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Archive for June, 2026

What Is The Most Unrecognized Sin By Christians!

Posted in Bible, christian living, Love of God, religion, tagged , , , , , , on June 30, 2026|

by Mike Edwards

Inspired Books lead to inspired interpretations

We all know what a horrible sin sexual or physical abuse is. I wish to highlight unknowledged or unrecognized sins. I readily admit I was quilty of this sin in my 20’s at least. I have written previously that I thought “being so certain” may be the greatest unrecognize sin that drives people away from God. See Sin Of Certainty  I am now ready to anoint another major sin. They are related. Being so certain about your biblical interpretation of what God is like is doing great harm to God’s reputation in my opinion. Even if you believe your Holy Book is inspired by your God, your interpretations are not inspired.

It is rarely admitted that it cannot be proved one’s sacred book is inspired by their God. We cannot prove God inspired every word in the Bible (God controlling what writers/editors thought and recorded). If we did not assume literature is inspired, but rather the writers wrote what they believed was true of their God, we could avoid extremism. If we didn’t assume biblical writers always understood God correctly, this leads to more open discussions what God is really like. See link: Shouldn’t we assume the Bible isn’t inspired by God – all rants against the Bible

What are the moral differences that matter?

There is very little dispute among believers and unbelievers about most of the 10 commandments. I will provide below links on the issues claimed about God that many don’t agree on that impact millions of lives. Christians often don’t realize biblical scholars don’t agree on matters such as women roles, if God really condemns gays, if hell if literally true, and if only Christians go to heaven. See links below. I will suggest below how I decide which interpretation is most likely true. I am open to discussion/debate on my views, so I am stating what I strongly believe is true about God.  Unfortunately, many leaders and Christians proclaim certainty or thrown around the word heresy toward those that don’t agree.

  • I am convinced a literal Hell is a biblical myth.  See here.  
  • I think another myth is that God thinks women can’t serve in the same religious or marriage roles that men can. See here.
  • We get wrong that God condemns gays according to the Bible. Another myth. See here.
  • But the biggest myth may be that God’s main message according to the Bible is that salvation is about going to Heaven or Hell rather than how to live life here on earth. Heaven is available to all religions. See What Religion Goes To Heaven? People reject God based on claims about hell, women, or gays. But it is so important to know that God cares about you here and now and not about just the afterlife.

Leaders should know better

I grew up going to church as a young man. It wasn’t until I attended a year of seminary in my early twenties that I realized Christian leaders had different opinions on many moral issues. I remember being shocked in one of my classes. We reviewed a book that three professors at my seminary wrote together with three different views concerning God and the end times. And God forbid – one professor actually believed and wrote that women could be pastors of churches and be in authority over men. Not all professors agreed. One of my pastors growing up told me leadership is being certain. I disagree. Pastors rarely admit in the pulpit about their experience in seminary or what they know to be true. Not all agree on interpretation regarding biblical passages that address moral issues. Great leaders don’t have to always be certain. Parents know this. One of my biggest regrets as a parent was being so damn certain of my interpretation of Genesis regarding the beginning of creation when my son came home believing in evolution.  

 So how do we discern what God is like?

God must be perfect. I imagine anyone who believes in a God/Creator thinks that such a Spirit must be perfectly moral. No other God is worth believing in. If you believe in a Creator, surely you assume such a perfect Creator would create us in their image? I think the best analogy to a perfect God is what a perfect Mother or Father is like. We all have a clue being a child of parents.

Now, knowing perfection isn’t always black and white. Does justice for victims include capital punishment of the guilty? Should I allow my child to hit bottom in their addiction or intervene. It may depend on their age. But should I allow my son to be abusive to his dates? Hell hath no fury! Unless you are a terrorist guided by your interpretation only of a supposed inspired Book by your Creator, trust your moral intuitions. There are universal agreements on my moral issues such as murder, abuse, even coveting. You have to choose which interpretation that you feel best represents God. I go with my moral intuitions since I am convinced God created us to love like God loves. Those who read my blogs will recognize views of God that I believe do the most harm to God for those who want to believe in God but claims made about God by Christians drive them away.

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

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Does It Matter If We Are Called Christians?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Community, Ekklesia, institutional church, Jesus follower, Love of God, religion, The church, tagged , , , , , on June 28, 2026|

by Michael Donahoe

My wife and I question these days whether we should call ourselves Christians or not. We think it all boils down to what we mean by Christian. 

If being a Christian is being part of a religion that meets in a building on a particular day and follows set doctrines based on what denomination we belong to, then no, we are not Christians. 

 If being a Christian is considered being part of a group that is basically just a different interpretation and belief from Jews, or Muslim, or Baptist, Methodist, Charismatic etc., then no, we are not Christians.

If being a Christian is being part of a group that is opposed to all other religions and only accept those who believe like we do, then no, we are not Christians.

If being a Christian has anything to do with religion, then no, we are not Christians.

In Acts 11:26 the disciples were first called Christians by people in Antioch. I always heard that they were called Christians because they were acting like Christ. The people there were calling them little Christ’s because of the way they showed the love and power of Christ. Now, if that is what is meant by being a Christian, then we are all in. 

There are many ways we can describe ourselves, believers, Christ followers, disciples of Christ, Christians. Yet, the name itself does not really matter. What matters is how we live our lives. Is Christ preeminent? Are we living as one with him? Are we allowing the love of Christ to live through us, accepting others, loving others and being little Christ’s to all we meet? If not, the name really does not mean anything. 

When people see us, they should see Christ. He lives within us and we should be known for the love we have for him and for the love we have for our fellow man. Do not worry so much about the label we use. Let Christ live through us each day with everyone we meet. 

