me.
It’s sad how many people in these comments have deconstructed their faith. Jesus is the cornerstone of a beautiful story, and that story is not always comfortable, but it is true, word for word, and each word is divinely inspired and written in the bible. The Church needs to take responsibility for it’s past wrongs as well as set people free from this comfort-christian deconstructionism. God is not legalistic, and he is not lawless either. He is right there in the middle of the two. Where is the Church right now? We need to wake up and help these people REconstruct in a healthy way!
I have a question(I will also comment this on tiktok so you can see it also) I seen a video that when Jesus died for 3 days he went to hell, and he gave the verses “1 Peter 3:19-20” and what he said is that he went their because of all our sins. What he said makes sense but I don’t understand the verses and I don’t wanna think something is true if it isn’t
While many are calling deconstruction a movement I don’t think that it is an accurate or helpful way of thinking about it. There are no leaders or organizers and there is no particular cause or goal in deconstruction. There are no authorities. In fact, many people have stopped using that word because it leads to a lot misunderstandings.
I grew up in a very strict denomination. With all the lockdowns and online church, I've kind of been turned off from church and I don't know what to believe, or denomination to follow. How do we know if we are following the right denomination? And how do we know if we are twisting the word of God?
Hi Shawna, I think denominations as a label have lead many Christians astray or even at odds with each other. Instead, make sure the church or preacher/teacher you’re listening to aligns with the Bible. Our primary source is to always go back in the Bible to see what God’s truth is and how we should apply His truth into our lives. I hope this help.🙏
Hey Shawna, the Bible warns us to not have divisions in the Church, as Noel said, it’s important to attend a church that has teachings completely based off of God’s Word !
I wouldn't base your faith on what denomination you are in or what denomination church you should go to. Rather go to a church that you feel is increasing your spiritual growth and your relationship with God. The church should be a place for spiritual growth and a place of fellowship. The church isn't the place or denomination but rather the people that attend. If you go to a church that doesn't cause spiritual growth it is ok to look for somewhere else. I hope this helps :)
Also remember it is ok to question your faith this can actually cause growth. God will never forsake or leave you even if you are unsure of your faith.
Hi Sister, as someone who has become recently a Christian, I suggest you read what Jesus said to the religious leaders during His time. Jesus never called for a religion, the church are His followers who want to seek truth and walk the narrow path. Never place your faith on a denominational structure, place your faith on what scripture says. I go to a Seventh-Day Adventist church because the view of the traditional Sabbath got my attention, I also meet with other Christians from different denominational backgrounds, I also listen to Orthodox and Gregorian music for prayer and read books about the saints within the Catholic church. All of these present to me a full narrative of how Christianity has progressed towards modern times. At the end, the center should always be God and what scripture says. Man can be flawed and corrupted, therefore our faith is only placed on the Lord.
I know that weed is looked down upon in many peoples opinions but I see it differently and wanted to know if smoking is a sin?
This is really gross and abusive. Ugh
The internet is the problem. Actual Bible scholars, not apologists, are revealing the true history of the origins and evolution of both the Bible and the Christian faith. The actual historical truth is very different from the apologetics version.
All of this scholarly information is available on line and therefore easily accessible. In other words, people are leaving Christianity for intellectual reason. Religions problem is that people are supposed to just believe their dogma based on faith and faith alone. That used to work, but not so much anymore.
The world has advanced based on logic, reason, history, and science……..faith is advocated when there is no verifiable evidence that supports the dogma. The term “faith” in a religious context could legitimately be defined as indoctrination to the point of brainwashing.
I was a Christian fundamentalist for 47 years, church leader, evangelist, elder, deacon, etc. I left because way too much of the Bible makes no sense and could not possibly be true.
Here is an ex-Christian's response to your various points. I engage with all respect.
We aren't tearing the fundamental ideas down. We found that they fell apart beneath our feet. There was nothing intentional about it, and many of us would have preferred not to go through the experience of being shunned by friends and family members for heresy.
Saying that ex-Christians were not "true Christians" and were NEVER "transformed by the Holy Spirit" is incredibly insulting. What reason is there to not believe that someone has the identity they profess? How would you feel if I ignored your proclamations and told others that you're not really a Christian? How can one claim to know another's heart? I wonder why you also ignore the self-proclamations of current Christians if they do not fit within your narrow criteria for Christianity.
I can also assure you that the reason people were hurt by the faith was not only because of certain people but because of the doctrine (points such as being fundamentally flawed due to the sin of a distant ancestor). There is nothing wrong with leaving an abusive relationship. You may enjoy bowing down to and obeying a God, but some people find that God abusive.
