Deconstruction Process (Definition & Examples)

The process of critically examining and often dismantling previously held religious beliefs

• You question your group’s authority when you notice contradictions that no longer sit right with you.

• You rethink your stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion after someone close to you comes out—and your theology shifts with your empathy.

• You realize you’ve been performing your faith to earn approval, not because it feels meaningful—so you let that go.

• You leave your group after your questions are met with silence or shame, and begin searching for community elsewhere.

• You start doubting the strict rules after realizing how much fear and shame control your everyday decisions.

• You question teachings that limit your freedom—like who you can be friends with or what music you can listen to—and it shakes your whole worldview.

• You recognize that your community punishes doubt or questions, so you begin to quietly wrestle with your beliefs on your own.

• You struggle with guilt over natural desires and feelings your group calls “sinful,” and eventually you reject those harsh labels.

• You feel isolated after being told you must cut ties with anyone who doubts, and that pushes you to seek connection beyond your group.

• You question purity culture after realizing that shame around your body and sexuality only created fear and confusion, not freedom.

• You begin rejecting body standards that made you feel unworthy or “less than” because of how you look.

Oftentimes along with deconstructing beliefs, individuals may begin reevaluating the control exerted over behavior, access to information, thoughts, and emotions (see ‘BITE Model’ above).