This is the kind of spiritual detox that should come with incense, confetti, and a therapist on standby.
I stopped trying to be palatable the moment I realized the Divine doesn’t need my performance, just my presence. You nailed it. Half of “Christian life” was me pretending to feel something that wasn’t even mine. Once I let go of the script, I met God in the quiet. No sermon. No Spotify worship playlist. No “hedge of protection” required.
Your list isn’t just deconstruction. It’s resurrection. And not the “believe this or burn” kind. The real kind. The kind that says, “Here I am, as I am, and that’s holy enough.”
Thank you for making space for wandering saints and sacred misfits.
On Christianese Jargon—”I sometimes wonder if anyone really knows what this jargon actually means”— this rings SO true to my own lived experience. I'm pretty sure everyone has different and incompatible mental models of what these terms mean to them personally, but nobody really knows or wants to admit it.
I loves this piece! That probably makes sense, given that I arrived at some of the same conclusions over the last few months. I was raised in an early Unitarian Universalists church. Sunday school was all about learning that we are all on our own spiritual journey, that we should respect others’ journeys, and that we should be nice to each other. Great message, but soon found that the adult side of the church struggled with that. I have since tried different churches, and never found one that matched my “childish” beliefs. I have gone in and out of tolerance of religious people. Sometimes, I have been happy to try to privately translate their beliefs into my own language, looking for commonality. Other times, usually when I see Christian or Muslim extremists twisting their teachings to harm others, I become less tolerant. I am going through one of those periods. I few months ago, I realized that Christianity has little or nothing to with Jesus’s teachings, and I mentally divorced the two concepts. It actually resolved some things. So, your article was timely for me. thanks!
You said, “someone needs to hear this,” and it’s true. It’s me. I needed to hear this. I’m currently in the spiritual waiting room, deeply deconstructed and starting to reconstruct what my “faith” is now. I’ve never wanted to let go of Jesus. I wrote about this fact, too. And it’s helpful to hear you list all the things you stopped doing, which mirror so much of what I’ve stopped doing over the last few years. These changes were gradual and not intentional, just an occurrence as I’d notice something that I’d “always done” no longer felt resonant to me. I still struggle to find new language and often will say something from Christianese and then sit there pondering,🤔 no that doesn’t feel right anymore, but how do I describe this? So thank you for putting this into words as a road map. There are so many good teachers out there to find and I’m grateful for those who share their journey. 🙏🏻
It strikes me that the failure of what’s labeled “Christianity” occurred when “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” changed to “We’ll decide what’s true, and you’ll obey us when we give it to you”. I will say that “prayer” isn’t necessarily something to be avoided. It just needs to be understood for what it is: focusing the energy we’re all full of toward a desired goal, rather than begging for outside intervention.
The sad fact is that religion is now one of the few potentially supportive forms of community still in existence, which just makes its corruption for political purposes that much more egregious. We H. Sapiens need community, and if we can we must find ways to resurrect the best forms of it ASAP.
Thank you, Jim. I never heard anyone put into words some of the things I have gone through before. That alone provides some comfort to me. One thing I learned a long time ago is that the journey is highly individualistic. No two souls are the same, therefore no two spiritual walks are the same. The hardest part is to not let yourself be "pigeonholed" or confined to the set rules or specific beliefs of any one religion. That gets in the way of your own spiritual walk.
Seems there is no right way to do spirituality. It’s personal. Realizing I was not a Christian was liberating and frightening. The one thing I knew was I could not let go of Jesus. I had already rejected Paul, for a number of reasons but not Jesus.
How I believe has changed and what I believe has changed, everything regarding my spirituality has been in flux. Not being afraid to question my beliefs and investigate others.
I’ve read a couple of your books after finding you on Facebook and now subscribed to Substack. Your message has helped me sort out what it is I believe and realizing I wasn’t alone in my thinking
Thank you, Jim! I don’t know when I started reading your books, etc.
