I Don’t Need the Bible Most of the time, when I make a statement like this online, people immediately assume I’ve never studied the Bible or don’t know what it says. They say that only because they don’t know my history. I was raised Southern Baptist and stepped away from the faith until I started having children and began exploring spiritual training. I joined a small Southern Baptist church in my area, and not long after, I began attending a... Read more
A Decade of Deconstruction: I Blame God Laura and I have learned to question each other since leaving organized religion and ceasing church work. When we sit together at night, relaxing, we often discuss something that happened or how we interpret a situation. Unlike before, we now feel comfortable challenging each other’s views on the world and on spiritual or non-spiritual topics. Additionally, I talked with my youngest daughter yesterday about AI. Without going into the details of that talk,... Read more
A Decade of Deconstruction: I Don’t Need God, I Need People Most stories about God begin much like the story I told myself and others. I experienced a confusing set of circumstances in my life. I was treated badly, but there were some good people around me. I made both good and bad decisions, then realized I was missing something. I found Jesus, and He filled the hole in my heart, and now I want to help others find the... Read more
A Decade of Deconstruction: I Don’t Believe in the Devil In my early life, I don’t recall ever having a strong fear of Satan or the Devil. This might have been because there were enough real evil characters in my story so that I didn’t have time to worry about something that might or might not exist in the invisible world. I dealt with real issues like poverty, physical limitations, and toxic Christianity. My upbringing taught me not to challenge authority,... Read more
What AI Thinks I Would Say After a conversation a few days ago with another older guy experimenting with AI, I decided to ask the program on my phone what Karl Forehand would say about living a better life. For the most part, it was very accurate and even reminded me of some things from my writing that I might not have recalled. This is the answer I received. Based on the information available, Karl Forehand’s advice for a better... Read more
A Decade of Deconstruction: Part 1 – I Don’t Need Religion I am fully convinced that connection is essential for us as human beings. It begins early in life when we form an attachment to our mother or caregiver. If we don’t receive proper care during childhood, we can face issues later on. The quality of that care is essential and significantly affects us. We need connection with others for many reasons, which I don’t have time to explain fully.... Read more
Why did the Elephant Cross the Bridge? Last weekend, we took a short day-trip to Saint Louis, Missouri, to hear one of our friends speak on a topic that interests us. In a way, it was a heavy subject—seclusion and restraint—but the trip might have been the most tiring part of the journey. It was a 5 1/2-hour drive each way, and when we reached the hotel exit, it was closed. We were rerouted through a college campus, where several... Read more
Excerpt from the book Campfires in the Desert: A Deconstruction Travel Guide Copyright © 2025 by Karl Forehand Are We Addicted to Religion? “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Eugene Ionesco As a young adult, I developed an interest in skydiving. Determined to confront my fears, I signed up for lessons and took several solo skydiving jumps. The club offered various experiences, but I could enroll in the full skydiving curriculum and gradually learn more... Read more
Excerpt from the book Campfires in the Desert: A Deconstruction Travel Guide Copyright © 2025 by Karl Forehand Why is God’s Punishment So Extreme? “Questions are the engines of intellect, the cerebral machines which convert energy to motion.” – Eric C. Eichinger I often joke about the saying, “Our parents spanked us, and we turned out okay.” I’ve pointed out that those who make such claims are seldom the best examples of having “turned out okay.” Like many,... Read more
Losing the Plot A few days ago, one of my old church members sent me a message that started with the popular phrase, “Karl, I’m worried about you.” Anyone who has ever been in ministry understands what that means. It indicates that you are not doing what they expect, and as a result, they feel the need to persuade you to think exactly like them again. She gently chastised me in that soft Christian way, letting me know she was... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In