Metaphysical Moments Part III

“I used to have all the answers—chapter and verse. Now I’m happily uncertain and enjoying the wonder and mystery of life” (Harris n.p.).

Joshua Harris was a popular young evangelical Christian pastor and author of the book that  allegedly damaged some people by pushing the religious ‘purity culture’: I Kissed Dating Goodbye, published in 1997.  By July 2019, Mr. Harris began to publicly deconstruct Christian religious dogma from his life and proclaimed he was no longer identifying as Christian.  He realized that he had been indoctrinated by his family, his church, his faith community to believe in traditional religious doctrine, about God from the literal perspective of the Bible, about faith, about spirituality, and about personal growth, but what he was taught as ‘truth’ did not add up for him anymore.  It took great courage to go on a journey of deconstruction through questioning his previous beliefs and practices as well as to discover for himself what he now knows to be true (Harris n.p.).  Like Harris, many have come to a crossroads: examining traditional religion, with its dogma, discouragement of inquiry, indoctrination, then deciding what resonates as true or false. In the process, they often discover their spirituality and connection with God / Goddess / Source on a personal level outside of traditional religion.

In Part I of this series, Metaphysical Moments, I discussed the definition of ‘Metaphysics’, of what it is and of what it is not. Last week’s post, Part II, continued highlighting Metaphysical aspects by examining Metaphysical Universal Principles. In this essay,Part III, I’ll share what ‘deconstruction’ is and lay the groundwork for how Metaphysical practices and principles can transmute traditional religion’s exoteric (coming from outside oneself) dogma and doctrine into esoteric (discovered within oneself) spirituality, especially after deconstructing religion and reconstructing spiritual concepts. And, in Part IV to be posted next week I’ll share specific Metaphysical practices and principles, what to consider tossing, what to consider altering, and what to consider adding to your life especially after deconstruction or when you are making adjustments to how you practice your traditional religion or when you are adapting Metaphysical Principles into your personal practices.

Much of what I am sharing here comes from my doctoral dissertation minus the academic focus.  I’m letting readers know this so you know I’m not plagiarizing myself and to remind you that if you choose to copy anything from this or any of my posts, you must cite me and my work. I have provided a Works Cited at the end.

I mentioned ‘deconstruction’ a few times already.  What is deconstruction used in this context?  Deconstructing from traditional Christian religion, and it is assumed from all traditional religions, has become a development that frightens the traditional religious base because it may be losing members to deconstruction and/or disillusionment. ‘Deconstruction’ is the process of examining traditional religion by “ . . . [challenging] conventional understanding of . . . textual [Christian Bible, for example] interpretation,” dogma / doctrine, and discovery for oneself what is reality, truth, who they are, and who is God / Goddess.  According to a recent article on philosophical concepts and theories, “[the deconstruction] process reveals how [sacred] texts [and dogma] often undermine their own claims, creating spaces for multiple interpretations rather than [one] meaning” (“Deconstructionism” n.p.). Some people deconstruct to free themselves from the rigidity of  dogma; for others, they deconstruct to think for themselves, to question indoctrination within religion, to discover their own reality and how a different way of framing spirituality may resonate with them.  In addition, the political push from Christian nationalists and those who want the United States of America to become a theocracy may inadvertently  be encouraging some people to back away from traditional Christian dogma, religious rules, and ways of connecting with God, the Higher Power.    

The act of deconstructing is only one step; the next course of action can be the discovery and cultivation of an individual spiritual link to God / Goddess free of blind faith, fear of sin and hell, and free of group indoctrination. This perspective is a movement in the culture; according to a Pew Research Center 2021 survey that found,“ Among younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Zers, the trend of deconstructing traditional beliefs is more pronounced, with some expressing doubts about organized religion” (qtd. in Stanley n.p.).  The inclination to deconstruct may draw attention to the desire for personal spirituality over organized religion rather than giving up on belief in God / Goddess / Higher Power / Source.  In other words, not everyone who deconstructs religion embraces atheism or agnosticism.

Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote supports the idea that religion is not necessary for a profoundly spiritual life: “God has no religion” reminds people that God, Goddess, Higher Power, Universal Consciousness, Source, the One, “ . . . transcends the confines of any specific religion” (qtd. in Arthur n.p.).  Even though Gandhi embraced Hinduism,  Christianity fascinated him.  He read the Gospels from the Bible and respected Jesus.  A Christian minister related a story about how Gandhi attempted to attend a Sunday Christian church service in Calcutta to learn more about Jesus.  As he tried to enter the church, the ushers stopped him.  They, “ . . . told him that he was not welcome, nor would he be permitted to attend the . . . church [because] it was for high-caste Indians and whites only.  [Since] he was neither high caste nor white [, he was turned away]” (qtd. in Arthur n.p.).  After that experience, Gandhi remarked, “‘I’d be a Christian if it were not for the Christians’” (qtd. in Arthur n.p.). Even respected commentary provider, The Atlantic reports that, “ . . . one in five Americans reject organized religion, but maintain some kind of faith” (qtd. in Kitchener n.p.). It is also important to recall that Jesus was not a ‘Christian’; he was Jewish and did not associate with and seemed to have a disdain for the religious leaders of his time.  Jesus appears to have been anti-organized religion.

Have you considered deconstructing traditional religion from your life or have you already deconstructed? What has been the result?  What do you think, feel, experience as a result? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading and participating in this blog essay; I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.reimaginelifecoach.com. 

Works Cited

Arthur, Emma Alexander. “‘GOD HAS NO RELIGION’: Discovering Universal Spirituality.” ZenArtsStudio, 5 July 2023, www.zenarts.studio/post/ god-has-no-religion-discovering-universal-spirituality. Accessed 12 May 2025.

“Deconstructionism.” The Philosophy Room, 14 Apr. 2025, www.thephilroom.com/blog/2025/03/07/deconstructionism/.

Duncan, Linda Missy, PhD. “METAPHYSICAL TRANSMUTATION AFTER DECONSTRUCTION: FROM EXOTERIC DOGMA TO ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY.” University of Sedona, University of Sedona, 2025, pp. i–49.

Harris, Joshua. “It’s Time Your Voice Was Heard.” Joshharris.com, 2025, joshharris.com/. Accessed 12 May 2025.

Stanley, Tiffany. “The US Christian Population Has Declined for Years. A New Survey Shows That Drop Leveling Off.” AP News, 26 Feb. 2025, apnews.com/article/pew-survey-american-christian-religious-decline- nones-1f1ac0da0577cfcb50f3c48e7014a070.