We act with compassion when we depersonalize things. What I call my “self” is an impersonation of myself, a construct arising from chemistry, conditioning and connections.

Anger often accompanies faith deconstruction. Some people who think that “God is on my side,” citing their scriptures or traditions, can become angry and unkind, and they often will express it. Almost everyone who deconstructs their faith has received angry responses.

Because there is no irrefutable evidence for the existence or the nonexistence of God, there are two types of people. Some people will admit that they can not know whether God exists or not, and other people will NOT admit that they can not know whether God exists or not. 

Christians can no longer plead ignorance. And Christians’ reluctance to listen will only hasten the church’s decline. Those of us who left have been crystal clear about why we left.

As a preface to my last article, I wrote that Christianity focuses more on beliefs than practices, compared to most traditions. I say this all of the time, but this time, readers responded to it.

When we choose NOT to live in anger and fear, we will experience more joy and less suffering in our lives. And we will introduce less pain into other people’s lives.

Christianity focuses on beliefs, and its beliefs focus on a personal God. But most religious and non-religious traditions focus on practices (orthopraxy) more than beliefs (orthodoxy), and they may NOT believe in God.

How did the Universe begin? How did life begin? How did sentience begin?

Real spirituality is embodied—right here and right now.

Is it a good or bad thing if the church fails as an institution?

I can think of many instances when the church divided people. I can think of a few instances when the church transformed people. So what is the point? Can you explain it? Me, neither.

There are many ways to feel connected to something larger than ourselves. Many of them do NOT involve religion, such as art or nature; brain stimulations or hallucinogenic drugs; community or service; devotion or ritual; knowledge or wisdom; and meditation or prayer.

Is it possible to resolve the metacrisis? I don’t know if it’s possible, but it’s necessary. There is no other way forward, and it requires big changes, starting with a major retooling of our bad theology.

We can weigh our beliefs against our evidence and experience. If some of our beliefs do NOT make sense, we can change our beliefs, much like we can paint over our art or write over our words.

Today, fewer people believe in virgin births and physical resurrections, which were common beliefs in many ancient religions. And many of us believe different things about the nature of God. So, if (or when) we find that our beliefs conflict with our reality, do we change our beliefs to conform to our reality? Changing our minds, when warranted, is a good thing. NOT a bad thing.

Our society is increasingly divisive, individualistic and insensitive. And in this environment, some people struggle to cultivate meaningful connections and substantial relationships, especially people who used to find connections and relationships in church.

In The Way, I described my rocky relationship with organized religion. Sometimes, people ask me, "Is there anything that you like about Christianity?"

Do you find that Christian church services are formulaic, irrelevant and unengaging? If many people find them so, then why would they go to church? 

Clergy face challenges in an era of division and secularization. Clergy burnout is real, and many former clergy are NOT coming back.

Humans may have developed consciousness recently. The clash of cultures and thoughts elevated the importance of language and metaphor. The physical gave way to the conceptual.