Michael Donahoe created Done with Religion after he and his wife left the institutional church after over fifty years within the system. He wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system, and tell why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. They have now been outside the walls of religion for over 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/ Michael can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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What Are The Worst Lies about God – Gays

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, The church, tagged , , , , , , on June 24, 2026|

by Mike Edwards

God Doesn’t Condemn Gays

Understandings and mental views of God shape your belief in God and your relationship with God. God surely delights more in one seeking to know God than the ninety-nine, offended by one’s interpretation of the Bible, who already know their Creator (Lk. 15:3-7). Biblical interpretations must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like.

Nothing may be more destructive to God’s reputation than when Christian leaders condemn gays in God’s name. Gays no more choose who they are attracted to than straights can. Many gays will tell you they have always been attracted to the same sex. If you are a straight man, don’t you naturally have to fight not looking at naked women than men? Ask gays their battle! Who chooses to be gay when one has to hide their sexuality because of bigotry and hostility? It is impossible to not feel personally attacked when one utters “I love you but I hate your sin.” What is heard is I don’t love you. Especially if being gay isn’t a sin.  See here.

God Loves Gays!

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

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What Are Some Of The Worst Lies About God?

Posted in Bible, christian living, Love of God, religion, tagged , , , , , , , on June 14, 2026|

by Mike Edwards

Understandings and mental views of God shape your belief in God and your relationship with God. God surely delights more in one seeking to know God than the ninety-nine, offended by one’s interpretation of the Bible, who already know their Creator (Lk. 15:3-7). Biblical interpretations must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like.

God is bias against women READY

Those who read my blogs often are probably sick of me ranting against those who condemn gays or women in God’s name according to the Bible. Biblical scholars who have a deep respect for Scriptures don’t agree what the Bible says about these and other moral issues. Let’s stop being dogmatic. Since interpretations aren’t infallible, we can use our moral intuitions as well to understand what God is really like. The Bible must not be used to further the abuse of women at the hands of men. I am not sure why any fair-minded person would think women can’t fulfill the same roles as men unless believing a Book about God teaches otherwise. Most agree not allowing equal roles because of skin color is immoral. Choosing who should lead the company based on gender is obviously bigotry. The most qualified or gifted should surely lead the company. Why not in church?  See here.

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 

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You May Be A Believer And Don’t Know It!

Posted in Bible, christian living, Jesus follower, Kingdom of God, tagged , , , , , , on June 8, 2026|

by Mike Edwards

Let’s define believer. I am not referring to Christianity or any particular religion. A believer can be one who believes in God or a Supreme Being.  Jesus disciples likely believed in a God or what Jesus taught, but Jesus only encouraged them to follow Him. He didn’t require certain beliefs and the disciples initially did not know Jesus as the Son of God. Do you follow a loving God’s teachings?

What may be two main reasons people today reject Christianity.

First, people are told they must believe in certain doctrines. Religions sometimes call them Creeds. Christianity may be one of the main religions that pushes beliefs in creeds as central. Such as Jesus is fully man and fully God. Then you get into God is omnipresent, etc. I won’t bore you. My main point is you don’t need to know or believe in Creeds to be a believer. Jesus didn’t require it of his disciples. Their beliefs progressed as they got to know Jesus by simply following Him.

Secondly, I believe the main reason many reject Christianity is the beliefs claimed to be true of God. The problem could be what you are hearing about God! Hell is certainly a message Christians get wrong. I am convinced a literal Hell is a biblical myth.  See here.  We get wrong that God thinks women can’t serve in the same religious or marriage roles that men can. Another myth. See here. Also, we get wrong that God condemns gays according to the Bible. Another myth. See here. But the biggest myth may be that God’s main message according to the Bible is that salvation is about going to Heaven or Hell rather than how to live life here on earth. See here:  What Really Is The Gospel According To The Bible?

People reject God based on claims about hell, women, or gays. But it is so important to know that God cares about you here and now and not about just the afterlife. If Christianity would drop their insistence or supposed beliefs about God, I believe many more may be willing to follow God since they are inclined to believe in a Supreme Being.

It doesn’t matter what religion you claim even according to the Bible

Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). Did Jesus really mean God only saves those who accept Jesus? Keep in mind the majority of people born into this world have never heard of Jesus or had a Bible. This verse could easily be interpreted to mean Jesus’ way of life is the best path toward God. The path to God is through love. (See God After Deconstruction, Oord/Fuller Chapter 9). We Christians need to be less condemning and more open to God’s love and message to people of all religions. See What religion goes to heaven

What one belief only matters according to all religions?

Many religions claim one main belief. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism—the strongest common ground is treating others well. Jesus said when asked what the greatest commandment was:  “Love God and love your neighbor.” [Matthew 22:36-40] Loving God is following God’s ways, surely meaning loving your neighbor as you wish to be loved.

But what about the resurrection and Jesus is the Son of God

Many didn’t believe Jesus claims of resurrection until seeing the spike marks three days later after the Cross. Maybe if you saw someone die on a Cross and saw them alive days later, you would believe too. And that Jesus was more than human. Are you leaning toward than away from God. The Good News throughout the Gospels refers to a Kingdom here on earth now. The kingdom of God “has come upon you” (Mt 12:28) and “is in your midst” (Lk 17:21).  God’s presence back then and now is available to influence godly living here on earth

 So, do you believe in God and the golden rule?

If you believe loving others like you want to be love is central in living, you are on the path to a relationship with God. None of us act on this belief perfectly. If you don’t believe this, good luck on your death bed regarding relationships. Want to die with few regrets. Follow godly living. Want your relationships to suck, don’t follow the golden rule. Few will show up at your funeral. So, if you are inclined to believe in a loving God, whatever you imagine a loving God is like and aren’t a terrorist, you may be a believer.

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 

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