A Thread about this Deconstruction Drama:
I think an important reality of deconstruction that needs to be acknowledged is that everyone is deconstructing a faith that was *given to* us, or sometimes *forced upon* us, but either way, we didn't build it, but are left with it.
I think an important reality of deconstruction that needs to be acknowledged is that everyone is deconstructing a faith that was *given to* us, or sometimes *forced upon* us, but either way, we didn't build it, but are left with it.
The reason this is important is because what we were all left with is different, and none of it is anyone's fault. So for some who were gently and graciously given a version of faith that needed some renovation, some tearing down, but there was a good foundation, it's easy for...
...them to look at people whose faith was actually rotten all the way to the core, full of abuse and trauma and having to do with Love, and critique them for deconstructing "too far." (And frankly, a lot of times these mistake their foundation for not being rotten when it...
...actually is because it doesn't effect them personally... looking at us, white dudes.) But no matter what, we have to have grace and love for anyone deconstructing because it's hard work that puts you at odds with EVERYONE on all sides. And tweets like the one yesterday...
...just contribute to the notion that there is no-one safe when you're deconstructing. SO, if you deconstruct and end up with no faith left, that's not an indictment on YOU, but on the faith you were given. And if GOD is real then GOD is Love, and Love can handle that.
I have no doubt, as someone who deconstructed and still believes in GOD, that GOD has nothing but love and empathy and a beautiful, eternal rest for people who deconstructed and were left with nothing.
Last point: to the notion that certain people talk about deconstruction...
Last point: to the notion that certain people talk about deconstruction...
...too much, as if it's an idol or their identity, that reminds me (unfortunately) of Christians I grew up with who used to say that queer people make their queerness the foundation of their identity, rather than just a part of who they are. In both cases, it's totally B.S., ...
...and is literally a response to the amount of emphasis the Church thrust upon those aspects. First off, it's never truly ALL of their identity, it's just what we (choose to) see. And secondly, if we tell people who are queer that their queerness is what makes them evil...
...to god despite everything else about them, we can't get mad when they center their queerness in their identity. WE did, not them, and they just chose to embrace it and make good out of the harm we were doing,. Similarly with deconstruction, with tweets like yesterday's, we...
...put people under a floodlight when deconstructing to make sure they don't get rid of the parts we like, and then wonder why they take that work so seriously. Just let people be! GOD, whatever GOD is, can handle whatever we have do to undo the harm done to us in god's name. END
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