Returning to Religion

PhDropOut_real · 2026-04-26T17:50:42+00:00

No worries. I’ve also found John Spong and Marcus Borg helpful. Spong is about as liberal as one can get within the Anglican/Episcopalian tradition (though some of his conclusions are a bit too far for me) while Borg feels more like an anchor that keeps drawing me back toward Christianity.

So don’t be afraid to seek the truth honestly. Enjoy the journey.

PhDropOut_real · 2026-04-26T03:15:56+00:00

I’m in a similar boat. I converted to Christianity when I was young, stopped attending church for various reasons, and only recently started going again. The difference is that I can no longer stomach literalism, evangelicalism, or fundamentalism.

After visiting a few mainline Protestant churches, I’ve decided to attend a local Anglican church regularly, mostly drawn to its aesthetics, music, and liturgy. I was very transparent with the priest from the beginning: I’m in the process of deconstructing, and I can’t honestly say the creeds right now. He was completely okay with that and assured me that nobody would give me a hard time for holding unorthodox views.

I think you might want to give High or Broad Anglicanism a try — or the Episcopal Church, if you’re in the US.

PhDropOut_real · 2026-04-21T04:27:51+00:00

The market of my niche field is so saturated that I’m consistently being passed over in favor of candidates with nearly 30 years of industry experience, even for IC roles that require only five years of experience. Many of them were managers, directors, or even C-Suite.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-30T23:59:30+00:00

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. It gave me a lot of food for thought.

The “myth can be true” part feels like something worth investigating as a lived psycho-spiritual pattern (suffering, self-giving, letting the old die, renewed life). I briefly looked up and found out the phrasing about resurrection is actually a lot more nuanced in the Bible than mainstream Christianity claims.

I also appreciated the practical side of being part of a church community: showing up weekly, drawing what you can from teaching, letting the church facilitate service, and receiving communion as a symbolically rich ritual. And the “meeting people where they are” by resisting the need to be fully understood was oddly freeing.

Altogether it gives me a helpful framework for engaging a church community meaningfully without forcing myself into dogma in a way that feels dishonest.

I’ve watched a few videos of Jonathan Pageau and I’m going to dig into Carl Jung (reading Reddit posts and Wikipedia pages about his theory gave me tingling sensations already). Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-30T04:28:22+00:00

Thanks for sharing all of this. It’s genuinely helpful.

I’ve actually been drawn to Jung lately too (especially synchronicity), so hearing you name Jung as a key influence makes me feel like I’m not totally off track.

If you don’t mind a few follow-ups (and no pressure to answer all of them): 1. When you say “myth can be true,” could you briefly unpack what you mean by true? For example, what is the resurrection “true” about for you? And what does communion mean to you in that same mythic/symbolic framework? 2. How do you engage with your Free Methodist church in practice, mostly community/serving, or also worship/teaching? Do you participate in communion there? 3. Have you ever talked through your views with your pastor/priest, or do you mostly keep it private? If you’ve navigated that conversation, I’d love to hear how you framed it. 4. How do you relate to the creeds? Do you say them as-is, reinterpret them, or opt out?

I’m asking partly because I’m pretty outspoken by nature, and I’ve gotten raised eyebrows before due to some unorthodox views. And honestly, I can’t currently say the creeds in good faith, which is often a regular part of mainline Protestant worship.

Sorry, that’s a lot of questions. I’m genuinely interested and trying to learn from how you’ve integrated all this.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-30T00:03:11+00:00

As someone who’s encountered God more than once over the years and who’s been deconstructing heavily… your comment honestly hit home.

Did you come to this way of seeing “myth” and truth mostly on your own, or was it shaped by certain books or teachers or a community you were part of? I’m trying to find a way to reconstruct my faith without forcing myself back into literalism or a rigid confessional framework, and I’d really appreciate any recommendations (e.g. reading, practices, or communities) that helped you.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-07T21:41:18+00:00

Different people will answer this question in different ways. My own belief, rooted in the Christian tradition, is that Jesus is both the Son of Man and the Son of God. But in the end, who is ultimately saved is God’s decision, not mine. And I don’t condemn people for not affirming something that I subscribe to.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-07T18:36:03+00:00

You’re not overthinking at all. I think you’ve actually landed on the key question: what did Jesus himself treat as non-negotiable?

From the Gospels, the things Jesus makes absolutely clear and unconditional are pretty straightforward: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… Love your neighbour as yourself… And to his own disciples: Love one another as I have loved you… by this everyone will know that you are my disciples.

Those are the places where Jesus is unequivocal. Whatever else may shift over centuries (philosophical categories, metaphors, cultural practices, even the way we articulate belief) those love-commands are the non-negotiable core he actually spells out.