The reason professors are viewed as hostile by Christians is because they are unbiased, and without presuppositionalism, there is no reason to believe the Christian faith. Truth cannot be harmed by facts. If the religion is true, it should withstand scrutiny. It is circular reasoning to use the Bible as evidence for the existence of God, as you propose doing. You understand your presuppositionalism is consulting the Bible when seeking the truth, right? What is the difference between consulting the Bible and the Qur'an?
I could go into your God of the gaps fallacy, but that would take a lot of writing. Keep in mind there is no reason to be humble before God if there is no God.
I could have anticipated that one of your arguments would be that Christianity is "too hard," and people just want to sin. Perhaps consider how insulting that is as well. We have all consulted God concerning the existence of God; it didn't answer.
I actually find your point about progressive Christians interesting. I was part of a progressive church after leaving the fundamentalist church, and I felt it was a lot better of a fit for me. Now I look back and wonder how much of progressive Christianity is Christianity. I brought up the point to the pastor and asked, "Do you think you are, in a way, creating your own religion?" Can you ignore certain parts of the scripture that do not conform to modern morality? However, I am surprised that you deny that Jesus is about love. That part does seem quite clear from the Bible.
I wonder if it is hard for a Christian to grasp the idea of someone not worshiping anything. Why is it that Christians must claim that we are worshiping ourselves? It is as simple as not accepting the proposition of a God.
I appreciate that you encourage Christians to actually try to answer people's questions. I can also assure you that life is not empty without God. I hope you can overcome your fear of your own normal, very human identity and of hell. I would like to assure you that you are not broken. You can be loved because of your inherent value.
I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, except that I want to add a comment about the seeming hostility of professors or scientists.
There is a sizeable part of Christian organizations in America who continuously run attacks on science and intellectuals. There are the topics of creation and evolution, and there are fierce battles about who controls the curriculum of schools. The term "culture war" is not exaggerated, and along with the political scene it also applies here.
So if professors fight back, they are only doing the right and necessary thing. They are rightly biased towards their own intellectual independence, their freedom of science and investigation, and the pursuit of truth. They will not and can not tolerate attempts to impose a notion of truth on them, that depends on divine revelation and on self-serving interpretations of ancient scriptures.
Emily, I agree with all of your points. Thanks for articulating them so well.
I was really curious about this topic to be honest
I'm only 2 minutes in and you just stated that Rhett and Link were not actually Christians but just called themselves Christians, and did not have any transformation of the heart. I find this incredibly insensitive and problematic. How can you claim two people on the internet were not what they say they were, having never met them? Do you even know them in real life? Then how can you say these ridiculous things. People change. It's not a decision to no longer be convinced by something it's a change in your mind. looking at the evidence and realizing perhaps it doesn't match up anymore and your feelings and convictions reflect that. You cannot decide to believe in anything. I can't believe you really said they "weren't real Christians" That's super presumptuous. And just stupid honestly, very convenient for you to claim that anyone who walks away was just "not a real Christian"🤦♀️
This hits hard on so many levels in my life right now thank you brother
More information regarding the Seal of God Please.
My thoughts: What makes christianity true above all of the other religions out there? Or is it just atheists who are going to hell? Probably not because from what I can tell a lot of christians see especially pagan gods as "demonic" because it's not your own god. Why tho? Like me personally I'm all about living my own life and letting others live their lives as long as you're not hurting others. You know it's called "faith" for a reason. I couldn't make sense of christianity so I sought out something that made sense to me. I was never a christian but clearly these people are also finding that christianity doesn't make sense to them. While I don't believe in objective morality I do believe in compassion towards other humans being as well as nature and all its animals. At the end we die and our life force simply leaves our bodies behind and so everything repeats until the universe cones to an end, after which who knows maybe it's reborn. I hesitate to speak as if these were facts because I acknowledge that they're beliefs. Wonder why so many christians hsve a hard time doing the same 🤔
Isaac brought up a good point,"If we don't have a foundation. Then life will be empty." I can testify that this is true. I used too watched shows 24/7. Till the end. You find yourself showing all the shows that exist. There isn't a show you hadn't watched. But in till you have a foundation of what life is. That is when you aren't blinded by sin. You are free form the bandages.
Going to the "source" for answers is more difficult than how you present it here. If someone is deconstructing--their view of who God IS--is already removed from how He is presented Biblically. At this point, there is plenty of room for any other deity, or angel, or demon, or spirit, or The Universe to step in and claim the deconstructionist's jurisdiction.
people who deconstruct and "leave the faith/Church" because of the people in there are just proof that, sadly, there were never there for God, or their faith was never put on God but on a pastor/leader/figure of authority.
