Another Deconstructor

#Exvangelical, she/her. My Bible-based upbringing backfired & made me a bleeding heart liberal. My New Year's resolution is to cuss more.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

Stories like this illustrate why, after many years of being a faithful Christian, I no longer believe God is real. Before you come at me with, "Put your trust in God, not man," hear me out.
🧵
1/
https://t.co/Ey8KzgIh5Y

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@XianJaneway He'll always be Lenny to me.

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

This is a side by side of two women gracing the front covers of two well known magazines.

The one on the right we all know is Martha Stewart, age 81. The one on the left is Apo Whang-Od, age 106, a tribal tattooist in a remote province in the Philippines.

There seems to be an unwritten rule which equates beauty with youngness. In an interview, Martha Stewart told the reporter she credits her organic, home-grown, farm-to-table eating, yoga, and actively healthy lifestyle to her youthfulness. While that’s an admirable journey for her, let’s not forget the amount of privilege that kind of lifestyle requires.

On the left is Apo Whang-Od, who is a 106-year-old tribal tattooist in the Philippines. The wisdom she carries in every forehead wrinkle and frown line is stunning. Her eyes are glass, reflecting back all that she’s witnessed over a century of lived experiences. Her tattoos a reminder of the ancestors she seeks to honor.

Both women are beautiful in their own right. But I wish we as women didn’t play into this idea that we have to look younger—and thinner—in order to fit some unrealistic beauty standard which will grant us acceptance and relevance in the world around us.

I’m writing this for any woman who, like me, may have had a punched-gut reaction to seeing an octogenarian in a swimsuit on the cover of a magazine looking more like a woman in her forties or fifties: Anti-aging is not a beauty standard.

There IS beauty in wrinkles, and saggy skin, and drooping breasts. These are markers of a life hard fought for and well lived. It seems odd to try and erase these battle scars.

So while I applaud Martha for her fortunate body, carefully curated procedures, and pristinely styled makeup, I also applaud Whang-Od for what others may perceive as imperfections.

Anti-aging is not a beauty standard.
Authenticity is.

@ FeministNews

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@BeatTheCult I should say, a few times all the way through, and parts of it over and over until they sunk into my bones. I still find it fascinating, along with church history. But learning church history will make you an atheist for sure!

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@BeatTheCult A few times.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@BeatTheCult YES x 10

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@JoLuehmann 52, ready for a nap!

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@BeatTheCult A lot of us used to believe, and we really wanted to keep believing. But the evidence didn't add up. It wasn't for lack of looking on our part. Also, doesn't the Bible say that faith comes from God? So if I don't have enough faith, whose fault is that? 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@waltermasterson I understand the thought but I wouldn't want any of these people raising those children.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@takemeto_texas @MaryLTrump That's part of the problem. The new laws regarding abortion are so broad and so vague that medical professionals (and their lawyers) are afraid to do anything.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Keith93557644 @MoOkonski @piper4missouri What they need to do is invest in the public schools instead of spreading the money around elsewhere.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@BeatTheCult I haven't even made it that far w/my family. The fact that I don't think the Bible has 100% authority over my life, and I'm not distressed over my youngest child being an atheist, is enough to send my sister into palpitations. We can't get any further than that in conversation.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@KirkMur05875108 @CropSyckle @JoJoFromJerz "The worker in the meat plant was 21." You're not listening. Up to now there've been reasonable restraints on this kind of work. Now lawmakers are taking those away, opening up the door for abuse. I hope you understand but I don't hope you feel stupid bc I'm not like that.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Multampho Unfortunately when you honestly believe that "love" compels you to push people toward your specific beliefs about God, you can easily get around this. I used to think that way and my family still does. Appealing to love doesn't work (and it's not because they're bad people). ☹️

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Y_4dd @Free_Thinker_Me Yeah, everyone loves a "road to Damascus" story.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Free_Thinker_Me Also, who gets annoyed at a group of people who are happy???

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Free_Thinker_Me How much you wanna bet she just finished a "God's Not Dead" marathon?

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Y_4dd @Free_Thinker_Me Not all that new. C.S. Lewis was doing it a long time ago.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@Free_Thinker_Me That has not been my experience... to put it mildly.

[Another Deconstructor @Sacred_n_Profan]

@JoJoFromJerz Wow, the people on here bragging about how they worked at 14. I did too, w/a special permit, & I had fun at my job. But you know what? It was at a fast food place in the mall, NOT a meat packing plant! Those places f* up grown adults! Don't EVER tell me you care about children.