In the Spring of 1962, as a good?(wait for it) Roman Catholic second grader, I received my First Communion. As I was walking back to my place in the pew, the marble floor became very bumpy because (here it is) I was gagging on the Host! You can count on one five fingered hand the number of times I received a Host and participated in Holy Communion over the next fifteen years, until I left The RCC and joined a United Methodist church with my wife. In the mid 1990’s, as a United Methodist pastor, I participated in Holy Communion in a Roman Catholic funeral mass. I was speaking at the service for a long time family friend. The two priests invited me to participate with them, since I understood their beliefs. (Contrary to what my sister says, no older Catholic ladies were injured when their jaws dropped at that moment. No disrespect is intended in what I’ve just written about. It is 99% true. None of the ladies jaws dropped. I continue to be a United Methodist pastor today. (In my 36th year, retired, pastoring 2 small churches, and still evolving as a human being who agrees whole heartedly with what you have said here. My wife and I have found great value in your words! Thank you for the peace, encouragement, and nourishment that keeps us moving forward!
Jim theses are all the things I’ve done but none of my old Christian friends ask me if I am still a Christian.. I think they assume it’s just something I am going through
Hi Jim, I agree that Christianity is not perfect. Human beings have distorted it. But it is also a wonderful tradition (hymns, liturgy, communities) and is supported by Jesus of the spiritual realm. The lesson of scripture was not the crucifixion but the resurrection. The study of STEs, OBEs, and NDEs reveals that the Jesus of the spiritual realm is still very much present in our world. Over 700,000 Americans alive today have been in his presence while out of body. A Course in Miracles is a communication from Jesus that explains what he tried to teach and how it is still important even though it has become distorted by organized religion. I believe what is needed is a second great reformation, moving past the Bible to who Jesus is in the spiritual realm. -Chuck Webb MD MDiv
This is the kind of spiritual detox that should come with incense, confetti, and a therapist on standby.
I stopped trying to be palatable the moment I realized the Divine doesn’t need my performance, just my presence. You nailed it. Half of “Christian life” was me pretending to feel something that wasn’t even mine. Once I let go of the script, I met God in the quiet. No sermon. No Spotify worship playlist. No “hedge of protection” required.
Your list isn’t just deconstruction. It’s resurrection. And not the “believe this or burn” kind. The real kind. The kind that says, “Here I am, as I am, and that’s holy enough.”
Thank you for making space for wandering saints and sacred misfits.
—Virgin Monk Boy 🕊️🔥
On Christianese Jargon—”I sometimes wonder if anyone really knows what this jargon actually means”— this rings SO true to my own lived experience. I'm pretty sure everyone has different and incompatible mental models of what these terms mean to them personally, but nobody really knows or wants to admit it.
I loves this piece! That probably makes sense, given that I arrived at some of the same conclusions over the last few months. I was raised in an early Unitarian Universalists church. Sunday school was all about learning that we are all on our own spiritual journey, that we should respect others’ journeys, and that we should be nice to each other. Great message, but soon found that the adult side of the church struggled with that. I have since tried different churches, and never found one that matched my “childish” beliefs. I have gone in and out of tolerance of religious people. Sometimes, I have been happy to try to privately translate their beliefs into my own language, looking for commonality. Other times, usually when I see Christian or Muslim extremists twisting their teachings to harm others, I become less tolerant. I am going through one of those periods. I few months ago, I realized that Christianity has little or nothing to with Jesus’s teachings, and I mentally divorced the two concepts. It actually resolved some things. So, your article was timely for me. thanks!
