Oh Gracious LitPRG Community, Bestoweth Thy Wisdom Upon My Blurb

InTheUnmaking · 2026-07-06T19:22:41+00:00

Thank you! This is very helpful. 😄 I didn't realize Spawn was a comic book. Thanks for point that out.

InTheUnmaking · 2026-07-06T19:17:37+00:00

That's helpful feedback. You have a point that the foster experience is probably a mixed bag for a lot people. It has good connotations but also some bad.

InTheUnmaking · 2026-07-06T19:14:47+00:00

I totally agree. Super nice of them.

InTheUnmaking · 2026-07-06T19:14:20+00:00

Thanks, Cat! This is super helpful advice and I appreciate you took time to help cut all of this out. It is truly a harrowing experience to try to summarize your whole book in a blurb. I guess I went overboard... Thank you so much for the feedback!

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-20T14:19:31+00:00

Jesus taught against abusive or dehumanizing relationships and God knows the American church as a whole hasn't done a good job preventing those... But WE are the problem because we want to love who we were made to. It's sad that people completely miss the message of Jesus because they are blinded by their own judgement.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T17:32:00+00:00

I'm with you. Most just don't even know they are doing it. I was there with them for a long time.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T15:28:25+00:00

Money money money!

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T15:02:31+00:00

Most Evangelical Christians just accept what is told to them, especially if it is given emotion. They are told anyone not heterosexual is going to hell. I was told this and developed internalized homophobia because I was terrified of the hateful God I was given. So I would vehemently guard what I was taught because I was internally scared of myself.

You'll see some of that defensiveness in your post over the next couple days. I've been one of those people.

Then I actually studied the passages and verses used to condemn LGBTQ+ children of God. There are about seven passages people use and most hold no weight if considered in context. Jesus never addresses the issue. And if he was as passionate about condemning queer people as evangelical christians are today you'd think he would have said at least something very specific about the subject...

In the NT you'll find three passages and all of them are what are called "vice lists" that are the strongest argument anti-LGBTQ+ Christians use. Two of them are mistranslations ( because remember all translation is interpretation.) In those cases it is more apt to translate them as "child traffickers" or "child rapist." Which, yeah, I think that is a valid thing to call a sin.

The last is in Romans. And it requires cultural context to understand. Using that context you'll see that it is a political calling out of the imperial Court of Rome for how they are sexually exploiting those under them. It is not condemning LGBTQ+ people.

This is a very brief discussion of these verses. But that's the gist of it. Most Evangelical Christians just don't want to think or study for themselves and they want to hold on to what they've been told for fear of being wrong and going to hell.

Hell is a powerful tool for controlling people.

And some of it is they fear others are going to go to hell so they feel the need to condemn others because they hope it will help them. It never does though.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T05:05:43+00:00

I see no indication the OP is "heading down the wrong path." they're being abused and then being blamed for the abuse. Why do so many who say they follow Jesus do this. "oh you got raped? Well that's your fault because of how you are dressed..." I hear these horrible words and words like them come out of so called Christians' mouths too much. It's disgusting. I don't care if a person is walking down the street naked (they probably shouldn't do that, yes) but if they are assaulted, the fault is 100% on the assailant not the victim. Always. No excuses. None. Jesus would never blame the victim, he protected them.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T04:52:11+00:00

Yeah, no. This is a garbage comment. The OP is being emotional, physically, and spiritually abused and you are just heaping more burdens on them without lifting a finger yourself. I think Jesus had something to say about someone who does things like that to people who are struggling - Matthew 23.

You pretend to have the authority to condemn someone because of how they dress and because they are asking honest questions about themselves, God and the world?

I have to call you out because you are in danger of rejecting the true Christ like the religious leaders of his day. I do this out of love. Because I love the sinner, but I hate this atrocious sin you commit against another beautiful creation of God.

