I Don't Agree With Your God

Deconstruction from LDS Faith to Christianity

Excuse me, I heard you talking before that you were LDS and then and then you were kind of looked at the Christian God or the Bible and you said that you did deconstructed your faith. Can I might I ask how did that happen or why?

Growing up I just kind of took whatever was given to me and stuff and I just started looking at everything. And initially I just left the LDS church and then I was like, I don't think I like Christianity.

Like I like Jesus as like lots of the things he taught. Sure.

The Good Person Test and the Ten Commandments

So, can I ask you just based on your worldview what is a good person.

Generally trying to. Like help people and love who's not trying to cause pain stuff like that and so lots of it's similar to like Christian beliefs, you know, yeah, and I think that there's a lot of like similarities just over all religions.

I think generally most people who are religious and not religious.

I feel like most people have you. Have you ever taken a good person test? No, can I? It's a it's a good person test and it's just based on the Ten Commandments, right? So so we go through the Ten Commandments.

I'll ask you some questions. You tell me your answer and then I'll ask you if you still think you're a good person and and it'll just it's just like an exercise. What about. What about like so. Basic things like we all know like I don't think you should be able to.

I don't think you should lie. Would you agree that lying is wrong? So honesty is a good thing. Therefore lying would be wrong. Yeah, so if somebody knocked on my door with a gun was like, where's your wife.

I'm gonna lie to him. But that's that that's a different there's act that's actually different than what the Bible teaches. The Bible says you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. So that's like lying trying to deceive one to get over on them.

Okay, so but it you know, what's funny is we all agree with that. But at the same time we all would say that we've lied multiple times. Would you agree with that like I think.

Kind of differently like like when you grow up, it's like don't lie. Don't tell yourself like if your mom asked you if you took a beat extra cookie. Don't say no. You know, it's like that whole thing whereas I view lying is like Pretending to be someone you're not like being an authentic to like what your actual views are or just like kind of more stuff like that.

But do you think though that you've lied based on what you would call someone else a liar for doing?

Oh, yeah, I've been hypocritical for sure in my life. Like that's something I'm working on. Yeah, I've for sure done that.

So what what about stealing? Have you ever stolen anything regardless of the value?

Like a little bit and then I felt bad about it years later and went and gave the store a few quarters for it. Yeah, I think besides that I Was like.

Okay, what about so so you would agree that you have stolen. So you've stolen. You've agreed that you've lied based on so you've broken those. So so the reason I ask is because you know, you you mentioned that you think that you're a good person but I believe that a lot of us what I do also is I make up standards based on what I would think of myself as right so so I I make up standards to make myself look better because I don't want to think of Myself as being a lawbreaker.

So, you know like. The problem with that is is everybody has an arbitrary standard of what's good. You might find a murderer, right? And he's totally justified. Murd, yeah, because like no I I think there's times when you can justifiably murder someone and what I always like to point people back to is.

Apart from an out standard outside of ourselves We all have arbitrary standards for what is good. What is loving? What is right? What is wrong? And and and and for me and for I believe that in absolutes.

Do you believe in absolutes like that? Some things are absolutely right and absolutely wrong like you should never ever rape someone. That's an absolute. So so I believe there are absolute standards and the only way that any of us can have an absolute standard is if we have an absolute truth and I believe that the Scriptures the Bible is the only thing that can give us an absolute truth an absolute standard for judging morality if not.

We all have standards of our own, right?

Biblical Principles, Absolute Truth, and the Standard of Morality

So I think I think I agree with you that like everybody but you do but you believe in biblical principles, right?

Like thou shall not steal thou shall not murder.

Where do you think it came from? Say there is a God and say that he did write the Bible. I disagree with so much of what God did in the Bible that I would be like, hey God. Disagree with that. Not gonna follow.

You think that these things are good. It's like if they do things that I disagree with I'm not just like oh, well, they're in charge and they were the first ones I said this. Therefore I have to follow everything they say.

But do you yeah.