You said, “someone needs to hear this,” and it’s true. It’s me. I needed to hear this. I’m currently in the spiritual waiting room, deeply deconstructed and starting to reconstruct what my “faith” is now. I’ve never wanted to let go of Jesus. I wrote about this fact, too. And it’s helpful to hear you list all the things you stopped doing, which mirror so much of what I’ve stopped doing over the last few years. These changes were gradual and not intentional, just an occurrence as I’d notice something that I’d “always done” no longer felt resonant to me. I still struggle to find new language and often will say something from Christianese and then sit there pondering,🤔 no that doesn’t feel right anymore, but how do I describe this? So thank you for putting this into words as a road map. There are so many good teachers out there to find and I’m grateful for those who share their journey. 🙏🏻
It strikes me that the failure of what’s labeled “Christianity” occurred when “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” changed to “We’ll decide what’s true, and you’ll obey us when we give it to you”. I will say that “prayer” isn’t necessarily something to be avoided. It just needs to be understood for what it is: focusing the energy we’re all full of toward a desired goal, rather than begging for outside intervention.
The sad fact is that religion is now one of the few potentially supportive forms of community still in existence, which just makes its corruption for political purposes that much more egregious. We H. Sapiens need community, and if we can we must find ways to resurrect the best forms of it ASAP.
I wish I had this and most of your articles to support me when I was deconstructed 5 years ago. Thank you!
Thank you, Jim. I never heard anyone put into words some of the things I have gone through before. That alone provides some comfort to me. One thing I learned a long time ago is that the journey is highly individualistic. No two souls are the same, therefore no two spiritual walks are the same. The hardest part is to not let yourself be "pigeonholed" or confined to the set rules or specific beliefs of any one religion. That gets in the way of your own spiritual walk.
Hi there,
Seems there is no right way to do spirituality. It’s personal. Realizing I was not a Christian was liberating and frightening. The one thing I knew was I could not let go of Jesus. I had already rejected Paul, for a number of reasons but not Jesus.
How I believe has changed and what I believe has changed, everything regarding my spirituality has been in flux. Not being afraid to question my beliefs and investigate others.
I’ve read a couple of your books after finding you on Facebook and now subscribed to Substack. Your message has helped me sort out what it is I believe and realizing I wasn’t alone in my thinking
Thank you, Jim! I don’t know when I started reading your books, etc.
In the Spring of 1962, as a good?(wait for it) Roman Catholic second grader, I received my First Communion. As I was walking back to my place in the pew, the marble floor became very bumpy because (here it is) I was gagging on the Host! You can count on one five fingered hand the number of times I received a Host and participated in Holy Communion over the next fifteen years, until I left The RCC and joined a United Methodist church with my wife. In the mid 1990’s, as a United Methodist pastor, I participated in Holy Communion in a Roman Catholic funeral mass. I was speaking at the service for a long time family friend. The two priests invited me to participate with them, since I understood their beliefs. (Contrary to what my sister says, no older Catholic ladies were injured when their jaws dropped at that moment. No disrespect is intended in what I’ve just written about. It is 99% true. None of the ladies jaws dropped. I continue to be a United Methodist pastor today. (In my 36th year, retired, pastoring 2 small churches, and still evolving as a human being who agrees whole heartedly with what you have said here. My wife and I have found great value in your words! Thank you for the peace, encouragement, and nourishment that keeps us moving forward!
Greg
Jim theses are all the things I’ve done but none of my old Christian friends ask me if I am still a Christian.. I think they assume it’s just something I am going through
Hi Jim, I agree that Christianity is not perfect. Human beings have distorted it. But it is also a wonderful tradition (hymns, liturgy, communities) and is supported by Jesus of the spiritual realm. The lesson of scripture was not the crucifixion but the resurrection. The study of STEs, OBEs, and NDEs reveals that the Jesus of the spiritual realm is still very much present in our world. Over 700,000 Americans alive today have been in his presence while out of body. A Course in Miracles is a communication from Jesus that explains what he tried to teach and how it is still important even though it has become distorted by organized religion. I believe what is needed is a second great reformation, moving past the Bible to who Jesus is in the spiritual realm. -Chuck Webb MD MDiv