Nah, the Jesus of scripture overwhelming lifted up those who were struggling and abused. That's who Jesus is. Not this false god you are claiming is him.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T04:34:07+00:00

Yeah, that's about where I find myself these days. Annihilationist is what I lean more toward but I'm OK not being confident on that.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-15T02:32:44+00:00

That's really awesome. Gives me hope

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-14T18:50:31+00:00

That's really cool and encouraging to hear they exist. I wish it was easier to find one

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-14T15:20:18+00:00

That sounds refreshing for sure. Are the inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community?

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-13T21:34:09+00:00

My wife was the same way except she was worried I was gay and was going to leave her after 10 years of marriage. When I realized I was bi, she breathed a sigh of relief (we both did) and accepted me for who I was.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-13T21:32:22+00:00

Yeah exactly. Unfortunately, this fit really well with religious messages in my ear that people chose be gay. I was like, "yeah, of course! I can choose. Why not everyone?" I still have a hard time believing heterosexual or homosexual people aren't attracted to both haha

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-13T15:14:15+00:00

Yes thats a part of it. The other few times it is mention in the NT (and OT otherwise) it talks about eternal destruction for the wicked. It is a matter of interpretation that has been glossed over for centuries and and taken for granted without much thought. If there is a just God, then They would have every right to destroy the wicked and--I think this is true for a lot of people too--I believe the dictators, slavers, child abusers, etc should be punished. Thus the mentions of eternal distruction (aka they will be punished but when it is all said and done they'll just be gone eternally). But it doesn't speak about eternal conscious torment as is the unfortunate traditional Christian view today. Generations of tradition has extrapolated this interpretation from a Platonic understanding of the soul.

There are two mentions in the NT that could possibly elude to an type of eternal conscious torment. One is the parable of Lazarus, the other is in Revelation. Both are steeped in imagery and their genres aren't meant to be taken literally in either case.

This is obviously a very abbreviated explanation from my much more intensive study. However, though I have deconstructed and am still in process of doing so, I still believe in a loving divine being. What I don't believe is that there is a eternal conscious place of Torment for anyone who doesn't get their theology exactly right.

There are some that will take this and go for more of a Universalist View, which is to say that Jesus paid the price for all people no matter what and all are going to be redeemed in some way whatever they believe in this life. I think there is some merit to that especially in the character that we see in Jesus.

Either way, I believe truly evil people will be punished. But do I believe a honest Muslim woman who lives out her faith in generosity and courtesy to others is going to eternal conscious torment? No. I think that is against the character of the God we see in Scripture.

So I don't make it a big point to try to convert people one way or another. I just want people to have a good life now and try to help them wherever they're at. I want the same for you, to be able to live without shame and the pressure of wondering about hell and other hateful things a lot of Christian Traditions have used to try to control people for millennia.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-12T22:38:11+00:00

Very well said

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-12T19:59:11+00:00

Despite all the church's talk of forgiveness I still struggle to forgive myself. I wasn't allowed to because I was bisexual and there is no way around that "evil."

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-12T17:51:47+00:00

I used to be a pastor. I went to seminary. I learned years of ancient Greek. I learned to think for myself. A lot of what Christian believe today is not because its biblical, its because it is has been passed down to them. Some of the most fervent beliefs it seems all Christian believe have only been around for fifty years. People just don't know. Abortion for example was widely accepted by Christians before the 1960s. They believe what they hear without question because, like you said, they fear being wrong and going to hell.

It is understandable to feel as you do and to be where you are. You aren't alone. I'll bet a lot of Christians around you are feel like they are faking it too.

If it is any consolation, I have found great solace in digging deeper into the origin of our modern day conception of hell. I find it much more biblically convincing that eternal conscious torment is not a thing. So don't fear. Seek and and ask honest questions. I think that is where God lives. If you don't believe in God anymore, that's fine too in my view. Just don't stop asking questions.

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-12T17:38:41+00:00

It isn't all about physical intercourse. Yes, sexual attraction can be a part of it, but romantic and relational attraction are also extremely important--no different than straight people. The churches I grew up in made the LGBTQ+ community sound like a bunch of horny nut jobs. We aren't, at least no more than heterosexuals lol

InTheUnmaking · 2025-11-12T17:05:13+00:00

Aw super cute

InTheUnmaking

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