For those of us who grew up church, we usually had the feeling that we were not to ask questions. I can remember I felt odd if I had a question about God or my faith, and if I actually asked it, I felt I would be seen as someone who did not have enough faith. Worse than that, people may think I was not even a Christian.
I know I am not the only one. Have you ever felt that you needed to know all the answers? When a non-believer questions your faith or asks something about the Bible, do you feel you have to know the answer and be able to explain it to them?
I know I have always felt that I needed to know all the answers and I should not question my faith. Although the more I think about it and the more I run into people who have all sorts of questions, I have come to realize that I certainly do not have all the answers.
Even my wife and I talk and we have questions we cannot answer. We have come to realize that God is too big for us to have it all figured out. If we do not have all the answers for ourselves, how could we have all the answers for everyone else?
I now realize that there is nothing wrong with admitting we do not have all the answers. Basically, questioning is not wrong. Even though many of us have been taught that we should not question the pastor, the Bible, our faith, even God, I now believe that God is not afraid of our questions. So, what is wrong with us saying ‘I don’t know’?
Admitting that you do not know does not mean you are not a good Christian. Admitting that you do not know does not mean your faith is shallow or we do not believe God.
If we knew everything, what kind of a God would we be serving anyway? The Spirit will be teaching us during our entire life here on earth, and we still will not begin to know it all.
While Jesus was on earth, he basically told stories and parables. A lot of the time, he did not give a direct answer. He usually asked another question rather than give a definite answer. I suppose if he gave a specific answer, we would have made it a basic doctrine by now anyway.
Do not be afraid to ask questions. Do not feel guilty when you do not know the answer. The best way to learn is to be open to asking questions and seeking answers. God is perfectly capable of guiding us to the truth in proper timing.
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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer for Done with Religion as his views fit perfectly with those that are shared on this site. He and his wife have been outside the walls of religion for fifteen years. He enjoys writing about his experiences and thoughts, and he wants to encourage others who are going through the religious deconstruction process. He also writes on Substack at https://deconstructiontrail.substack.com/ and https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/
Condemnation of gays in God’s name is one of the greatest stumbling blocks Christians put in front of those wanting a relationship with God. Stop with “God hates sin, not the sinner.” Being gay isn’t a sin. It never made moral sense to me why God would condemn gays when they can no more chose who they love than straights can. Why would anyone choose to be gay based on the condemnation and bigotry they face? Parents often only condemn their gay children because of their supposed correct interpretation of a Book. We know the psychological harm done when one must hide their sexuality because of bigotry and hostility. One’s interpretation of the Bible is often used to drive others away from God. Many may not be aware that biblical scholars who respect the Bible don’t believe Scriptures condemn gay monogamous relationships. See here. When there is uncertainty in interpretation, shouldn’t we choose the least harmful view? If Christians made this decision, we would see many more drawn to God’s love. Condemnation of gays is one of the greatest stumbling block Christians put in front of those wanting a relationship with God.
Mike Edwards was added as a writer and has been a great addition to the site. Mike provides many interesting views and various ways of looking at things. He is not afraid to ask questions and he keeps an open mind as to teachings of the institutional church. Mike also has his own site where he writes at What God May Really Be Like
I can’t prove Hell or Heaven is real. But, why would we think a loving God would create a place to torture forever those who held certain beliefs while here on earth a short period of time. The only place one might get such an idea that God – lights you on fire and doesn’t let the fire go out – is because many believe a supposed inspired Book by God says so. Of course ancient literature is subject to interpretation. I am convinced Hell isn’t real according to the Bible! A torturous, loving God is an oxymoron.
See links below about Hell, Heaven, and the Afterlife that I have written over the decades. Articles first listed are the most recent articles written. What kind of relationship comes forth when threatened with endless torture if you don’t obey? Maybe God gives second chances, even after death!
Mike Edwards was added as a writer and has been a great addition to the site. Mike provides many interesting views and various ways of looking at things. He is not afraid to ask questions and he keeps an open mind as to teachings of the institutional church. Mike also has his own site where he writes at What God May Really Be Like
If you are like my wife and me, you can remember from your first day in church being taught that the Bible was God’s holy word. The Bible was perfect and without mistake or any contradictions.
We felt the Bible was personally written by the hand of God through chosen men, and all the answers were contained therein. I truthfully think a lot of us Christian people came to see the Bible as the fourth member of the God-head.
