In this episode of the Eremos Podcast, Zach and Brian dive into Chapter 2 of Deconstruct with Jesus—The God I Don’t Believe In. They tackle the gods they were handed—the vengeful, the transactional, the distant—and why rejecting those gods doesn’t mean rejecting God altogether.

What if the God we’ve deconstructed wasn’t God at all? What if there’s a God more loving than we ever imagined?

They explore the emotional weight behind deconstruction, the dangers of a faith built on fear, and why some people cling to the idea of hell so fiercely. If you’ve ever felt like the version of God you were given is more harmful than holy—this episode is for you.

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Timecodes

00:00 – Welcome to the Eremos Podcast00:41 – The Problem with God: Deconstructing harmful beliefs

02:22 – Polytheism & Atheism? The many gods we reject03:35 – The Emotional Arguments Against God: Why most deconstructions aren’t about logic04:54 – The “God Must Think Like Me” Trap: How we project our expectations onto God06:33 – Your God Sucks, But That Doesn’t Mean God Isn’t Real

09:07 – The God of My Understanding: What we get wrong about belief12:33 – Progressive Revelation: Why our understanding of God is meant to evolve18:23 – Jesus as the Way, Not Just the Destination

28:09 – The False Gods We Believed In: Genie God, Kidnapper God, Mascot God & More31:02 – If God is Love, Why Do We Believe He’s a Monster?

36:28 – What if Hell is the One We Create? A new perspective on salvation42:08 – Religion as Control: How theology has been weaponized50:48 – Why Do Some Christians Cling to Hell? (Hint: It’s not about theology)

57:10 – Jesus Is Not Your Mascot: How faith gets hijacked by politics

1:02:59 – The Invitation to Rethink, Not Reject, Faith