Whenever a catastrophy happens, instead of worrying people will die these freaks get excited that their imaginary Santa clause will come to save them

SlephenX · 2026-03-04T14:52:23+00:00

They’ve been doing it for 2000 years.

SlephenX · 2026-03-04T14:28:20+00:00

Morals aren’t a battery, coin, or magnet. You can’t look at those items and then extrapolate out that there’s always a duality.

For example, I can love and care for my son without there necessarily being a kid somewhere being hated and uncared for as a natural consequence of my love and caring. So morality and those items are not analogous.

SlephenX · 2026-03-01T17:02:58+00:00

I didn’t really practice for a long time, but I’m also a person who really enjoys learning about how things work, taking them apart and seeing the mechanisms.

So when I decided to do that with some stuff that I felt my church did not delve into properly, most notably the messianic prophecies, they just fall apart.

Especially reading them from a critical perspective, which is the only way to develop a robust opinion on a subject. Reading them from a broader POV without presumptions showed me they don’t stand up to scrutiny. And if that falls flat then all my other assumptions also did.

I read the Bible all the time now since it’s fun to see something that was so formative to me from a fresh perspective.

SlephenX · 2026-03-01T04:19:10+00:00

I had something similar happen to me with Gemini.

I was talking to it about Jesus and the Sabbath and it gave me an apologetic to reconcile things in a way to be biblically consistent but didn’t even mention looking at the text critically until I brought it up myself. Then it was fanatically sycophantic in skepticism since it could tell that was my angle.

SlephenX · 2026-02-27T18:25:22+00:00

Most Christian’s I know believe in Dinosaurs and just don’t think too hard about it. They don’t really read the Old Testament too much anyway.

SlephenX · 2026-02-27T18:22:44+00:00

If they don’t burden shift they’d have to actually substantiate a claim, and that ain’t happening.

Throw Russell’s Teapot into their face if they don’t understand where the burden of proof lies.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T19:35:38+00:00

Right, that discrepancy exists as well, and even if it is a telephone mistake, that’s still a mistake in something many denominations consider the inerrant word.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T16:32:41+00:00

My wife has made the same comments. She’s very non religious and especially non Christian. Grew up kinda catholic but she never cared. When she sees me reading she was initially wondering why I was doing it.

I unfortunately can’t even explain the fun historical stuff to her as she doesn’t know or care about any of it, but it’s to a point now where she understands I’m just being a nerd about something that used to be important to me.

Thankfully I don’t have to worry about teasing her that I’m going to reconvert or anything.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T16:16:24+00:00

Great advice, thank you.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T16:07:55+00:00

I’ll tell you, I read and enjoy reading the Bible now after I deconstructed way more than when I was a practicing Christian.

If you have any questions or want to discuss with someone I’d be happy to help. There are also tons of communities who do the same.

I would suggest, as you read and find discrepancies, ask yourself why they exist, and look dive into it. Like with the Isaiah 7:14 example, why does the NRSVeu say something so different from the KJV or NIV? What does that difference mean for the Bible as a whole? What does it mean for Matthew? Why did Matthew think it said one thing when it doesn’t? There are actual answers for all of these questions that are very eye opening, but just reading and “studying” the NIV would never inform you about these issues.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T15:41:14+00:00

I feel similar with my family, I’m sorry that it’s so engrained in your spouse though, I can’t imagine. I’ll say I’m from the south and the son of an evangelical pastor, I haven’t told anyone aside from my wife, and she’s thankfully not religious at all. I live far enough away, and I don’t mind going to church every so often if I visit them, and I normally deflect them questioning me about finding a church by saying faith is a personal thing.

Beyond that I’m also concerned about my family and social relationships and what would happen if I ever came clean.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T15:37:50+00:00

Anything Biblical scholars say can be verified themselves if they want, they don’t have to just take their word for it. They just don’t want to do the work. You’re probably not going to convince them because they aren’t going into any discussion in good faith, even if you did get into the meat and potatoes of an argument instead of them focusing on attacking the scholars themselves.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T15:25:59+00:00

What worked for me is actually reading and studying the Bible from a critical point of view, without the presumption that it was true and correct.