In fact, to even question if the Bible is inerrant was sacrilegious. It was like the familiar quote in the court system when being sworn in, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We have come to believe the Bible is the truth, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible. Everything is contained within the written word, and God can do nothing outside of the written word.
Of course, that way of thinking really limits the Holy Spirit, who lives within us and is our teacher and guide. If the Spirit teaches us something or shows us something, we immediately want to look it up in the Bible, and if we cannot find it there, then we think the voice of the Spirit certainly must be wrong. Remember, even Jesus said many times, it is written, but I say. To me, this says that Jesus is the living Word and takes precedence over the written word.
Also, I have come to think that many of us have come to a point where we began to wonder if this inerrancy of the written word of God is really the case. I remember reading a section in one of my Bibles between the Old and New Testament that was about how we got our Bible. I remember thinking about how certain books were chosen, by men, as divinely inspired and others were not; which books to put into what we call the Bible and which books to leave out. It sure made me think about how this can be a perfect, inerrant group of writings. Of course, at that time, I quickly dismissed my questions and moved on, lest I made God mad at me for questioning his perfect book. Or maybe I was more worried about making the pastor and other members mad.
Of course, a lot of us were taught that the King James Version of the Bible was the true word of God and any other translation was wrong, and some translations were even an insult to God. My thought on that is how can any translation be considered the true word of God? They are all translations, even the King James. Truthfully, some of the stories I have heard about King James and his instructions on interpreting the manuscripts would make me want to stay away from the King James Version anyway. This is why we depend on the Spirit within us to bring the truth to light and not depend on any particular translation.
The Bible was definitely inspired by God, and that inspiration was through men. We all know if mankind has a hand in anything it is going to be flawed. Being inspired to write does not mean you write word for word through dictation. I can be inspired to write a book about a topic, but it is still going to be me writing, and have my thoughts, feelings, and flare to it. I was inspired by a particular movie to go visit the city it was filmed in. I was inspired to do a particular hobby because I saw the effect on other people that hobby produced. Yet, it was still me that had free will to do these things.
Just because the written word of God is not perfect, that does not negate anything about God. I always heard people say that if the Bible has errors in it or contradicts itself, then the whole idea of God must not be true either. I really do not understand that logic, especially since we know that Jesus is the Word of God. The written word, when viewed through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. Yet, nowhere in the Bible does it say the written word is perfect.
In fact, when Christ walked on the earth, and in the early days of Christianity there was not even a written word like what we call the Bible available to the believers. There was the Word of God though, because Jesus has always been around.
My wife and I believe the Bible to be very valuable for learning and a means of hearing from God. We also believe the Holy Spirit lives within us and the still, small voice from within is even more valuable. We believe godly friends and wise people of God can be a help and guidance to us as the Holy Spirit leads through them.
So many of us want to fight and defend the written word we call the Bible. We divide ourselves into groups and denominations, we separate ourselves from the world and from one another. We fight, condemn and alienate ourselves over the written word because we think it is the inerrant words and ways of God, yet the true Word of God, Jesus, is standing right in front of us and we miss Him. Just like when Jesus was talking with the Jews and said ‘You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life’.
We see that life is in Christ. Jesus is not telling us to come to the Bible or accept the Bible, but to come to Him. Jesus is the true, powerful, inerrant, living Word of God. Read your Bible, let the Holy Spirit bring life to the words, learn and be encouraged from them, but realize the written word is not perfect. Look to the living, perfect Word who is Jesus, and listen for His voice within through the Spirit.
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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer for Done with Religion as his views fit perfectly with those that are shared on this site. He and his wife have been outside the walls of religion for fifteen years. He enjoys writing about his experiences and thoughts, and he wants to encourage others who are going through the religious deconstruction process. He also writes on Substack at https://deconstructiontrail.substack.com/ and https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/
Many rightly wonder if what Christian leaders claim about God is true. Who can blame them when God supposedly created a place such as Hell, to torture forever those who don’t believe in God a short time here on earth. In these Posts I will propose a question, which can paint one’s view of God, and then will provide a link what I have written before about the topic, I try to keep a page length with bold subtitle. It concerns a question about God that I wish people would be willing to discuss about God, so they could draw their own conclusions than what many Christians claim to be true about God.
