TikTok Humanist TimTalks on Deconstructing Religion Out Loud

"You are unlocked to a whole new world... you're not alone, and it's that community that makes you reaffirming yourself"

Timothy David, known as Tim Talks, is a UK-based content creator whose TikTok videos on humanism, faith deconstruction, and Black freethinking have racked up millions of views. Drawing on his own journey away from Pentecostal Christianity, Tim uses social media to spark honest conversations about belief, identity, inclusivity, and what it means to question everything.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What deconstruction really means and why it is a lifelong process rather than a single moment 

✔︎ Why social media is a powerful tool for humanists — and why more of us should be using it 

✔︎ How to start questioning your own beliefs and build community on the other side of faith

Connect with Timothy

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_timtalks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_t1m24
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TimTalksUK

Transcript

Welcome And Why Social Media

James Hodgson 0:11

Welcome to Humanism Now, a podcast about secular ethics, curiosity, and compassionate change. I'm your host, James Hodgson. Social media often gets a lot of criticism in our current times. However, these platforms remain a space where people can connect, encounter ideas, find a community, and start meaningful conversations. Our guest today is Timothy David, known as Tim Talks on TikTok, where he explores humanism, belief, and deconstruction, using his own journey away from faith to challenge inherent narratives and promote intellectual honesty. He also uses his platform to talk openly about self-awareness, dating, inclusivity, and what it means to be a young black freethinker in the UK today. His videos racked up millions of views, sparking conversations and debate, particularly amongst young people. I'm delighted to welcome Tim to the show today to talk about his experience of growing an online community, using platforms to address controversial topics, and harnessing social media to spread inclusivity, curiosity, and empathy. Timothy David, thank you so much for joining us on Humanism Now.

Timothy David 1:13

Thank you, James.

James Hodgson 1:14

Really great to uh see you again and have you on the show. I really wanted to have you on the show because I'd I'd encountered some of your content. And I think, as mentioned, generally there's a negative perception of social media amongst most humanist circles that I'm in these days. But obviously you've used it to create something really meaningful and powerful. So I'd love to understand your background and what first inspired you to start creating content, particularly on TikTok.

Defining Deconstruction

Timothy David 1:39

Yeah, I think um with regards to TikTok, I mean, even when it kind of comes to the concept of social media and just the fact that we can post our thoughts, I feel like now, even as human beings, we can feel so connected to people. And I feel like for me, social media was like a diary. I I was someone that I could I could write on a book and things like that. But then when I sort of thought about, you know what, let me actually post about what I'm thinking and my journey and see who can actually relate. But it was mostly for myself, actually. I for one, I was already posting preaching videos initially. I was quite um a predominant I was predominantly a Christian, a Pentecostal Christian. So tele evangelism was something that I would do by calling, essentially, because I felt I was, you know, called by God essentially to do so. So I felt once I deconstructed, I felt like that aspect of being in the limelight or being on social media was something that I'd felt to myself, okay, I'm not gonna do anymore. But when I thought about it, being authentic for me meant actually telling myself and being comfortable with using social media after I had changed an identity or grown in myself and starting away from the faith. So social media allowed me to do that. So TikTok felt very personal in the sense that it allowed me to just pick up my phone essentially and just talk about what it is I think about the world today, what I think about religion, and what I think about myself most importantly, and the way I think. And as I started to post that, you know, I felt more and more people can relate, and even till today, it still helps out a few people that I felt like you know are on the same path of questioning religion or maybe growing an understanding of the world around them.

James Hodgson 3:09

You mentioned deconstruction there, which I know is something which comes up a lot in your content. What is deconstruction to you and what was it like going through that process publicly?

Challenging Faith in a Public Space

Timothy David 3:19

Yeah, I mean we all deconstruct as humans, it just depends on what we are deconstructing. And the word deconstruct means to just critically think and critically evaluate a belief or a social norm, in my view. I think um when it comes to deconstructing, the word construct means to build and to put together and just build something. We use the word construction when it comes to building houses, and deconstruction is almost associated with taking apart and thinking about what it is you're taking apart, questioning things, thinking, is this right for me? Is this why do I believe this? You know, and deconstruction, especially when you're deconstructing religion, can be a very complex experience. I often associate it with a very lonely experience in that sense because it's something that you are going through internally. It um consists of inner monologues, asking questions that you're not necessarily comfortable asking in public because maybe you're surrounded by an environment where it's full of religious believers or religious families, and those are the kind of things that I think when I do talk about deconstruction, that's what I'm referring to. I'm referring to a journey because deconstruction isn't just a one-time thing, it's actually a process, and I can still say I am deconstructing even now. So I think deconstruction is essentially it's critically thinking and evaluating a specific subject.