So here but here's what here's what I'm trying to get you to realize. You just said I would take the good things and leave the bad. At the same time you've come up with what is good and you've come up with what is bad.

So therefore you've determined what right is right and wrong is based on your standards. Do you kind of see how that's like arbitrary in a bit? Have to say and so I think that like how do you give accounting for that though?

I guess would be my question. Like how do you say? That stuff is not good. This stuff is good. That stuff is not good. Like what is the standard that you go back to and say I'm looking here and this is how I judge.

That this is right. And this is wrong. Yeah, so so yeah, so so you're saying you're saying I don't agree with this in the Bible. That's bad and you're saying this is good, right?

I mean this was added to the Bible later, but like homophobia type stuff. There's like one verse that people are like, oh, yeah, it's from this and it's like People debate it and stuff, but that I'm like nowadays I see lots of the harm and that contradicts lots of stuff that Jesus taught.

I'm like, okay, I don't I personally Like I'm pansexual. It's something that like yeah, just like little things like that, but I'll look at the other stuff and be like, you know, like You know stuff Jesus taught that I already talked about me like that's good so I can agree with that but overall I'm just like the way I view my standards is just Kind of separate from if there even is a God.

I'm just like, hey I'm gonna do the best I think there is you know, like weighing the options each situation being like is this hurting more people are helping more people including myself. Is this a balanced thing?

Is this coming from love or coming from fear? Stuff like that.

Romans 1, Genesis, and Suppressing the Truth

And how would you know if it's coming from love or fear like what is love? So so I and I agree. But what I would always say is you have to go back to a standard, right? And and I would challenge you on the fact that you're saying I would agree with this and I would disagree with this.

But if our if standards are absolute if there is absolute truth out there. Then it can't barely be what you feel. And I noted. Do you notice that the things that you do and don't agree with? Also correlate to the way that you live your life and the things that you do.

Yeah, but I also change trying to change my standards to make my life more convenient and to feel better and about different like. Political issues different religious views people have and be like, hey, is there something I need to change type of a thing?

But I can see how like because yeah. That would be an issue if I was just like let me change my views to make myself feel better about. What I'm you know, make myself make it more convenient make it more, you know, kind of like lazy.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, what I always tell people is Romans 1 says this it says that we all know God the one true God. But we suppress the truth in our unrighteousness. That we claim to be wise. But we trade the truth of God in for a lie and we worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator.

And what it's saying is is that every single person Knows God. We know there is one true God. We know what he asks of us who he is, but we suppress his truth and we say no. My truth for me is I am going to determine what good and bad is.

I'm gonna determine what moral and immoral is. And in fact in Genesis That's what Adam and Eve did. Is they determined when when the serpent said you will be like God. What he's saying is you will determine good from evil.

You will know good and evil. And what happens is is we Trade the truth of God in for a lie for things that fit what we think is good and bad. The problem with that is every single person here has a different thought of what good and bad is.

I think everyone's generally the same though. Like like they might have you know minor things that are different. But I feel like most people would agree that rape is never okay. And that murder is never okay.

Yeah, and I would agree yeah. Okay, one last one last thing I'll leave you with. Okay I would just challenge you to think. The things that you've accepted and the things that you've denied and you've said that are good and the things that you said are bad.

Think about how you give an account for that like where do you go to for determining that is it you? Or is it the absolute standard of truth like we've said there is. Because to me it sounds like you're saying I feel that this is good.

I feel this is bad. I agree I don't agree with this and then you would become the person who determines what truth is what morality is and that Can't be true.

Is that absolutely true that you don't believe that God would do that or that what God has determined is true. I don't think that the Bible. Someone out of worship at all.

But you said but you've said that absolutely so that's an absolute so yeah.

Yeah, like there are some things that like I don't know the whole language. Sure.

Closing Exchange and Follow-Up Materials

Okay, we'll get talking with you. Yeah, did you get any material or anything? I hope you read it. Okay. The bite model, I'll look if you read the stuff that we gave you I will check out the bite model.

All right, have a good night.