Should I deconstruct my faith?

[@randypierson6358]

SOLA-GRATIA thu SOLA-FIDA appart from any works, I was hualed off as spoil & indoctrinated by a works based man centered gospel by Lord shipping pastors that teach Galatian Error mixing law & grace but now I'm free in faith to draw near & sit on the lords lap.😊 Amen

[@paulvoit5610]

One does not deconstruct faith, one puts themselves in the place of God.

[@ronrice1931]

"Should I deconstruct my faith?" One does not deconstruct faith, one deconstructs the need for faith.

[@CSUnger]

Yes. Absolutely, you should, but only if you are first honest with yourself and secondly if your desire is to genuinely understand what is true. You will be amazed at what you discover and will develop skills to more accurately be able to discern truth from error. But most importantly, you will develop skills for helping others understand Faith rather than merely repeating what you have heard from others. Know what you believe and why.

[@xrendezv0usx]

I myself "deconstructed" from Christianity and fully embraced rational materialism. Not because it was the "trendy" thing to do but because I am a genuinely skeptical person genuinely searching for the truth. But my skepticism didnt just "turn off" when I deconstructed. As a rational materialist, I still tried to discover the truth about the origins of the universe, the meaning and purpose of life, and see if pure logic could truly lead to sound morality. As a rational materialist and an atheist I must accept that the universe and all its energy created itself out of nothing in a single moment for no reason. Accept that life has no higher meaning or purpose outside of biological reproduction, life is just tiny particles randomly colliding in space. That love is not a supernatural or transcendant force, but simply a chemical reaction in the brain. That human life is in no way sacred or divine, and we are not children of God made in His image, but rather we are just barely sentient chimpanzees. That I have no free will, that the universe is deterministic based on physics, and therefore my free will is an illusion and Im not a person with agency actively living life but rather a robotic automaton that reacts to stimuli passively experiencing life happening to me. That there is no such thing as objective "right" or "wrong" and "good" and evil" , just a collection of subjective experiential values. That even things like "men and women" are no longer true or real, and a man can become a woman by simply declaring he is one like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy! LOL In the end I discovered that I'm actually just way too skeptical to be an atheist or a rational materialist. I went all the way with worldy wisdom, studied what the great atheistic minds like Sam Harris have come up with, and I discovered that the wisdom of the world is truly, truly folly. And it is a deeply alienating worldview that asks me to set aside all the parts of my life that are most true and relevant to my experience as a human. Eventually I found my way back to the Truth. And when I returned to Him, sheepish and ashamed, He ran to me and did not reprimand me but scooped me up in His arms and covered me with His love.

[@NathanYoung0406]

Its definitely a big issue and needs to be talked about more

[@johnthompson6879]

Yeah definitely! I’m glad you’re seeing it as a concern also.

[@ishiftfocus1769]

Freedom comes from His sinless blood paid on our behalf and given to all those who trust in that payment.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@ishiftfocus1769Exactly what the video is pointing people to. :)

[@datrout744]

Deconstructing or fighting against Deconstructing isnt a sure fire way to avoid depression or anxiety. Simply put there are way too many factors, some linked to religion some not linked, that go into causing anxiety or depression. Which is why what works for one person doesnt always works for others. As my personal anecdote, my anxiety and depression didnt go away until i deconstructed. So while Deconstructing can cause anxiety and depression to some it can also cure it for others. There are a few explanations for why Deconstructing can bring up anxiety or depression. For one feeling ostracized from a community can increase and cause anxiety and depression. This could explain why people feel pushed to deconstruction, almost like a self fulfilling prophecy. The ultimate lesson from this is just because someone says what they did removed their anxiety or depression, doesnt mean its good advice for others.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@datrout744 Yeah but what I’m saying can help someone so if it does then it’s worth it. Also, the word deconstruction in and of itself can mean different things to different people. The clarity I add in my video is specifically getting at going against orthodoxy which I definitely think can cause someone anxiety when they’ve known the real Jesus and then choose to believe lies about the Bible. Perhaps be open to other perspectives like what I’m sharing with you now.

[@datrout744]

@@johnthompson6879 im open to that advice working for some people and if you reread my comment you will see im not saying its a bad idea. Im simply saying that its not a simple fix and in the same way your advice might help some people it might hurt others aswell. Anxiety and depression are serious medical issues that should first and foremost be addressed by a licensed professional. Everyone has ideas on what causes them and what worked for them. The issue is that it doesnt have the same effect on different people, which is why people are required to have education and training before they start telling others how to fix it. At the end of the day your anecdotal evidence is just as valid as others anecdotal evidence including mine.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@datrout744 Okay, I’m glad we can agree this will help some. That’s my goal.

