I Didn’t Want to Deconstruct As some of you may know, my beliefs and affiliations have changed greatly over the past seven or eight years. I am sure that some assume that this was what I wanted and that I was chasing some dream or some kind of secret desire that I had. But nothing could be further from the truth. When I was a conservative evangelical Republican, I was perfectly happy being those things. I was making lots of... Read more
The Implications of a Monarchy Even though I have moved beyond Christianity and have doubts about God, especially as expressed in the Desert Religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity), I still am fascinated with Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I do not believe that he was perfect or even that our accounts of him are 100% accurate, but I can find virtue in some of his teachings and way of life. One of the ways that people describe Jesus is to... Read more
Disappointment in the Desert Laura and I have deemed our deconstruction journey as a journey in the desert. We like the desert metaphor because although it seems barren at times and lonely, it is also full of life and nourishment if you look closely enough. We have met some beautiful friends, helped people in their journey, and evolved as we learned about presence and authenticity. With most things in life, I think it is helpful to take inventory at occasional... Read more
AI-Generated (I was just curious what it would say). Why Religion Can Be Harmful generated by Karl Forehand Religion has always been essential to human civilization, shaping worldviews, morals, and behaviors for billions of people worldwide. However, despite the many positive aspects of religion, there are also instances where it has been the source of harm and suffering. Here are some ways that religion can be harmful to individuals and society as a whole. Firstly, religion can create divisiveness and... Read more
Keep Asking Questions My deconstruction started with a simple thought that God could handle my questions and it was OK to ask. I did not start with a presupposition; I just started to notice the obvious and kept asking questions. I MADE SOME AMAZING DISCOVERIES when I discovered that a compassionate, loving father would not withhold relevant, important information from me. It is important to understand that what I discovered was often painful and hard to transition through, but I... Read more
Volunteer Labor and Religion I remember vividly that day! It was a Saturday afternoon in Nebraska, and it had snowed all day the day before. The church parking lot had over a foot of snow because of drifting and the location of this smaller parking lot. Jim and I were young deacons, and per the pastor’s request, we were trying to solve the dilemma of what to do with all the snow before tomorrow’s service. Our church didn’t prearrange this... Read more
The Intuitive Journey People always ask me, “OK, so we know what you are against, but what are you for? I know what they mean by this. They want me to say what my beliefs are or what denomination I belong to so they can give me their preprogrammed objections to those beliefs or my organization. This type of discussion will never be a real conversation. It will only be an us versus them argument that never ends. Those who... Read more
Beginning Your Inner Work Several years ago, after spending about 20 years in organized religion as a pastor, I experienced something very real and traumatic when everything that I had stuffed down for 20 years came to the surface. A friend of mine describes it as a beach ball I could no longer keep underwater. It dramatically came to the surface, and I knew that I had to face it instead of ignoring it once again. Eugene Gendlin said, “What... Read more
Questions from a New Member Hey Sally. This is Ruby. Thanks for being my spiritual buddy and giving me your number to text. I’m trying to make sense of all this. You guys bought me some groceries and accepted me into your group. Well, not completely; I still have to say a prayer, and then there’s the membership class. To teach or lead, I have to prove myself in various ways, and even my gender might limit me substantially. And... Read more
Never Forget 9/11 All right, don’t string me up… But, when we say “never forget,” when speaking of 9/11, do we also mean that the countries we attacked should never forget either? Ultimately, the wrong thing to do is to retaliate, hold grudges, and kill. But sometimes, we think our group is more important than the other groups. Our deaths are more significant, our suffering more noteworthy, and our wrongs more easily forgiven. Our notions of a retributive god and... Read more
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