“It probably has something to do with growing up in a religious family and then becoming a nonreligious person as an adult, but watching helps me with empathy and perspective,” Walters said. “I don’t think it (religion) was a fit for me; that primarily has to do with the fact that I’m a woman and we usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to religious structure.”
Another fan, Emily Garcia Lopez, a master’s student in Germany, said the content makes her feel seen. Lopez, 28, said she was raised in a “fundie-lite,” nondenominational evangelical environment, which included attending anti-abortion protests at Planned Parenthood and disavowing jeans, anime and short haircuts for girls.
“Watching Jen and James pick apart aspects of fundamentalism in a lighthearted and respectful way is therapeutic for me during my faith deconstruction journey,” Lopez said. “Growing up in fundamentalism f — with you — but Fundie Fridays is a safe place to talk about those experiences.”
Collective Radical Reformation of Religion
“Faith deconstruction” is a term that has increasingly been used in exvangelical circles, especially in digital spaces. Google searches for “deconstruction” have risen 140% over the past year, according to Google Trends.
Jennifer Sutphin records a Fundie Fridays episode. Video screen grab
For members of the newest generation, digital deconstruction is rethinking what they’ve been told about God, the Bible and what it means to be a follower of faith. Though the practice sounds inherently serious, digital deconstruction can take many tones. Sutphin said utilizing humor can be effective in moving on from religious damage.
“Digital deconstruction can mean using TikTok to say, ‘Look how mean I used to be to gay people, it’s funny because I’m gay now,’” Sutphin said.
Except for making fun of fundamentalists’ hair, most fundiesnark conversations center on reconciliation and well-being. Though people may start their deconstruction journey ashamed of who they used to be and what they used to believe, forgiveness is a key facet of this digital community, Bryant said. Fundie Fridays is one channel in the larger context of fundiesnark. The fundiesnark community is a “full-blown movement,” Sutphin added.
“I’m not one of those people who’s like, ‘Trauma makes you stronger,’ but now that it’s happened, what can we do with it?” Bryant said. “Whoever you were in your past life as an evangelical, that shame dies when you deconstruct the trauma.”
“Irony!” Sutphin said. “It’s like when you become a Christian, you die to your old self. But now, it’s the other way around.”
This article originally appeared here.