The word happy comes from the word happen. Happiness is based on your circumstances.
✨Proverbs 3:5-6 ✨
An interesting video. First half, pretty spot on. (Actively deconstructing) I don't think I've met anyone in my shoes that's necessarily trying to rebuild or replace the Bible, or God. If anything we're just trying to heal from decades of abuse, trauma, and self hatred brought on by religion.
As you should! Jesus is the best healer! Tjose religious leaders that abuse are wolves in sheep's clothing!
on the point of asking questions, is that not kinda the point of testimonies, of sharing our sins with one another, that we are to help each other walk with Christ
Why are you deleting comments? Don't be afraid of people who disagree with you.
When I'm asked to actually believe the Noah's Ark story as factual or that the earth is only a few thousand years old, then yeah. I have questions about a lot of what is presented as fact.
Old earth is actually a view one can have as a Christian. Look into the seven days God created the earth in and you'll find that many people hold the belief that the 7 days are not literal days, but could be ages longer. Also science agrees there was a massive flood all around the earth that matches up with the time of noah.
I’m a Christian who is deconstructing. I have been filled with the Holy Spirit, but I am questioning things.
Truly think this is a well constructed video, best of luck in his journey.
That being said, it's interesting that when describing fundamentalism, the first restrictive thing that came to mind was "no alcohol" rather than, I don't know, not allowing women to exist as people with their own hearts and minds.
The structure and beliefs of fundamentalist christianity (and fundamentalism of any religion) always lead to abuse and violence.
When I think of a fundamentalist, I think it's those who take the bible as truth. I know that some do this without love, and a means to control others. This is not what it's all about. 'Christians' that behave that way are either wolves in sheep's clothing, or immature in the faith.
@@truthtransistorradio6716
yes, people who take religious text as literal truth are incapable of engaging with it intellectually as a philosophy. this is what lays the foundation for rigidity and ignorance, that ultimately leads to regressive thinking. faith and true understanding of liturgy should open your mind to humanity, love, and better living, not close it.
@@RapidObsessor There are definitely poetic and symbolic books in the bible. But there are also historical books in the bible. Genealogies, pharoahs, kings, Cesars, etc. There is historical records outside the bible about many of the people, cities, wars and events in the bible. If it is the inspired word of God, then not only is the message and philosophy true, the claims of history are also true! The origins of nations can be found in Genesis 10! It has never been proven wrong! In fact, looking at old Chronolgies of other nations around the world, it's amazing how they go back to the same place and similar names of different languages.
Interesting subject. I think it can be dangerous or misleading to lump things into a label like deconstruction. I have been a follower of Christ for many years and grown through several seasons of growth in both relationship with and understanding God. You speak of coming back to the word of God, but that is where most of the division and problems arise from. People say, the bible clearly says and another person says of the same topic, no the bible clearly says this and not that. In recent years I have come into fellowship with many people whose beliefs have dramatically changed and people refer to that as deconstruction while in fact it may be a reconstruction or evaluation of what scripture means. For example thousands of people have begun to look at scriptures that clearly point to the will of God being that all people would be saved. Basically the gospel is that everything that came upon mankind through Adam, was fixed and reversed in Christ. In Adam ALL die, in Christ ALL are made alive. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and He succeeded. All humans are children, offspring (genos) of God and in Him we live and move and have our being. Jesus is the savior of ALL men, especially those who believe. God was in Christ reconciling the entire cosmos to Himself. And eventually every knee will bow and every tongue will (willfully and joyfully) confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of the Father. (Which by the way, results in salvation according to Paul). And a big question is; can one repent after physical death. The answer is yes but many vehemently oppose that idea. All these things are legitimate questions and they are pretty clearly supported in scripture.
But because they fly in the face of traditional western evangelical theology, those that come to believe these truths are labeled heretics and all sorts of other things. There are certainly issues of interpretation and translation of words and concepts, particularly in teaching or writing that is in parables, metaphor, hyperbole and allegory, or apocalyptical symbolic language. Something to consider with this type of scripture is to begin with clear doctrinal scripture and interpret the parables and metaphorical teachings in light of them.
So, there is a change of people's theology that is quite widespread but in the case of those like myself, it is not a discarding of scripture or other sound foundational doctrines.
