Hello, Folks!

Keep the swearing out of the forum, thanks. - Ransom
 
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Smellin Coffee said:
She has deconstructed with me so there haven't been any issues concerning our marriage. Along with the predatory behaviors the churches have shown us for 5 decades, a major part of us walking away for her was our interaction with those folks the church kicked out, starting with a homeschooled church-friend of our daughter who was being abused because she was gay. We took her in (she just turned 18) and our church "family" shunned us. We helped this girl find work, taught her how to establish herself and she married a beautiful girl a couple years ago and is now happy and healthy because my wife helped her into adulting.

Since then, we have met many beautiful queer folks as well as increased our circle of ethnically-diverse friends and listening to their voices and their treatment by "the church" really helped her see the things I had detected earlier.

We've been walking together through deconstruction with her taking a step ahead then I take a step ahead, etc. So even though we've not believed the same things at the same time, we've always been heading in the same direction together just like it was when we left Fundamentalism for mainstream Evangelicalism.

I want to add this as an edit: Since about year 2 or 3 in our marriage, I stopped trying to be my wife's "spiritual leader". She lives her life and I live mine and we both live as support beams in each other's life. For well over 30 years, I never insisted she believe what I believe spiritually or even politically. We are individuals who love and support one another despite differences. And I love her FOR her differences, for her loving me enough to reveal me my blind spots, for allowing me to be real and vulnerable to her in confidence.

I want her to be who she is and her best self and she wants the same for me. Whenever there is conflict, we both highly respect the other and neither demands a targeted solution but always seem to come to some kind of agreement.
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Where is my vomit bag for this unregenerate heretic. I marked him many moons ago when he started separating the "words in red" as having more authority than the rest of scripture and now we see the fruition in his mishandling the Word of God the End of Romans 1 in its true naked form, completing the reprobate path.

Call it hate, it isn't. It is warning those who still have a chance to see the potential road you may be on with unrepentant unforgiveness, and root of bitterness. This is how it plays out when you let it fester. Please use this life as a BIG RED FLAG on your journey. Sadly his posterity, unless a miracle occurs will never know eternal life and that is the saddest story of all.
 
TidesofTruth said:
Where is my vomit bag for this unregenerate heretic. I marked him many moons ago when he started separating the "words in red" as having more authority than the rest of scripture and now we see the fruition in his mishandling the Word of God the End of Romans 1 in its true naked form, completing the reprobate path.

Call it hate, it isn't. It is warning those who still have a chance to see the potential road you may be on with unrepentant unforgiveness, and root of bitterness. This is how it plays out when you let it fester. Please use this life as a BIG RED FLAG on your journey. Sadly his posterity, unless a miracle occurs will never know eternal life and that is the saddest story of all.
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Tell us how you really feel! LOL!

🤣

Of course I'm a heretic. You say that like it's a bad thing. Everybody is a heretic to somebody. I'm sure you are a heretic to a Catholic, JW or Mormon.

I'm curious though, would you mind showing me where I've displayed a "root of bitterness"? Seriously. Maybe I can identify my emotions at the time of posting or maybe I might need to apologize to someone. Maybe it was words to put truth to power. I won't know unless someone is willing to expose my words to me.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Perhaps a decade from now, I will believe differently. I'm OK with that. I used to say and truly believe "Never!" in leaving Christianity but life has brought about change, particularly through self-inspection.
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So, out of curiosity, what is your sense of morality based upon?
 
HukNduck said:
So, out of curiosity, what is your sense of morality based upon?
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The treatment of others, particularly those who are oppressed.

I don't need a Bible to tell me that murder or raping a child is wrong. Atheists don't either.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
The treatment of others, particularly those who are oppressed.

I don't need a Bible to tell me that murder or raping a child is wrong. Atheists don't either.
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So, from an epistemological perspective, your sense of right versus wrong is based on your feelings. Is this correct?
 
HukNduck said:
So, from an epistemological perspective, your sense of right versus wrong is based on your feelings. Is this correct?
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No doubt there are other standards as well: culture, law, societal norms, etc. Also, it isn't always based on feelings because sometimes the feeling of self-preservation might come into play in making a decision that could be of harm to someone else.

There is no binary code by which to judge morality, so the basic standard for me is to determine how my decisions/actions act in the potential harm of someone else, particularly of those who are already of lesser status (such as a child) or those who are victims of existing oppression.

No list, no perfect means to regulate, etc. but I do know that supporting someone who brags about sexually assaulting women is an automatic "no" from me.

FYI, I didn't vote for Hilary either for two reasons: first, she was getting monies from countries that supported the execution of gay people and second, she was an enabler to her husband's predatory behaviors. In 2016 I voted for a Republican candidate as a write in, who I know couldn't possibly win but I am glad I kept my integrity in doing so.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Someone on FB yesterday wondered if I would ever be back on this forum. Thought I would peek in.

And for those who haven't kept up with me, I'm sure you won't be surprised but I've deconstructed what was once my faith. At the present time I am neither theist nor atheist but rather a hybrid of both.