James Hodgson 4:33

It's interesting because you talk about these are things that it would be difficult to talk about publicly or to or to challenge publicly, but of course, online media that you operate in, social media is extremely public place, you know, putting things out into the world which is then available for everyone.

Acceptance Before Going Public

Timothy David 4:47

Yeah, it does feel different because to be very honest, I I think when it comes to discussing subjects like deconstruction religion online, it feels like you're talking to nobody at first, and that's how it felt for me. I remember my first post initially about deconstruction, and I said, guys, I can't lie, I I don't know if there are any black atheists around or black agnostics, people who actually are questioning religion. And I remember that view was at 100 views, and I didn't really think too much about it. And for me, it felt like oh, there's nobody you know. And I think I made another video, and then that video, I think it went to about 100,000. And I was like, Oh, wait, hold on. There are like people who can actually relate to what I'm saying, and it made me realize that okay, me talking about this isn't just me ranting or saying, I'm so confused, I'm so lost as to what is going on right now. Rather, it became a thing where people were like, How are you dealing with this or how have you gone past this? Can you explain what your journey is and how you've gone past deconstructing hell or you know, just so many other things? How did you navigate living life after religion? Those kind of things. I mean, I had friends that were also deconstructing, or maybe had deconstructed, and even then, certain conversations, deconstruction doesn't all look the same, it's different for everybody. So while someone else might be deconstructing sexuality, you're deconstructing religion, you might deconstruct um life as a whole. It's like when you talk about your own personal journey, there is someone out there that can actually relate to that, and I think that's the difference. You are unlocked to a whole new world that you're not alone, and it's that I think that community online that makes you sort of reaffirming yourself, and that community online can very much be an in-person community if you put the effort in as well. So I think that's what made the difference to me.

James Hodgson 6:31

So, what does it feel like when you posted that first video, having previously been preaching online, to post that first video where you were openly questioning how far along that deconstruction had you already gone by that point when you felt comfortable to say, I'm gonna talk about this publicly now?

Pushback, Debate, And Identity

Timothy David 6:47

Do you know what? It was a long period, I say roughly two years or so after I'd thought to myself, do you know what, Tim? You're just hanging on to something that you know yourself, you don't necessarily believe in. But I was affirming that I was a Christian. I was I was still confident, like, oh you know, maybe I'm just going through a phase and I kept praying and I just thought I realized, Tim, you know you don't really believe in this thing. And if you don't really necessarily buy into a concept, why force yourself in it? And I feel like a lot of people can relate to that because we hold on to things, we believe in things, we try and live by social norms that we not necessarily we know is not necessarily for us, but we stick by it because that's all we've known. When I posted the video, I thought to myself, I'm actually questioning this, not because I'm at an early stage, but because I sort of realized that do you know what? For me to get to an understanding that I am no longer believing this thing, I need to accept it. And it was more of an acceptance. Me posting something on social media was that I'm coming to the terms that I'm happy with where I am, and I think that was just all part of the process of understanding that you know what, Tim, you're happy or you are okay acknowledging that you don't necessarily believe in a religion, and that's fine. And I think it was more of an acceptance for me to say, okay, Tim, you know that inwardly you're questioning this thing, and you might be agnostic or you might be atheist, but now this you going out there and saying that you are affirming this, it shows that you're okay with the growth that you've made. So that was what it was for me, really.

James Hodgson 8:16

And how was the response to those those early videos? You mentioned obviously thinking perhaps you were the only person who had these questions, these doubts. Were you surprised by the types of responses that you got, and of course, obviously the the audience that it it gained?

