Reasonable Deconstruction with Unoriginal Jim

Recognizing special pleading and identity protection in our religious and political ideas.

How a 30 minutes chat with a member of bad religion helped me understand that questions and doubt were not problematic. But signs of growth.

In a meme that popped up on my social media page a right wing activist questioned the creation of West Virginia during the Civil War and used a historically illiterate argument to feed false narratives that the Civil War really wasn’t about slavery at all.

It’s all the hype that your money can buy

All the hype and press releases from Noah’s arc scans uses language of certainty to beg for donations. They are conning people.

despite the conference speech against gambling. The church fully endorses another more lucrative asymmetric financial dynamic. One in which the church always gets its money and the member always gets speculative vague promises in return.

I came across a video from Tanner Yost directed at people who have left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's a very emotional appeal, filmed in front of an LDS temple with somber music and a message that those who have left have rejected the "most true church" and need to return and be "healed." I want to respond to that message, but also to the way the message is constructed, because there's an important difference between making an argument for why someone should believe something and emotionally framing disagreement as evidence that something is wrong with the person who disagrees.

The churches system will only facilitate abuse. Fighting to remove mandatory reporting shows a desire to protect the institution and not victims. You cannot trust the LDS Church to do What's best for your kids if they know abuse is happening.

A LDS commentator calling himself Gogo says that members should not read the journal of discourses because they could become confused with previous church teachings and doctrine.

I think everyone should read them no matter where they are. Better to know the history of your religion than to be ignorant and told what you can or cannot read.

Recognizing special pleading and identity protection in our religious and political ideas.

Responding to Jacob Hansen's comment the intellectual diversity in the LDS church is a cancer. His own example undermines his argument, exposing a profound historical illiteracy

If you are a believing Mormon and you have family that has left the church you need to read "Torn" by Jeff Strong

Does a political science study from the 1980s really prove that the Bible was the single greatest influence on the Founding Fathers and the founding documents of the United States? That claim has become a staple of Christian nationalist arguments for decades.

Responding to the claim that people leave Mormonism, not because of its truth problems or it's historical claims, but because they are simply too weak to follow Jesus

Jordan Peterson’s commentary often boils down to nothing more than platitudes and bromides. Responding to his tweets on truth and order

Christian appeals to The Puritans as proof of a Christian founding or "covenant" fail because they neglect the history of religious persecution

There is no “American covenant”. That is a cultural and political claim, not a theological one and it serves as a reinforcement of religious and social power, not historical fact.

The storytelling of visions and religious experiences is not a gauge of truth in any way, because all religions always produce self reinforcing religious experiences and narratives.

The Trump administration wanted to re-dedicate the country to God. Interestingly, the country was never dedicated to God to begin with. Looking back on The “Rededicate 250” fiasco, the enlightenment ideas which served as the philosophical foundation of our nation are not found in the Bible.

My opinion on the book of Mormon flows downstream from my opinion of the Bible. While they are not true histories, they are culturally significant.

When asked about my feelings on the Bible, Whether I believe in it whether I think it's important. The answer is no and yes.