Just a non issue example in closing. It seems that the majority of western Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday, while in face He was crucified on Wednesday which can be clearly shown from scripture. hint: there are not 3 days and 3 nights between Friday and Sunday and this is the only sign given to the people concerning Messiah. Some thoughts to ponder.
I am open to that. That view has some good arguments. Personally, I am in the Annihilation camp. I grew up like most Christians being taught eternal conscious torment. But now see that only one verse in Revelation can be read literally to say that. Even though it is full of symbolic language. The rest of the bible says death.
The other view I departed from recently is Calvinism. Especially those 2 views combined! The idea that anyone not elected by God does not have the ability to believe, then spends eternity suffering because they were born that way?? The more I thought about, and studied the bible, I concluded that was wrong! It makes God look bad! Unfortunately, many of my close Christian friends still believe that.
@@truthtransistorradio6716 Wonderful testimony. It just amazes me how people simply do not think about the things they have been taught or things they believe that are so very contrary to a God that loves his children. Thank you for sharing.
To sum it all up according to this person the reasons are:
1.-Laziness: don’t want to put the work to be a “good Christian”
2.-Wickedness: wanting to behave “badly” and not feel bad about it
3.-Stupidity: being easily manipulated by others, specially college professors
4.- Schizophrenic: They thought they were Christians, but they never were Christians
5.- Sore abused losers: Someone inside the faith hurt them and they took it upon the church
If I ever thought evangelicals were cultish, now I know they aren’t. They’re not cultish, they are a cult… this rationality leaves no space for disagreeing without being a sloth, foolish, evil or misguided person… it’s every 3 year old argumentation style: if I win, then I win and you lose; if you win, then I win and you lose, and if we tie, then I win and you lose… these are the most gaslighty statements I’ve ever heard
I'm just tired of being portrayed as this fickle, petty person who didn't *sniff* like the Bible/church because I wanted to do my own little thing. My reasons for doubting are so far beyond anything this man is allowed to express in his worldview.
@@lkqgirl3121 the truth is that evangelicalism, has turned into fundamentalist Christianity. They exhibit all the characteristics of a fundamentalist religion. Just like fundamentalist islamists, Evangelicals see the world in black or white. Either your Evangelical or your condemned to the fires of hell; either your for them or your against them; for Evangelicals religion can explain more than just faith, it can even explain science; your family, friends and acquaintances will oust you if you leave the faith; if you criticize them you’re evil and if your criticism is seen as dangerous you can get persecuted by them; no view is correct except their view; and now with Trump, they already did their first act of terrorism in the USA Capitol. It’s just a matter of time, until they become totally fringe and then it will be to late for all the economic and political parties that are flirting with them, using them as useful idiots to gain either more wealth or more power.
Gotta love the lack of awareness it takes to say “there’s no need to be accusatory” after specifically calling out Rhett and Link as never being “real Christians” at the beginning of the video 🥴 Then saying there needs to be space for people to express doubts while characterizing people who deconstruct as doing so because they wanted to be part of popular cultural trends and never had real faith in the first place.
Just the fact that he acknowledged that a lot of people who deconstruct come from highly religious families, but still presented deconstruction as something easy or done without sufficient thought showed me how shallow his understanding of the process was. If your whole family and the majority (if not all) of your friend group have devoted themselves to Christianity then the decision to be open about deconstruction often has negative or even devastating effects on your relationships with those people. It can be a very painful thing for all parties involved. He claims that he watched lots of videos about deconstruction but seems to have missed a lot of key points.
I think there’s an issue about what you’re implying with going with the culture. I’m not LGBT affirming because it’s popular, I am because I would rather support the LGBT people I care about with a hundred percent of my being whether or not it costs me an eternity in hell, not because it’s the trendy thing to do.
The word repent is taught accurately in the KJV Bible in 7 different context meanings.
Nearly every so-called "deconstructed Christian" that I have talked to has the same common thread: They have a very hard time accepting that orthodox Christian beliefs are at odds with modern Western Culture even though Jesus told us time and time and time again that the world would despise us and try to stamp out his Church. We are called to be separate from the world (Ekklesia) and shine on a light on the sin and darkness that points people to the saving grace of Christ. People do NOT like it when the Gospel shines a light on their sins (John 3:19)
I feel like we need to bring back the dislike button so that we could dislike this video
Deconstruction and deconversion are not the same. The former is much more dangerous.
I deconverted over a period of about 2 years. I realize now that a bunch of people asserting things without evidence doesn't make them true. Realizing that my religion I used to believe in was just an accident of geography was the best thing that ever happened. The bible doesn't hold up once you allow yourself to truly apply logic, reason and scrutiny.
