The Naked Journal
Thoughts, musings, and meanings behind NakedPastor Art.
The Naked Journal
Does Deconstruction Of Your Faith Have to be Sad?
Does deconstruction of your faith have to be sad? Recently someone said he prefers my funny cartoons and that I shouldn’t focus so much on negative things about the church. Maybe this cartoon shows I haven't lost my sense of humor. In the popular poem "Footprints in the Sand” Jesus says, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you." I think he said, “This is where I dragged your ass!”Carl Jung said, "Walk your path or be dragged." When I do cartoon and write about, say, spiritual abuse, I'm helping people embrace their experiences, trust their guts, find their voices, muster their courage, and liberate their lives. But I also want to help people find happiness and to know that deconstruction is a positive sign of healthy spiritual growth. They can be happy about it. Generally I’m a happy person. And I help people laugh or at least smile every day. A misconception about people deconstructing is that we’re a bunch of vindictive victims, a wailing wall of woe-is-me, a bathtub of bitterness, a coven of complainers, a world of whiners. In fact, the people I know who are deconstructing or already have are happy even though they can be serious. Sure, we go through periods of sadness. But it's possible to be happy. I dare say even inevitable if we press on. Deconstruction can be both scary and happy at the same time and that's okay. I’m happy. You can be happy too. Even if you experienced abuse.Even if you’re deconstructing.Even if you’re leaving the church. I’m happy. When we recognize our path, own it, walk it, and master it, we experience a kind of fulfillment that produces the happiness we long for. “Walk or be Dragged” is available as a print and a digital download. If you're in the thick of deconstruction and looking for guidance, you're not alone. I've spent the last 15 years creating content about deconstructing our beliefs. I've shared more about my own hesitations and four books that might help in this post on books for deconstruction. It’s honest, a little conflicted, and might just offer the nudge—or the caution—you need.
Read more
What It Means To Be An Exvangelical
Cartoon Description: A man with a t-shirt on that says "exvangelical" is chained to a ball that says "evangelical". How many here identify?
Read more
Your Deconstruction Journey
We hear all kinds of things as we question our beliefs, deconstruct our faith, and progress along our own, unique spiritual path. Here are just a few you might hear or have heard already. I'm sure you could add some of your own! ("Your Deconstruction Journey" digital cartoon download HERE.) It took me years to deconstruct. Like… decades. ("Deconstruction Train" digital cartoon download HERE.) The man would like to say to the woman getting on the Deconstruction Train: "Are you sure you want to do that? Because, you know, once you get on that train there’s no getting off until you reach your destination. Which doesn’t exist. Because the journey IS the destination!” This is one of the greatest hurdles for many of us who have deconstructed or are deconstructing or will deconstruct. There’s no destination! “Truth is a pathless land” (Krishnamurti). I talk about finding and walking our own path all the time. But I do not mean that this path must lead you to another dogmatic position. Another doctrinal fortress. Another theological bunker. Another fundamentalist standpoint. It’s difficult for many people to get used to the idea and the lifestyle of what some naysayers call “not believing in anything”. It’s like this: once you were swaddled tightly in the womb. Then you were birthed into the wide open world. This is what deconstruction is like. Yes, it’s tempting to wrap ourselves tight in another theology or spirituality or religion or philosophy. But I claim it’s healthier, grander, and more joyful to live free in a land that contains all these things, the vast universe in which all these coexist, without necessarily landing on one particular spot. Please, this does not mean we don’t think anything. It means we’re adapting to thinking in new ways. Rather than learning how to be right,we are learning how to be wise. You deserve to deconstruct safely and with as much support as possible, so I've decided to share my deconstruction course for free on Youtube. You can watch all the videos now starting with this one.
Read more
Is The Church In Your Bed?
Is the Church in your bed? Like the Church is in your head? Lisa and I never suffered from that, for which I'm thankful but I know so many people so affected by purity culture and the Church's teachings on sex that they can't even enjoy themselves in bed. I want to break that and help people break free to enjoy themselves. In my opinion, the Church should stay out of your bed! This cartoon is titled, Is the Church in Your Bed? and it's available as a digital download. If this cartoon resonated with you then you might like to read this blog post, 5 Ways Religious Trauma Can Affect Your Sexuality (and how to heal).
Read more
Religious Deconstruction Cartoon
Religious Deconstruction affects everything because your religion did. Nothing escapes religion's total domination. Eating, sleeping, sex, friends, family, time, volunteering, activities... EVERY thought was made captive to your religion. This is why deconstruction affects everything.