Timothy David 8:30

Yes, and no, in some sense. I I mean you you get different responses, you know, to be very honest. Because don't forget, religion itself is a very touchy subject. I think you'll get a few people that will say, Oh, what are you trying to say? Is my religion false? Or you maybe you didn't, you weren't a true Christian. You know, people even try and question the fact as to what you were, you were never a true believer to begin with. And I think to myself, who were you to even tell me what I believed in or what I didn't? Who's to say who was a true Christian and who wasn't? You know, the bar goes higher and higher. You know, I even spoke about how the concept of tongues, and I would actually spoke in tongues at what point, and people were like, Well, well, what is that? People start to question you. And the thing is, if you're not rooted in your own identity of who you are and what you've gone through and your growth, to some extent you start to even question and because people will push back, that's the truth. People will push back on your deconstructing journey and make you feel as though maybe I wasn't a true Christian at all. And the truth is, you are who you were, so you could have believed in something and not believe in it anymore. People struggle to understand that concept, you know. And so for me, yes, I did receive pushback, but it also made me realize that at the end of the day, not everybody's gonna like you. Do you know what I mean? You know, you can't please everybody, and there are views out there that people might say, you know, I'm a heretic, or you know, he's a false teacher and all these kind of things, but at the end of the day, I am who I am, I'm me, and everybody is different.

James Hodgson 9:55

Have you found there's been some interesting debates more more on the side of curiosity? Because I I've seen you on podcasts and shows where actually you debated people head on as well on these issues, and I just wonder what some of the common, more reasonable criticisms have been.

Timothy David 10:09

I mean, that's so true in terms of um debate. So, yes, I've I've engaged in debates and not so much now because I leave people to think what they think. But one thing about myself is especially coming from a legal background, is you have a prosecutor and you have a defense in court, you have to have both sides. I'm quite rational in my take of deconstruction. And whilst I personally heard when it comes to people who have deconstructed, the pros and cons of deconstruction, the pros is that you are questioning your belief, you're you're coming, in a sense, closer to truth, essentially. You feel as though you're affirming and you're testing your belief systems, you are truly identifying with beliefs and social norms that are for you because you are questioning something. The criticisms of that is that, especially of well, is it the criticisms of me or or deconstruction itself?

Where Does Questioning End

James Hodgson 11:00

That's a good point. I'm I guess it's what do you encounter the most when someone is perhaps commenting or engaging, and it's not just name-calling or as you say, just throwing out insults, but actually they've got more questions. They perhaps they're coming at it from a different point of view, but they're genuinely curious about the lessons that you're teaching. So are they are they critical of your approach? Are they critical of deconstruction in general? Are they saying you shouldn't say these things? What what are some of the conversations that you enjoy engaging in?

Rebuilding Values Through Humanism

Timothy David 11:25

I think one of the conversations that I enjoy engaging in, especially when it comes to criticism of deconstruction, is where does it end? Because Tim, if you're gonna question everything, where does it really end? And that's that I think that's such a fascinating criticism of deconstruction because if you deconstruct religion, you can find yourself going down a rabbit hole and it never really stops. So it only stops until you decide to stop. And even then, once you deconstruct one thing, you start to realize what is true then. And so because of that, you could find yourself going through a whirlwind or a rabbit hole, thinking to yourself, I don't know what I believe anymore. What do I hold on to? What's the point of living? You can go through a barrage of philosophies, absurdism, existentialism, these kind of things where you start to say to yourself, what is it I identify with? And I've definitely been through that, and it's definitely a hard process, especially if you don't have the resources or don't really know the resources out there, that's when it can feel very lonely. And that's the part people are scared of. So I understand that criticism of deconstruction, and I'm not oblivious to that fact. I think that's something I actually talk about in my videos that it can be a lonely journey when your families are religious and they sort of ostracize you away from them, or your religious leaders, or the thing, the very thing that you called community, where a lot of people will check up on you after church, no longer check up on you anymore, and you don't have any friends that are non-religious, and you're looking around and you're thinking, where do I go? That's one of the criticisms of deconstructing. It's like, where do you stand? Who are you? And I think that very criticism is valid because nobody wants to feel as though they're alone in this world, and that's the truth. You know, no one wants to feel like, well, I have nobody but my own self. People love community, and I think that's where I would say community then is intentional. You have to take charge and build that community for yourself, and building community is not necessarily easy. So that's one criticism I'd say of deconstruction is that where does it end? And does it really end?

James Hodgson 13:24

I don't think so. That is a very fascinating question. So, how do you know when to stop questioning? How do you land on beliefs?

Community Beyond Religion

Timothy David 13:31

When I think of how do I land on beliefs, I think about what is it that you relate with? What is it that you identify with? What are your core values? And and this is where we sort of stumble across circular humanism to some extent. Because I think when we're looking at what is your core values, what does it mean to be a human? What does it mean to build community? What are you looking for in community? What kind of things are you trying to seek when it comes to building community with others? And what comes to mind is values of social justice, for instance, anti-oppressiveness, when you look at the previous religions or what religion promotes, in a sense, just because I left religion doesn't necessarily mean I left its core values, but the principles of love, the principle of kindness, and and that's not to say that I was perfect in that sense, and obviously we make mistakes, but core values that I can stick by and treating people with kindness, treating people with respect. I mean, I I come from a social work background, and we have social work values, and social work values are things that we carry on in our profession. And when I look at that, I think of what is it that I can build outside of religion and things I can carry with me that allow me to connect with people.