Not sure if/how much I will get back involved here so I'm just peeking in to evaluate and say "Hi!" to some former friends.
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Anyway, welcome back. Deconstructed. Interesting term and concept. I'm a Calvinist, so you never were constructed, just architected.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
No doubt there are other standards as well: culture, law, societal norms, etc.
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Don’t all of those items you listed have an existential basis in something concrete, whether it be the Bible, the Quran, etc.?
Smellin Coffee said:
Also, it isn't always based on feelings because sometimes the feeling of self-preservation might come into play in making a decision that could be of harm to someone else.
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So, the Book of Smellin Coffee makes exceptions for right and wrong based on “self-preservation”?
Smellin Coffee said:
There is no binary code by which to judge morality,
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Yes there is, you’ve just rejected it.
Smellin Coffee said:
No list, no perfect means to regulate, etc. but I do know that supporting someone who brags about sexually assaulting women is an automatic "no" from me.
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Are you referring to the Billy Bush audio? Have ever engaged in locker room banter? Not excusing Trump’s choice of words, but he was unaware that he was being recorded. I know when I was a teenager and college student, there are some comments I’ve made I’d hate to be played back for the whole world to hear. I guess Obama gets a pass for his homophobic comments in his younger years: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...acist-homophobic-harmful-comments/3868129001/ You haven’t mentioned Biden, do his unwanted advances with women get a pass? https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/04/joe-biden-allegations-physical-behavior-women
 
Smellin Coffee said:
There is no binary code by which to judge morality, so the basic standard for me is to determine how my decisions/actions act in the potential harm of someone else, particularly of those who are already of lesser status (such as a child) or those who are victims of existing oppression.
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So someone else could have a morality that says it's OK to cause harm to someone - which in your book would be OK for them because there is no way to judge morality.
 
HukNduck said:
Don’t all of those items you listed have an existential basis in something concrete, whether it be the Bible, the Quran, etc.?

So, the Book of Smellin Coffee makes exceptions for right and wrong based on “self-preservation”?

Yes there is, you’ve just rejected it.

Are you referring to the Billy Bush audio? Have ever engaged in locker room banter? Not excusing Trump’s choice of words, but he was unaware that he was being recorded. I know when I was a teenager and college student, there are some comments I’ve made I’d hate to be played back for the whole world to hear. I guess Obama gets a pass for his homophobic comments in his younger years: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...acist-homophobic-harmful-comments/3868129001/ You haven’t mentioned Biden, do his unwanted advances with women get a pass? https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/04/joe-biden-allegations-physical-behavior-women
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Um, yes the Bush video. And the court ruled after the fact he was liable as a sexual predator.

FWIW, locker room talk about raping women is not locker room talk. I've done locker room talk but never "bragged" about sexually assaulting anyone. That goes beyond dirty jokes or even regular comments about others.

Concerning Obama, I'm with him. I've apologized publicly for my homophobic behaviors from my days as a Christian.

Concerning Biden, there was no admission of guilt, no trail of sexual assaults or even untoward talk toward women when literally hundreds of women who had worked under him were interviewed about their testimony. The only accuser was inconsistent in details and was reported by folks she worked with as someone who wasn't trustworthy. If there is further. legitimate evidence that gets exposed before the election, I will call him out too and will call out those who vote for him.

By the way, I will not support any political party that won't address these issues from within and continues to support such a person. Sorry, no political ideology can override the below ethical standards I have for a candidate.

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voicecrying said:
So someone else could have a morality that says it's OK to cause harm to someone - which in your book would be OK for them because there is no way to judge morality.
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You tell me.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Um, yes the Bush video. And the court ruled after the fact he was liable as a sexual predator.
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How do you know the “court” got the correct verdict? Have innocent men ever been locked up or executed?
Smellin Coffee said:
FWIW, locker room talk about raping women is not locker room talk. I've done locker room talk but never "bragged" about sexually assaulting anyone.
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How do we know? You’re admitting to sexually depraved language, aren’t you?
Smellin Coffee said:
Concerning Biden, there was no admission of guilt, no trail of sexual assaults or even untoward talk toward women when literally hundreds of women who had worked under him were interviewed about their testimony.
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The truth about Biden is making its way out…just like his dirty, drug addicted, prostitute-loving son.
Smellin Coffee said:
By the way, I will not support any political party that won't address these issues from within and continues to support such a person.
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Are you sure you’re familiar with the Democratic Party?
 
Bob Jones V said:
Anyway, welcome back. Deconstructed. Interesting term and concept. I'm a Calvinist, so you never were constructed, just architected.
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In practice, deconstructive approaches to language ... look very much like nitpicking at words in order to deliberately miss the point.

—Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, Cynical Theories
​

Same is true of deconstructive approaches to religion. I suppose to a particular kind of pseudo-intellectual, saying you "live in the slash" sounds very profound, when it's really just high-minded codswallop.

Literary deconstruction is gobbledygook. So is religious deconstruction, which is just someone's pretentious way of saying he doesn't believe what he used to.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Um, yes the Bush video. And the court ruled after the fact he was liable as a sexual predator.

FWIW, locker room talk about raping women is not locker room talk. I've done locker room talk but never "bragged" about sexually assaulting anyone. That goes beyond dirty jokes or even regular comments about others.

Concerning Obama, I'm with him. I've apologized publicly for my homophobic behaviors from my days as a Christian.

Concerning Biden, there was no admission of guilt, no trail of sexual assaults or even untoward talk toward women when literally hundreds of women who had worked under him were interviewed about their testimony. The only accuser was inconsistent in details and was reported by folks she worked with as someone who wasn't trustworthy. If there is further. legitimate evidence that gets exposed before the election, I will call him out too and will call out those who vote for him.

By the way, I will not support any political party that won't address these issues from within and continues to support such a person. Sorry, no political ideology can override the below ethical standards I have for a candidate.
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:ROFLMAO:

I'm smellin' somethin', and it ain't coffee!
 
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