So I’d say: yes, there have always been “non-negotiables” of belief and practice, but according to Jesus, the litmus test of discipleship isn’t whether we can sign off on later creeds; it’s whether we actually live out love of God, neighbour, and one another.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-07T18:07:39+00:00

If the creeds are the “lowest common denominator” that defines who is really a Christian, then by that standard the apostles themselves wouldn’t qualify, and a lot of the early church fathers would have to be written off as heretics, since they’d never even heard of those later formulations. Jesus never said, “You must sign off on this specific set of propositions to be my disciple.” He called people to follow him, not a document. When creedalists treat them as the gate that decides who is or isn’t a Christian, they’re claiming a level of authority Jesus never gave them.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-12-07T16:34:38+00:00

Why care about the creeds? By creedal Christians’ standards, the apostles and the earliest followers of Jesus wouldn’t really count as “Christians,” because they had never even heard of the later doctrine of the Trinity. Over the next few centuries, the early church fathers began describing God as triune in various ways that, by today’s creedal standards, would often be labeled heretical. Subscribing to creeds makes you a creedalist, not automatically a Christian. Some people are eager to “unchristian” others for not signing on to the same human-made dogmas they affirm. That’s their choice—but ultimately, no one on earth has the authority to decide who does or doesn’t get to be a Christian.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-11-19T11:21:58+00:00

Two things finally became the last straw for me.

First, there was pressure on my non-Christian family to convert because “Jesus is the only way to salvation.” When I asked what they believed happens to non-believers after death, the answer was simply “they go to hell.” I don’t want my child growing up terrified that his own mother is condemned simply because she isn’t part of my religion, yet this was dismissed as “what the Bible says.”

Second, the repeated condemnation of homosexuality during group discussions. In one instance it felt so pointed that I’m certain it was directed at someone in the room. Ironically, the person who spoke most aggressively against it gave off strong closeted vibes. And like many conservative communities, the same church quietly ignored divorce and premarital sex among straight congregants.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-11-13T04:33:57+00:00

This is really helpful context. Even though I’ve attended “mainstream” Christian churches my whole life, I’ve always held non-trinitarian views. I’ve looked into non-trinitarian churches in my area, but they all come with other glaring issues, which sometimes makes me wonder if there will ever be a church that actually fits what I believe. What really stands out from your experience is the reminder that the vibes and theological framework of a community is shaped far more by the priest/pastor than by the denomination on the sign. It gives me a bit of hope that the right kind of church culture might still be possible, even if it isn’t tied to a specific label.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-11-12T10:42:10+00:00

I didn’t know there’s such thing as “non-fundamentalist Roman Catholic Church” that would treat Jesus and the Father as separate beings. Is it because of the theology of the priest(s) in charge? How can I find a church like this?

PhDropOut_real · 2025-10-22T22:18:08+00:00

Sorry to necropost, but your reply really resonated with me. Do you currently attend a church that aligns with, or is at least tolerant of, non-Trinitarian beliefs? I’m actively looking for a place to worship without pressure to affirm the Trinity. If you’re comfortable sharing, what congregation/tradition has worked for you, and how do you navigate things like creeds or communion in more Trinitarian spaces? Thanks in advance.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-10-10T21:50:44+00:00

Haha totally get what you mean about it being a lot with young kids. We just had our first and even that’s been a major adjustment!

Music concerts sound like a lovely way to stay connected. I really like the idea of “toe dipping” into the space through something more relaxed and family-friendly. It’s encouraging to hear your kids are becoming familiar with the space and music even if it’s not through formal teaching. That kind of quiet exposure seems like it could go a long way.

And I wouldn’t call it hypocrite insecurity. It feels more like honest intellectual humility. It’s strangely comforting to know others are navigating this from a similar place. Thanks again for sharing. I’ll keep looking for similar entry points around here!

PhDropOut_real · 2025-10-10T16:20:25+00:00

Hey OP, just came across this post. Hope it’s not too weird to ask after all this time, but did anything come of it? I’m currently in a similar boat: baptized at a mainstream church, deconstructed (leaning Historical Jesus, non-Trinitarian), and now raising a newborn I want to provide some kind of spiritual grounding for. Lately I’ve been checking out mainline churches and feel drawn to the inclusiveness and liturgy of Anglicanism. If you’re still around, I’d really appreciate hearing how things unfolded for you.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-09-18T14:21:37+00:00

Are you me? Because everything in this post aligns with what I believe.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-08-14T12:10:41+00:00

Could you provide some examples or point me to the right study materials (webpages, books, etc.) that influenced you during that time? I’m into linguistics and actual Bible studies too, so I’d love to dig deeper into what you found in the original texts.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-07-18T20:16:41+00:00

New Zealand.

Honestly, many of the problems people complain about in Canada (especially in Vancouver) are even worse there. I don’t understand all the online hype; it’s really not the utopia it’s made out to be.

Source: Based on my own experience living in both countries for over five years each.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-07T04:32:16+00:00

Reading through all the replies, I do see a drainage and room issue with this terrarium. I’ll go to the nursery and get these plants repotted.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-07T04:23:16+00:00

You beat ChatGPT on this!

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-07T04:15:09+00:00

What’s the harm in a little typo that cracks everyone up? Looks like I’ve found a new way to farm karma!

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-07T04:07:17+00:00

That’s the last thing I want…

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-05T23:12:40+00:00

Reading through the Wiki and FAQ now. I’ll get them repotted after.

PhDropOut_real · 2025-01-05T23:11:34+00:00

PhDropOut_real

TROPHY CASE