James Hodgson 14:46

I really appreciate you bringing it back as well to those the ties of of secular humanism that we like to talk about here. And that that brings us also back to your point about building community. Have you managed to find community through TikTok? Has it helped you find more people who who think similarly or are also on this journey of deconstruction?

How To Start Deconstructing

Timothy David 15:05

Yeah, it definitely has. I think being public about my deconstruction journey has connected me to a lot of people like yourself, like a lot of other people who have deconstructed other religions, other faiths. I've met people who've also deconstructed Islam, and people who have deconstructed many other religions, deconstructed other concepts, and it's it made me realize I'm not the only one. That there are people out there and there are communities out there that you can build, you know. And I think I'm actually very grateful for myself for not just being open about and transparent about my own journey, but it's also provoked other important conversations. When I go online, I can see people reference myself and my story, and it makes me proud of what I've done. And it's not about me being so popular and or famous or whatever, it's more about starting off conversations, encouraging people to have conversations because I think as well, when it comes to the concept of deconstruction and being a young black person, I think being an African person, we are very connected to religion. So to even have these conversations is very, very difficult. So encouraging other African people, encouraging other people, young people to have these conversations, it's a shift in culture as well. I think that's very important.

James Hodgson 16:19

You've mentioned a few times that deconstruction is not just about religion. This is something that we all should try to engage with and practice. What is your advice for the first step on deconstructing? How should people be questioning their own beliefs? Even for us humanists, what would be your advice for anyone who maybe hasn't yet fully done that process that you talk of of critically examining these assumptions?

Manosphere Influence And Responsibility

Timothy David 16:42

I think it's very interesting you say how do you start deconstructing? Because for me, I didn't actually realize I was until I started thinking, I don't think I can affirm such beliefs. Or do you know you sort of find yourself questioning subtly, and I think it always starts with an inner monologue. Do I agree with this? Why does someone think like this? Where did this thought come from? Who told me this? Why do I abide by this rule? Why do I think this of someone? Why do I always have this unconscious bias about this person or this race or this way of thinking? You know, it's about the inner monologues. And I don't think a lot of people have inner inner monologues because I think what what people do is they are just told something and they just run with it, you know. When I do think of why it is I can relate to circular humanism, why is it that I can relate to the concept of it, why it can resonate with me? It's because I understand, okay, I've detached from religion, but I also understand the core values of circular humanism. And I can also criticize something. If something, if I can criticize something and I can still hold on to that belief, then I can be like, okay, do you know what? Maybe this is something that I can agree with, I can take and put in my pocket of knowledge. Yeah.

James Hodgson 17:54

There's a lot of talk at the moment, obviously, about the manosphere, online influencers using these social media platforms to spread this new wave of toxic masculinity. You're a young man with a following online. Do you feel a responsibility to talk to young men or be a role model for young men?

Advice for Humanists Using TikTok

Timothy David 18:14

That's a good question, to be fair, because I think there's there's a sense of responsibility and quote on every man just be a leader and direct other men. But do you know what? I think the responsibility is with myself, you know. The responsibility is towards my own actions, and I'm in charge of my own conduct and the way I conduct myself in society. I think we've all grown up with harmful rhetorics, we've all grown up with unconscious biases, we've all grown up in to some extent an environment where there is misogyny, essentially racism and all these harmful rhetorics, and it's for every man to deconstruct, unpack, and unlearn those kind of rhetorics, but it has to be a conscious decision. They can post and post and post about deconstructing misogyny. I can post and post and post about the patriarchy, the negative effects of it. But it is true that there are men out there who will scroll past. Do you know what I mean? But whilst I I have taken the responsibility to help people critically think about their beliefs, but at the end of the day, it falls on every individual, every man, every woman to unpack whatever it is that they have inherited, be it from their environment, from their parents, from their surroundings, what they consume by social media. But the truth is the reason why, as well, this concept of toxic masculinity is also growing more, is because there's a level of ignorance that people are willing to uphold. So the responsibility is with each individual, and some people just don't want to unpack that, and there's nothing I can do about it but continue putting a message out there to say this is unhealthy. I think these certain ways and certain practices and certain rhetorics are unhealthy, but at the end of the day, it's down to individuals.