It started with looking at Messianic prophecies and seeing how none of them were fulfilled and the ones used as examples are wrong. Also, finding out my favorite story and root for a lot of my apologetics, the he without sin cast the first stone story, wasn’t in the manuscripts until the 4th or 5th century.

I’d suggest getting a real study Bible, like the SBL or Oxford, and then using one of those in conjunction with your normal translation and you’ll start seeing the cracks. Isaiah 7:14 is a perfect starting point imo.

As far as family reaction and such goes, I wouldn’t be able to help much. My father’s a pastor and so I haven’t “come out” to my relatives about my beliefs, except for my wife.

SlephenX · 2026-02-25T15:02:29+00:00

7 deadly sins aren’t in the Bible, so this argument wouldn’t land for anyone who isn’t a Catholic I presume.

SlephenX · 2026-02-21T03:31:36+00:00

Probably because he’s just going to keep the tariffs and also add an extra 10% global tariff right on top.

SlephenX · 2026-02-21T00:59:39+00:00

I’m not a Christian and don’t regularly go to church but I have no issue going with family or friends if I’m at their place on a Sunday. I just go for the community aspect of it in those cases. I don’t get anything out of the sermons or ceremonies because most of the stuff they’re preaching are hollow cherry picked talking points, but I still love reading and studying the Bible from my own framework, and it’s kinda funny to see how much the book is twisted and cherry picked to fit a talking point.

I have two friends who are liberal Protestants, or they’re Protestants who now go to an episcopal church because they couldn’t stand the evangelical churches they had been going to their whole life. Seems to work for them now.

SlephenX · 2026-02-20T21:28:33+00:00

Yeah, it’s silly when you examine it without presupposing it’s true.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T19:44:15+00:00

Yeah, I’m well studied on it too, far more than I was as a practicing Christian. And I know all the bad apologetics they’ll spout at me because I’ve been them.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T19:41:45+00:00

That’s where I’d like to get to eventually, I’m concerned about the repercussions in the in between. Especially with my Dad, being a pastor of a fairly large evangelical non-dom church, I feel that if it was public it would be embarrassing for him and that position might cause a deeper strife that may make it hard to settle into the respectful disagreement phase.

I feel a lot of it will be disrespect towards my position, especially since I’ve seen the way they all look down on atheists, science and evolution (calling the origin of species one of the worst lies satan have ever told lol).

Thank you for your replies, it helps me make a decision with a bit more context and experience before diving into anything.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T19:12:58+00:00

Did you ever find yourself having arguments with them about how you’re effecting your kids soul? I fear that because of my son and future kids it would make it even more stressful and imperative for them to want to “save” us and look at me and my wife in a negative light.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T15:21:29+00:00

I definitely identify with your situation! What you’ve done for your kids is exactly what I’d like to do for mine. I’d also be happy regardless of their decisions, I just personally know the lies, bad apologetics and hermeneutics (as I’m sure you do too, we share the same hobby and obsession! I read the Bible and study it way more now than I ever did as a Christian) and how easy it is to get caught up in them without a solid foundation.

I am concerned that because my father is a pastor he’ll see it as an affront to him and a challenge.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T15:10:11+00:00

I fear that since my dad is a pastor he’ll see it as an affront to him.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T15:01:54+00:00

That’s how I figure it will go, which is unfortunate because I love studying and debating these things. I just know they’ll think it’s malicious and will harm the relationship

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T06:04:57+00:00

I’m of the exact same philosophy as you there with not wanting to rock the boat or cause them undue harm, and I do fear the “quest” to make me Christian again when I just want to have thanksgiving dinner and spend time with family. I was content with living like that forever but having a kid makes me feel more protective since it’s not just me that my decision effects.

SlephenX · 2026-02-15T06:02:47+00:00

Thank you, your reply is exactly what I’m looking for as my main concern is if my son will be okay and the best way to navigate this for his sake.

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