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.
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How Purity Culture Creates A Fear Of Sex
Some were or are so immersed in purity culture that the bedroom is a haunted room. It's very complicated, full of verses and sermons and warnings and threats. Instead of a place or rest and recreation, it's a place of anxiety and shame. I hope you break free from it all and that's why I've started this series of cartoons about Purity Culture, called "Sexy Sunday". Purity Culture Resources What Is Purity Culture and Why Is It Harmful?Breaking Free from Purity Culture5 Ways Purity Culture Can Affect Your Sex Life
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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?
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Gratifying the Desires of the Flesh
For many people, Bible verses were so pounded into our head that it seems impossible to shut out or even dial down their voices. This couple wants to explore how to give each other pleasure... inside and out. This includes their bodies. Their flesh. How can they surrender to pleasure and not feel gratified? These are some of the conundrums purity culture provides.
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Purity Culture's Impact in the Bedroom
For the past several months I’ve been posting what I call my Sexy Sunday cartoons that challenge Purity Culture. This cartoon about the impact of purity culture on one's sex life is one of them and is titled, A Cloud of Many Witnesses. Many people who grew up in church, Christianity, and purity culture, can't enjoy themselves in bed because they've been convinced that there is a huge invisible crowd watching them. Even though many no longer believe it, they still can't shake the feeling that they're being judged while they enjoy pleasure. Is this you? Related Purity Culture Blog Posts What Is Purity Culture and Why Is It Harmful?5 Ways Religious Trauma Can Affect Your Sexuality (and how to heal)Breaking Free from Purity Culture
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Trans Rights Cartoon - I Just Want to Live Trans Sheep
The threats against the trans community are increasing. So many people with limitless privileges want to take away the right of trans people even to just live their own lives. So many people want more and more blessings.Trans people living under the threat of harm, death, and extinction just want to live. I drew this cartoon, I Just Want to Live Trans Sheep, to illustrate this. Trans lives matter and for that reason I am committed to making art that celebrates and uplifts trans people. If you are trans I hope that you find comfort and healing in my work and that they remind you of just how important and loved you are.
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Do Women Have an Extra Rib? (And Why the Myth Persists Anyway)
Do Women Have an Extra Rib? I believed this for my whole life. I was in my 40’s before I learned it was a myth. Where the “Extra Rib” Myth Comes From The idea that women have more ribs than men usually comes from a literal reading of the Genesis creation story, where Eve is formed from Adam’s rib. Over time, that symbolic story turned into a biological assumption as if removing one rib from Adam permanently changed male anatomy, and that change was passed down genetically. Why Does The Myth Persists Anyway? There are a few reasons why I believed this myth. I was trained to trust authority without question. I assumed my leaders wouldn’t lie to me, but they naïvely believed it too. I needed to believe it because it confirmed my belief in the creation story. I enjoyed that it was proof against atheism. But I would like to take it a step further. I think it's also an attractive idea for sexism. It substantiates that men are the gold standard, while women are derivative, that men are primary and women are secondary, and that women created out of the side of man suggests that women are to be by the mens' sides to serve and honour them. It's the manipulation and control of the patriarchy wrapped in biblical creation theology. We must realize this is the case with everything we believe. Everything. We naïvely accept our conditioning and enter an infinite loop of confirmation bias that’s impossible to break free from. Once you see this dynamic, even in the smallest things like an extra rib, then the charade ends.
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The Church, Jesus, and Identity Theft
Description: Jesus with his lawyer faces the Church and its lawyer. Jesus' lawyer says to the Church's lawyer, "My client claims your client claims to be my client." THE CHURCH, JESUS, AND IDENTITY THEFT I talk about the reality that we are one with no division except in our thoughts. But I also talk about our diversity in unity. Metaphysically, I am one with you. But physically I am distinct. It’s dangerous to over-identify on the material plane. For example, Paul says your body is not your own. In marriage we may share our bodies. But even though this goes both ways for men and women, this is used almost exclusively in favor of men. I’ve heard sermons and talked with men where this concept is used to demand a woman give her body to her husband sexually whenever he wishes, even if she doesn’t want to, because her body is actually his body and he has authority over it, not her. “That’s not your body, it’s mine!” That’s over-identification. It robs the woman of her autonomy, identity, will, and power. It’s a convenient theological maneuver for the man to retain power. I’ve seen this same logic used between the Church and Jesus. It comes from the concept of the Church being the body of Christ. We can explore the biblical concept that the Church is supposed to be the best expression of Christ on earth. (How’s that working for you!?) Instead, it’s twisted to endorse anything the Church does as the actual actions of Christ. Instead of the Church embodying Christ, the Church now claims to BE Christ no matter how evil its actions. “That’s not us doing it, it’s Christ himself!” So I drew Jesus suing the Church for identity theft.
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Why I Know So Much About Spiritual Abuse
I talk about spiritual abuse a lot because it happens a lot. The ignorance around spiritual abuse allows it to flourish. Like a disease: if you don’t believe it exists or is exaggerated then it will continue to kill people and eventually you. I know about spiritual abuse for two reasons: I inflicted it as a pastor. I received it as a follower. The temptation for any person with power to use shame, fear, and intimidation to achieve their goals is high. I’m not just talking about pastors. I’m also talking about bosses, teachers, coaches, parents, etc. A preacher says to his people, “He is the potter. You are the clay. And I am the potter’s hands!” I learned simultaneously that using shame, fear, and intimidation to get what I wanted from my kids and using these to get what I wanted from my parishioners was the same impulse and was harmful, abusive, and unproductive. Look: I was TRAINED to spiritually abuse! Not only by my upbringing, my role models, my church and pastors, but by my studies in theology and pastoral ministry. It’s everywhere. Even my own parishioners INVITED me to abuse them from the pulpit. They said they enjoyed being brow-beaten by the Bible! Do you know why? Because feeling guilty then repenting feels better and happens faster than actually changing. It was around this same time that I realized how pervasive abuse is. It’s insidiously ingrained in all kinds of institutions, organizations, communities, and relationships. So I decided to change as a pastor, a parent, and a person.And I radically transformed my life and ministry from then on. This is why I talk about spiritual abuse so much. Resources on Spiritual Abuse Here are a list of other blog posts I've written on Spiritual Abuse. What is Spiritual Abuse? And how to recognize when it is happening to you. 5 Steps to Recover from Spiritual Abuse 10 Questions You Can Ask A Church To See If It's Spiritually Abusive
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