James Hodgson 20:01

I'd love to get your advice to our listeners as well. There is a tension, I think, for a lot of us who are active in this space where we know there is a lot of criticism of social media. We want to have a healthy relationship with social media and be, you know, aware of the addictive nature of it, a lot of the misinformation that's on there. There's a lot of people I know in the humanist movement who, you know, simply sworn off social media altogether. But that said, this is where people are getting their information now. So this is more prevalent than mainstream media in terms of getting the message out there and any message that we want to spread. And you've obviously engaged in that in a really constructive way. What would be your advice to humanist groups or people who want to try to encourage more people or create those communities with engaging constructively with a platform like TikTok in a in the way that you have?

Changing Minds

Timothy David 20:48

Do you know what? James, it's so interesting you say that because I know a lot of fellow humanists who also kind of shun social media. And I think the thing about religion, when I think about it, young churches, there are so many young chur uh churches with a lot of youth who engage heavily, start really with social media, and that's their thriving force. And I think a lot of religious groups can recognize that social media is a very powerful tool. Whereas with humanists, there's no authoritarian or dictator telling us, go out and spread the message, go out and share this gospel, this good gospel of humanism, you know. Where I think most people who are humanists are quite very relaxed. We're just, you know, trotting along, living life. There's no burden for us to really go out there. Rather, we see social media as quite harmful because it can be, let's be quite frank. There's a lot of misinformation, and like you've said, but I kind of realize that in saying that as well, there is an advantage to using social media when you look at the way people even have parasocial relationships with social media couples, parasocial relationships with these guys who you know sort of go on and on about their masculinity, their cars, all these women, and all these things that they sort of affirm. You realize that there is a there's a space for us to explain. And show people that this is what humanism is about. This is what circularism is about. It's okay to question things. And I think there is, and I always say one thing about social media, there is always an audience listening to you, whether you like it or not. You could have one follower, you could have no followers. There are people the algorithm is gonna show you to somebody, and somebody's gonna see it. Whether it's five seconds, whether it's ten seconds, at the end of the day, there is an audience. I've also had this thing where I've I thought to myself, if I was to invite and put a leaflet out on the street about someone come and listen to what I have to say, someone might not do it. But if I just post a clip online, someone's going to see it. It could be a hundred people. But if you get a hundred people in a room, you're thinking, Oh my gosh, this is a lot of people. But online, we just see it as oh, it's just a hundred views. You know, I'm sure a few people will listen to this. But my aim was always to get to one person, to at least tell one person this is what I'm thinking. And when you see it like that, in reality, it's quite harmful. I mean, what will it cost us to get a phone out, you know, record yourself for five seconds, but explaining what it is circular humor in humanism is, but that's how powerful social media is. And if you keep doing that consistently, eventually people will hear you out, and I think that's important.

James Hodgson 23:24

That's really powerful. Thank you, Tim. Before we go, we have our standard closing question. Is there something recently that you've changed your mind on and what inspired that change?

Timothy David 23:32

Oh, that's a very good question. I think before I was very much religion is you know terrible and terrible for the world, but a lot of people might not be able to function without religion itself. You know, not everybody is like me in that sense. And I understand, yes, there are harmful rhetorics that religion can bring to the world and sort of influence on others, and especially in the way it's inflicted on men and women in other countries. A lot of practices are a lot harsher. I understand that there's a lot of people in their day-to-day lives, especially in the Western world, struggle to fathom a life without religion, and they might well capitulate. So I don't judge people for believing in something because at the end of the day, the life we live is very complex. It's complex with a lot of emotions. We go through a lot of things. But I think what I am a firm believer of is allow people to be who they are, I think. So I've I've sort of taken that stance where I was like, why do you believe in religion? It's wrong to do what, just be who you are. But let me be who I am as well. So I'm a bit more lenient, let's say. Some people might still say I'm anti-religion, but still, you know, I allow people to be who they are. I understand why you believe what you believe. Do you know what I mean?

James Hodgson 24:44

That makes complete sense. Timothy David, thank you so much for joining us on Humanism Now. Listeners, please do go and follow Tim Talks on TikTok. We'll include links to everything in the show notes. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review, and why not share it with a friend? It really helps more people find the show. And you can join our growing community at co-fi forward slash humanism now pod. Timothy David, thank you so much for joining us on Humanism Now. Thank you very much, James.