I have written that God can’t be all-powerful or controlling and be true to God’s nature. Controlling love is an oxymoron. How can God be all-powerful and creatures have some freedom? Even the Bible claims love does not insist on its own way. (I Cor 13:5) So, God can’t control evil and suffering in the world. If God can’t control the amount of suffering we do or don’t receive, God can’t control the punishment we do or don’t receive. Do we really need to wonder if God is punishing us? It matters if we portray to others if God more loving or punitive!
The word deconstruction has become popular in recent years, and for me, it has become personal. What exactly do we mean by deconstruction?
First, I can honestly say that twenty years ago I would not have any idea what deconstruction was, other than tearing down a house or building. I can also say, if I had found out back then what it was spiritually, I would have wanted nothing to do with it.
Fifteen years later, everything changed. Deconstruction became very important to me once I realized that I was already starting to go through it. I had been having many questions about the church and the things I was taught growing up. Many things were not making sense and it seemed there had to be more than just sitting in church once a week.
The definition of deconstruction is the analytic examination of something (such as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy; spiritually speaking it is questioning, re-evaluating, and even dismantling aspects of faith or religious practices. It does not actually mean demolition, instead it means breaking down or analyzing something to discover its true significance, which is supposedly almost never exactly what the author intended.
Over the fifty-five years I spent going to church, I had many questions. Unfortunately, I felt I could not ask those questions because people would think I did not have enough faith. Yet, in time I got to a point that I started asking questions anyway and searching for answers, which led to me to start my deconstruction process.
Of course, in time, I came to a point where I started to rebuild my faith with new ideas and new ways of looking at things. I had a kind of faith that was freer and made more sense. Not that I had all the answers, but now I was not afraid to ask questions and admit my doubts. I found out there was a term for this, which is reconstruction. A rebuilding of my faith without the church doctrine and the certainty I felt I had to have while in the religious organization.
Reconstructing our faith is rebuilding some of the interpretations and spiritual ideas without destroying our faith foundation. It is seeing things differently, being open to asking questions and admitting we do not know everything. It is a faith of uncertainty more than being closed-minded and set in our ways.
I was now free to walk with God outside of set doctrines and some of the ways I was taught in church. I could now follow the Spirit without the religious requirements, all the while learning to love and accept all people.
Deconstruction and Reconstruction all lead to Transformation, which is a profound and lasting shift in self-concept, mindset, and overall way of being. I now felt comfortable not knowing all the answers and not feeling guilty because of it. I could accept people from different walks of life and different faiths without the guilt that religion sometimes puts on me. I was free from the doctrines and religious interpretations that kept me in submission. Now I depend on guidance from the Spirit that lives within me rather the views and opinions of other human beings.
Although deconstruction can be an important part of our life, I do not think we should stay there. Yet, I do believe we should be continually going through deconstruction and reconstruction, and continually being transformed. We should not become stagnant, but constantly changing as the Spirit leads us day by day.
God is so much bigger than we can realize. Part of deconstruction for me was realizing after all the years within the church and the years following God outside the walls of religion, there is always more to learn. God cannot be contained in a building nor a book. I realize that we need to focus more on the leading of the Spirit that lives within us and less on the doctrines and views of religious systems.
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Michael Donahoe was added as a writer for Done with Religion as his views fit perfectly with those that are shared on this site. He and his wife have been outside the walls of religion for fifteen years. He enjoys writing about his experiences and thoughts, and he wants to encourage others who are going through the religious deconstruction process. He also writes on Substack at https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/ and https://deconstructiontrail.substack.com/
How can God be all-powerful and humans have some power or control? The Bible claims love does not insist on its own way (I Cor 13:5). A loving spiritual or human parent must limit their supposed total power. Keep in mind that even if God stopped all bullets, that doesn’t change the gun holder. God can’t solve human selfishness. It is worth considering that God can’t be all-powerful or controlling and be true to God’s nature. Evil and suffering in the world may be because God cannot intervene single-handedly without being controlling. God can’t intervene in suffering without human help.
Freedom is a good thing. In God’s defense, it is not logically possible for God to create freedom unless there is the possibility of love or hate. Human parents hope their children freely reciprocate their love than being forced. Without freedom we could accuse God of not creating the very best world where only true, authentic relationships can develop. Freedom also allows humans to develop qualities of moral character that cannot be created initially. Freedom though cannot guarantee a pain free universe.
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