[@jamesh7554]

Faith built on false man-made doctrines should be deconstructed. Your faith should be built on Truth(Psalm 119:152). Read the whole Bible and do what it says. Ecclesiastes 12:13

[@christophergibson7155]

'Tis the truth.

[@jamesh7554]

@JamesBates-tw1kq Yes, it is faith proven by trial that is more precious than gold. However, DEAD faith(James 2:17-18) does not please God.

[@mattr.1887]

The Bible is man-made.

[@evanmontesofcolthrone]

Christianity definitely is messy.

[@MisterN0b0dy]

No, Christians are messy.

[@dansanta4611]

This was really good brother thank you. But the historical doctrine of Election does not teach double predestination.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@dansanta4611 Thank you. I agree that it doesn’t and I don’t believe in double predestintion.

[@dansanta4611]

@johnthompson6879 oh very good then. Thank you again for sharing, this was truly encouraging. Keep fighting the good fight

[@johnthompson6879]

@@dansanta4611 Definitely!

[@trentonjennings9105]

You are brave to put your face on such a video for the world to see. I hope things are going well for you. Good luck on your journey. If you don't mind a little constructive criticism, your camera and position makes your hands look way bigger than your head. Looks a little bizarre and distracting. No offense.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@trentonjennings9105 Thank you for wishing me well and I actually appreciate the criticism. I recognized it looked a little weird but didn’t feel like re-recording.

[@torreyintahoe]

Walk away dude. Use your Sundays to go hunting or watch football. Religion is nothing but nonsense.

[@jobybailey1]

God is love and religion is war

[@MisterN0b0dy]

So, you’re not even aware that Christianity isn’t a religion.

[@jobybailey1]

@@MisterN0b0dy you meant "the real Christian" is not religious! The real Christian is a Christ and no different then any Son of God chosen in Christ! It's Satan who divided us and will always collide us!

[@MisterN0b0dy]

@@jobybailey1I mean Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Religions are based on what we have to do for God. Christianity is unique in that it’s based on what God has done for us.

[@jobybailey1]

@@MisterN0b0dy YES absolutely! And when we sacrifice whatever is required of us in his will and his alone only then we are capable of understanding what all exactly God does for us authentically in love and forgiveness. For I am blessed and unworthy to be a tool in such a service of such love and importance. But Atleast Ive been used for something in this world. When I feel I've been in all just a failure OUR loving God gave me real purpose. And I'm just glad I lived longer enough to understand truth righteously. God did that for me as everyone who is open to learn without egotistic judgments. God can't love and help us alone if we won't do the same thing for everyone else from sea to shining sea! And i can't even love myself if you won't love me. When we are the ocean no one should ever be lost at sea, because God loves you God can love me and on forever God's love will find who it is most importantly with our help meant to reach.

[@MisterN0b0dy]

If your faith was so easily shaken by watching The Shack, then you didn’t know enough about your faith to even make an informed decision about deconstructing or not from it. The Shack is New Age, not Christian. Your testimony is a perfect example of the problem within charismatic churches where they don’t know enough of their own faith to recognise the counterfeit. I was however pleased to listen to your testimony and hear how you finally seem to have dug foundations in your faith that were previously not there. One last thing, apostles and prophets are not for today. This I’m afraid is still a dangerous lie you’ve believed. The origins of this teaching is demonic.

[@jobybailey1]

Dude if you keep it real you wouldn't have to ever realize you're full of it! Make believers are sad. The holy spirit of truth is the only way anyone can possibly reach truth. But everyone wants to play like they are important and lie but literally have no clue about what God is! God is love and religion is war. Thanks

[@nexteffects]

Disentangle from Churchy invented stuff that is un-Biblical. Move closer to God and away from Man's baggage he has attached to Jesus.

[@normmcinnis4102]

Sounds like the latest fad.

[@ricklamb772]

Hey,if you have to ask,you might as well,you won't finish the race.

[@dustencross357]

If you are questioning your faith then you never actually had it in the first place

[@johnthompson6879]

@@dustencross357 Nah. That’s just something people usually say because they read in scripture that it says “those that went out from us were never of us”. One can only speculate what exactly this or any other isolated scripture means if they think it appears to be referring to false conversion. You can’t lump a modern day believer into the mix when the overwhelming support of the Bible in regards to salvation is that it’s a gift. Your questioning doesn’t nullify it.

[@dustencross357]

@@johnthompson6879 good luck with your questions.

[@dustencross357]

@@johnthompson6879 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed-a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 🙏

[@johnthompson6879]

@@dustencross357 Did you actually watch the video? Based on that comment it doesn’t really seem like it.

[@johnthompson6879]

@@dustencross357 They will live by faith if they abide in fellowship. It’s not an automatic guarantee of someone that’s been born again.