I questioned my faith and decided to look for historical evidence of the bible. I was blown away! Now I am convinced it is true! How much have you looked?
New subscriber here. Thank you for not being ashamed of the word of God. We need to talk the truth and seek him everyday, in order for others see Him in us who love Him.
The deconstructing ones are the seed that fell on the rocky ground and the sun (tribulation) burnt them up as they have no root.
When you have questions, STUDY DEEPER!!!!
The Bible is a book. When you read, you have to interpret what you are reading. Just like our constitution, different people can read something and come to different conclusions. Evidence that no god that can create physics would use a book to communicate its most important message with mankind. You have a gift for the gab. Ministry and dollars clearly are in your future.
Trends are usually trends because they are fun. Believe me when I say that my deconstruction has not been fun. Liberating, yes… but fun? Absolutely not. I’ve lost dear friends, lost the respect of family members, I’ve had days where I don’t recognize myself. None of it has been fun. Deconstruction has been devastating BECAUSE of how much I loved my faith. Also, you can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible. You wouldn’t let circular reasoning slide with science, so make sure to watch out for double standards.
The problem with churches that turn a collection of writings into an idol
Nice basement 👍
Honey, you mean well, but I'm not sure you understand where we are coming from. For me, I was an Awana kid. I have literally memorized thousands of verses, read the whole Bible multiple times, and memorized hundreds of pages worth of Biblical history and interpretation. I held on so hard to the inerrancy of the Bible that when I was asked some actual, real hard questions, it became a matter of either the Bible is without fault or all of this is false.
Thank goodness, I haven't walked away from the faith at this point. But I can completely understand how so many who journey down the paths of study I have end up there. The Bible is far from faultless, it's confusing, misinterpreted at times, and very contextual. When you were raised with the Bible on a high pedestal, learning about this can be faith shattering.
As for just taking the questions to God, goodness I'm trying to. But I have a severe wounding of trust. It may not be his fault I've been fed misinformation my whole life, but since it's all about him it's hard to see it that way. So just "asking God" to show me the truth has not been the solution. I tried that when I began to have questions and the utter silence almost completely crushed my faith.
Anyways, my point is... please be gentle and careful in how you approach this subject. Learn what we are asking, and don't just throw "Because the Bible says so, " as an answer.
You had some good things to say, but you just can't understand where a "deconstructionist" is coming from unless you've been there.
Maybe it will have some meaning to you, but fathers of the Orthodox church throughout centuries been telling that in last times christians would live in sorrow, repentance and patience.
The only task for their life would be just keeping faith and thats it. Without growing, miracles and rainbows. And who succeed in this, will be put higher than holy fathers of early church. Why? Precisely because of the fact that we live in 1000 layers of lie.
Its like knocking in doors for the whole life without losing hope that in the last moment it would be opened. Just keep knocking. And thats the hardest.
Well at least thats how i understand it now.
Because, if you think about it enough, you may see that there are nowhere to go, nothing to do in this life except knocking. Its all meaninglessness, death and corruption, outside and especially inside.
"I just want to start a dialogue......."
I found this video amongst the "deconstructing my faith" videos. I myself am painfully stepping back and examining my own faith. It's validating to hear other people talk about it.
Your arrogance and ignorance in parts of this video examples of why I am questioning everything. I love Jesus, he is awesome. But the church and people who represent him lack empathy and compassion. To talk to people on the other side, you have to put their shoes on and really try to feel how they're feeling. It's not about conforming. It's not about wanting to fit in.
It's that the church is gross. After 24 years I've removed the pressure of "finding a church". I'm asking the questions - like you said in your video.
You keep mentioning the gospel - the heart of the gospel is Jesus's teachings. He said the two main rules are to 1) love God and 2) love your neighbor.
I don't know what you mean "hippy Jesus" - I guess by today's standards he would be a hippy. And that's the Jesus I want to follow.
Thank you for talking about this
Hey bro, very important topic. Hopefully when you move from your parents basement nothing changes.
Why would you mention Carl Lentz of Hillsong as a Christian? 😂😂
Much of this is related to postmodernism. The postmodernist tradition teaches there is no objective truth, that it is relative and has multiple realities. Progressive Christianity falls into a "deconstructionist" trend out of convenience. It is easier to fall out of faith than to work on it. Many progressives also reject the teaching of Paul since he is seen as too judgmental or blunt as to what Christians should be doing. Modern society does not like rigid rules, and deconstructionists reject many rules in the Bible. They also find excuses to leave, especially of their church is not perfect.