The Issue of Religious Deconstruction
The topic—nay, the issue—of religious deconstruction is far from a new one. In fact, we’ve discussed it before here at the Twin Tree Project. Yet, as I’ve immersed myself in the spiritual and religious communities on X, hoping to engage, explore and grow with more people of like mind and deeper understanding, I’ve found that it remains a trending topic and the subject of heated debate. The pushback against it is strong, and the resistance to questioning is deeply ingrained.
In today’s societal and economic climate, the why behind this growing conversation is fairly obvious. People are struggling—not just materially, but spiritually. They are searching for meaning in a world where traditional institutions, including the church, have more often than not failed them. The cracks in these systems are more visible than ever, and in response, many are turning inward, re-evaluating their faith, and asking the questions they were once told not to ask.
This has inspired us to create a series of posts dedicated to specific topics and deeper concerns surrounding deconstruction. We will explore them—including the aforementioned why—at length throughout this series. But before we dive into the reasons behind deconstruction, I believe the more important question to start with is the how.
How Can We Rediscover the Bible’s Wisdom Beyond Today’s Traditions?
For many, questioning religious traditions is seen as dangerous—perhaps even heretical. The idea that one might step outside the established walls of doctrine to seek a deeper understanding of God often triggers resistance from those who feel that tradition itself is sacred.
But what if our traditions, rather than strengthening our connection with God, have instead become barriers? What if, in our attempt to preserve faith, we have built institutions that unknowingly prevent us from fully realizing our own souls?
I have spent years wrestling with these questions, deconstructing not just religious structures but also my own assumptions, fears, and inherited beliefs. When I walked away from the church, I didn’t know whether that distance would be temporary or permanent. What I did know was that the purpose was not to abandon God—but to finally find Him.
What I discovered—through Scripture, prayer, and the raw experience of seeking truth without institutional filters—is that the Bible itself calls us to do exactly this: to seek, to question, and to connect with God in spirit and in truth. And what became undeniably clear is that we find Him within ourselves—not merely in a building or a series of rituals, and certainly not in a message from a pulpit that feels more like condemnation than love.
Yet, the more I observe conversations around faith, particularly in the spiritual community I’ve encountered on X, the more I see an almost desperate attempt by the religiously devout to cling to structures that keep them at a distance from God without realizing it. The pushback against spiritual exploration is fierce. The fear of stepping outside of doctrine—even just to ask, What if I’ve misunderstood this?—reveals just how much control tradition holds over the minds and hearts of believers.
But here’s the real question:
If you are not free to question, then how free is your faith?
What the Bible Actually Teaches About Seeking Truth
When we strip away centuries of theological overlay and denominational politics, we find that the Bible itself is not a manual for religious tradition. It is a living text—a conversation between God and humanity that invites deep contemplation and spiritual growth. Jesus Himself consistently challenged the religious authorities of His time, not because they lacked knowledge, but because their rigid adherence to tradition blinded them to God’s presence and purpose.
You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. (Mark 7:13)
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39-40)
Jesus did not come to reinforce a religious system. He came to dismantle the barriers between God and His people. He showed us that righteousness is not found in outward displays of piety but in the internal transformation of the soul.
So why do we still insist on the very religious structures He came to upend?
Are We Serving God, or Serving Tradition?
One of the hardest truths I had to face in my own journey was this: Much of what I had been taught in religious spaces wasn’t actually about deepening my relationship with God—it was about reinforcing and upholding the institution itself. The church, as it exists today, often functions more as a system of control than as a vehicle for spiritual connection.
It dictates what is acceptable to question. It establishes who is in and who is out. It enforces doctrines that prioritize obedience to the church rather than to God Himself. And in doing so, it often conditions believers to fear their own spiritual instincts, to distrust their own souls, and to silence the very voice of God within them.
But how can we have a real relationship with God if we are not even allowed to fully know ourselves?
Rediscovering the Bible Beyond Religious Conditioning
To rediscover the Bible’s wisdom beyond today’s traditions, we must be willing to break free from the idea that spiritual authority comes from institutions. We must return to the very thing we claim to follow—the Word itself. Not as it has been filtered through denominational lenses, but as it is.
This means:
• Reading Scripture with fresh eyes, removing the blindfold of assumptions we’ve been handed.
• Asking hard questions, even if they lead us outside our comfort zone.
• Recognizing that faith is a journey and an experience, not a fixed set of conclusions.
• Prioritizing relationship over religion, understanding that God desires communion, not mere conformity.
Faith was never meant to be passive. It was never meant to be a set of inherited beliefs accepted without thought or without holding our teachers spiritually accountable. Faith is an active and intimate pursuit of the Divine. And if we are to truly know God, we must have the courage to go beyond what we’ve been told and seek Him for ourselves.
So I ask again:
Are we serving God, or are we serving tradition?
And if we find that tradition has not only replaced true spiritual pursuit but has, as it has so often throughout history, been bastardized, commercialized, or weaponized—do we have the courage to let it go?
A Journey Toward True Faith
This post is the first in a series exploring the process of deconstructing religious tradition—not to destroy faith, but to reclaim it. If you’ve ever wrestled with these questions, if you’ve ever felt the tension between what you’ve been taught and what your soul is telling you, I invite you to walk this journey with me.
Let’s find God beyond the walls—both literal and figurative—that man has built.
The Twin Tree Project 