i get excited and start doing cartwheels whenever biz uploads

Totally with you on the compassion part, especially at this point in their public deconstruction journeys. A lot of high control religious groups really rely on the fact that the outside world is hostile to their beliefs, because it means that as people start rethinking their faith they get backlash from outside the religion for the parts of their beliefs that they may still be working with and that backlash can help to push them back into the faith as that "proves" they'll only ever be accepted there. But if Dav and Bethy are met with encouragement, compassion, and love that shows that there is space for them and anyone questioning their faith to be themselves as they work through untangling which parts of their beliefs are harmful and which they want to keep

This video was opening night of Star Wars for a very very specific subset of people.

No but being an ex-Catholic lesbian and thinking “I wish I could just be good Christian housewife and then my life would BE FINE FOREVER” is so real and definitely a thought that still creeps into my head these days. Before I knew I was gay, I definitely had a long “I want to be a nun” phase too. Anyway, if you can’t tell lol, I really related to your bit in the middle and you are definitely not alone in that escapist mindset!

Just to be that guy and nitpick a really minor point, there are very few Christian denominations who believe in biblical literalism, and as far as the church I was raised in (Eastern Orthodox), it's actually really hammered into you that the bible is written by man and isn't meant to be taken as 100% correct dogma. Dogma in my church is actually determined by church consensus. For Catholics, dogma is decided by whatever the Pope says. Those are the two largest churches in the world. This idea that the bible is a literal document and the actual word of God himself is a uniquely Protestant idea

I think the thing that elevates these videos is they way biz is able to talk about people and subjects who are easy to dunk on or ridicule on a surface level and really make you stop and think without being mean ,but still able to be critical .

Bethy and Dav made me realize that love legitimately is stronger than hate.

My heart will explode with joy if all this ends with Bethy starting to play basketball again.

Finding out that Biz had a pseudo girl defined era was not on my bingo card either, but just like with the Dav thing I’m here to learn more and be curious. Great video as always

Hey Biz this feels very strange to type out but your gods not dead and midnight mass video, actually kind of set me on my deconstruction journey and I want to thank you for bringing the topic back up because it gives me a little bit of an excuse to thank you.

This is genuinely so sweet. Just a lovely, lovely look at some people growing up into their own opinions. I am an Atheist. I was raised and atheist and will likely die an atheist but my best friend is a practicing baptist (English baptist - they're much more chill than southern Baptists) and I've seen how her faith brings her great comfort. I went to a protestant primary school so I know more about christianity than the average atheist and I will use Christian ideas to comfort her when she needs it and she very deliberately doesn't use explicitly christian ideas to comfort me and honestly half the time it will end up being the same advice framed differently.

As a pastor's kid, the Baird sisters have a lot of similar Religion-as-Family-Business energy. I remember what it was like to be questioning and to no longer be christian while still in the public eye of the Christian community and I have a lot of empathy for both Dav and Bethy. It's very easy to "toe the company line" and say what's expected of you or only have acceptable public differences with your family out of a place of wanting to support people you love and it simply being easier. I havent been christian for forever and I can STILL "speak christian" and still have christian opinions on theology that isnt even mine anymore. I also know how the sausage is made and there are WAY more "Christian atheists" and Christians who are there for the community and the culture than you might expect. It isnt all dogmatic even among the most devout, they just dont always have room to talk about it. It is incredibly brave for the Beals to talk about it. I hope they stop being bigoted on their next step into a happier healthier life. They would really fit in with the dorky theater gays, they would thrive at a drag brunch if they let themselves, you simply cannot tell me otherwise. I think that's why so many people are rooting for them. We see such a joyful future they could access if they wanted to. And Bethy can stay Christian throughout if she wants. My mom loves my nb ass and she loves my trans wife and she preached against white christian nationalism yesterday. She'd welcome them to her Lutheran church so fast they'd poop their pants as long as they don't mind the rainbow flag.

As a ‘Linsey without the d,’ I am thrilled that ‘Dav without the e,’ is the one out here representing us.

It feels so validating when people are vulnerable enough to deconstruct in public. Rhett Mclaughlin and now Dav. As someone who cares about religion and went on her own deconstruction journey, it's healing, it's beautiful, it's deepening and important.

The most iconic move of this generation is biz making longass video of the exact flavour of philosophy that the substantially large population of tumblr gays would like as a way to promote her music. Hearing "burn down the farm" after the end of the midnight mass video at 3am was a spiritual experience tbh, and itcs one of my favourite songs now. Your music slaps please keep making it!!!

In addition to the zelph on the shelf videos I would also recommend the Antibot. They have some really measured responses to girl defined as well at Paul and Morgan that I find to be really balanced with compassion while not letting people off the hook for harm done

Hi Biz, love your pillow thoughts. Watching the popularity of the deconstruction movement as a post- re-constructed, Episcopalian-raised Christian has been so bittersweet for me so I also can't stop thinking about it. I was raised in what would be considered 'progressive' Christianity. As an Episcopalian we were never taught a whole host of dangerous fundie beliefs, the biggest one being, in my opinion, the literalist interpretation of scripture. Part of the spiritual practice of my tradition is very much about intellectually wrestling with the divine and the artifacts of culture that our ancestors have left with us. In my confirmation class I was taught to inquire within a community context about faith and consult others, but to ultimately come to conclusions myself. My church was such a special place where no matter what conclusion you came to, you were welcome here, because believing in ultra-specific ways to live life was not necessary to be a part of a community. Wanting to be here, and respect, was all that was required for belonging. Because that was my upbringing, when I deconstructed later some of my harmful beliefs that I did pick up, I did not have a crisis of identity. I didn't lose any jobs houses, friends. The inquiring was already my identity, so it was safe and easy for me to unpack my homophobia, purity culture rhetoric, and ideas about God. I want this type of experience so bad for every type of Christian, and I'm also so happy for girl-defined. But I also feel so sad for them that the spiritual practice of Christianity has been so tied to identity that Bethany might lose everything. It's not fair for them. I want to shout to rooftops that Christianity doesn't have to be so fragile and it doesn't have to be about control. It can be about shooting the shit with your buds about your favorite escapist fantasy cope? I hope dearly that Bethany realizes this. The more people break away from this type of fundie thinking, the more space for love and radical compassion in the world there is. I'm coming to terms with my specific branch of my religion dying out by 2050. But ultimately, if the spirit of radical compassion and love living on in other branches and in all humans gives me a bit of hope. It has been a bittersweet weird time.

Finding out that your Snapewives video was the result of a temporary Girl Defined era actually explains so much (and I mean that in a strictly positive way, I love that video)

Omg I haven't been able to stop thinking about this either. I was trying to explain why it's so wild and weirdly beautiful (?) to my partner last night but just wasn't able to put it into words. Thank you for this video!

It brings me so much joy that their relationship (based on what we the public have seen) seems to be so genuinely based on love and trust and respect. Because this is the test, right? Having something like a change of faith, especially when faith is such an integral part of your identity and life, is unbelievably hard and terrifying. The fact that there are people out there who can go through that and listen to each other with respect and decide that their love for each other is the most important thing to them brings me hope.