Read more
First Warning Sign of Deconstruction
Unfortunately, this pastor considers deconstruction a bad thing to be avoided. The church endeavours to enslave your mind. Once you start breaking free of that, all hell breaks loose/ But so do you! He knows this. And doesn't like it. Think for yourself. Be free! This deconstruction cartoon is available as a digital download.
Read more
Deconstruction: Afraid of Where You'll End Up
Deconstruction: Afraid of Where You'll End Up? I hear from so many people who are deconstructing and confess their fear of where they’re going to end up. They’re experiencing massive movements of confusion and are terrified they’re going to become something that scares them… like an atheist. Or something else they’ve been warned about. Every time I tell them the same thing: At every step of the way, you will be you. You’re not going anywhere. Every step you take you will take with integrity and intention, so that where you end up will be exactly where you’ve chosen to be. Don’t become anything! Stop becoming! That’s what deconstruction is all about. You’re stepping off of the religious treadmill that always demanded you be a certain someone and become an even better certain someone… someone they approved of. If every day we are a new creation, why try to build ourselves into something incrementally? Stop becoming and just be! Now you can just be you. You’re already perfect. The you that you’re afraid of becoming is already the you that you are! It’s all within you, just about to blossom. You’re just removing obstacles now… obstacles to the true you being made manifest. You’re removing the weeds and stones and sticks and pests so that you can just be. Remove the obstacles and there you are… free to be you and blossom in all your glory! So, don’t be afraid. I love who you are now. I will love who you are then. And you wouldn’t be who you are then unless you are who you are now. Peace, my friend.
Read more
Why Spiritual Growth Scares People
I learned a long time ago that the biggest inhibitor to our spiritual development is fear of others. Yes, part of it is the fear of ourselves, the unknown, the consequences. But the biggest one is the fear of the opinions of others. Imagine living in a world where everyone who cared around you was cheering you on: You go! Grow spiritually. Ask all the questions. We don’t care where it leads you because we trust you with your own journey. We are here to support you. Yes, we may feel uncomfortable sometimes because we don’t understand what you’re thinking, but that’s our problem, not yours. Everything will turn out fine because you can decide how to be spiritual. Imagine having that kind of support. You wouldn’t be as frightened or nervous about processing your deconstruction. Would you? Instead… We are so afraid of losing respect and reputation.We are so afraid of losing our family and friends.We are so afraid of losing our jobs.We are so afraid of what they threaten us with… That we either…. Hide our deconstructionOR…Delay it. A lot of this is because most religious communities aren’t set up for spiritual progress, but for religious proficiency. What matters is not how deep you go and how mature you get or how wise you become, but how many verses you know or how much money you give or how sacrificially you volunteer. In fact, your beliefs themselves can sometimes be the very thing that prevent you from changing. For more on this, read How Your Religious Beliefs Can Prevent You From Changing Bottom line is: you’re going to freak people out. This is life. This is what differentiation and individuation look like. There is no other way. In order to be you, you have to be not them. You got this!
Read more
Trusting Your Inner Voice When Questioning Your Beliefs
In this cartoon I drew a demon whispering into a woman’s ear, “Question your beliefs!” On the other side an angel whispers into her ear, “Question your beliefs!” It depends on what voice you listen to.It also depends on how you interpret that voice. For some people in your life, it’s a bad thing that you’re changing. To them, the fact that you’re questioning your beliefs is a sign that you’re spiritually weak, fall to temptation, backsliding, giving in to evil and giving up on God. For some people in your life, questioning your beliefs means they can no longer influence you, manipulate you, or control you. If they can keep demons and Hell real to you, then they can convince themselves and you that they have those weapons in their arsenal to scare you into conformity. Hell and demons were a major player for keeping me in line. Unholy referees. Because some people don’t like how questioning your beliefs concludes: change! But if you calm yourself and trust yourself, then to you, the fact that you’re questioning your beliefs is actually a sign that you’re spiritually maturing, growing, and becoming independent. It really does come down to you being confident in yourself. It really does come down to you trusting yourself, that you know what’s best for you, that you don’t need to be told what or what not to believe, and that you can decide how to be spiritual. You no longer need an overseer with their beliefs and fear tactics managing your spiritual life. The truth is, it’s not a demon or an angel telling you to question your beliefs. It’s your own Self! Just listen to yourself!
Read more
