It is scary to see such focused efforts on undermining secularism be as successful as they are. We've lost some big fights, and it seems likely that we may lose more on this front. This focus on stripping rights away from people in the name of Christianity is disturbing.
With respect to the Supreme Court, here's something we can do:
https://secular.org/2023/03/heretic-on-the-hill-t...
My guess is that the kind of deconversion you seem to have in mind would require a strong relationship, trust, and time. Many moderates have done some questioning and may be open to thought in a way fundamentalists rarely are. I've had some great conversations with religious moderates over the years, though my goal isn't typically to change their minds.
Fundamentalists are a different story, as many won't engage with atheists except to preach. It is sometimes possible to build relationships with them if religion can be kept out of conversations, but they don't make that easy.
That is very similar to how I've always thought about it. Paranormal seems like a big jump beyond something I can't explain. When I hear "paranormal," I tend to think "supernatural." It seems like there have been efforts to broaden the concept in recent years (largely thanks to what the Travel Channel and their kind have been showing). For example, I've been hearing more claims that Bigfoot creatures are "paranormal." Some do go ahead and assign them supernatural characteristics; others protest that "paranormal" doesn't have to be supernatural.
That is a fantastic description of some of what I have in mind when I think of secular spirituality. That overwhelming sense of awe and wonder requires no gods, spirits, or religion.
This does seem to be the case. Blaming it on trauma lets them avoid examining the many problems with their religion. And what of those in their ranks who caused our religious trauma? Obviously, they weren't "real Christians." Sigh!
That is a good point about the lack of confidence, even when it comes to basic instructions. I keep hearing about how AI is often inaccurate while usually sounding confident. I expect this may improve, but I'm with you about it not being what I'm looking for when I read. It could have a place as a tool to help people improve their writing, but it seems like it would require some discipline not to rely on it too much.
You are so right about the importance of taking breaks from it. I need to get better about doing this more regularly and earlier when I start feeling lousy. Realistically, I know I can't go all-in all the time. I also know I wouldn't be happy if I tried to walk away from it forever. I need to get better at the balancing act.
Your point about how writing on your blog is different from social media is a good one. I suspect that spending less time on social media would be good for me even though I'd miss some of the engagement I find there.
The extremism piece would seem to have something to do with how the particular religion interfaces with the modern culture in which it resides. But I'd agree that determining "true" doctrines is likely impossible (unless one concludes that none of them are true).
I really liked Google Plus. It was a good fit for how I wanted to use that sort of platform. I could easily route content to different audiences based on what I wanted to share with various groups. While this is possible to do with Facebook, it isn't nearly as easy. The other thing about Facebook that drove me crazy was that I'd end up with high school friends I hadn't seen for several decades leaving inappropriate comments on my wall for current co-workers to see. I never did figure out a good way around that.
Yes, I've been using both. I've never been crazy about Tumblr, but I have been enjoying Medium since I joined it last year. It has been a great way to meet some new folks and get some of my writing in front of a different audience.
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Thingamajig