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| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Taylor: Why We Podcast | 30 Dec 2023 | 01:08:15 | |
Mathew Taylor, co-host of Still Unbelievable!, returns to the podcast to discuss why we podcast.Links Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vteclimey Confessions of a YEC blog: https://confessionsofayec.wordpress.com/ "God takes the good people early” post: https://confessionsofayec.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/god-takes-the-good-people-early/ Reason Press: https://reasonpress.net/ "Still Unbelievable!” the book: https://reasonpress.net/SU1EPodcasts: Still Unbelievable! https://anchor.fm/still-unbelievable Ask An Atheist Anything https://anchor.fm/reasonpress Previous episode https://gracefulatheist.com/2019/06/20/matthew-taylor-confessions-of-a-young-earth-creationist/ Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/12/30/matthew-taylor-why-we-podcast/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Sara: Christian Humanism | 18 Dec 2023 | 01:01:45 | |
This week’s guest is Sara. Sara grew up in a Canadian Mennonite community and embraced it wholeheartedly. She was surrounded by evangelical Christianity and she thrived. As a young adult, she married and followed her husband into ministry. While he led, she helped as was expected of her. It didn’t occur to her until years later how little her own leadership skills had to be set aside. Sara’s husband started deconstructing his beliefs before she did, but as he was learning, she was also learning. Years later, she knew he’d become an atheist before he did. It wasn’t easy, but they made space for one another to learn and grow and move down their own paths. Today, Sara is a spiritual director for others and doesn’t have a specific label for herself, and it works just fine. “There’s a whole host of ways of being in the world…” Links Sara’s website https://prairiethistle.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/prairiethistle Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/12/17/sara-christian-humanism/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Jeremy Schumacher: Wellness with Jer | 16 Oct 2023 | 00:57:02 | |
This week’s guest is Jeremy Schumacher. Jeremy’s story begins in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and it was as culty as it sounds. He started questioning the beliefs when he was ten, but it took twenty more years before he was able to leave. “Two things really kept me in [Christianity] longer than I needed to stay or wanted to stay: fear of hell…and everyone I knew and interacted with was Lutheran, just not having any sense of community outside of the church…” Jeremy is currently a “licensed marriage & family therapist with additional specialties in religious trauma and sports performance.” See his complete bio here. Links Wellness With Jer https://wellnesswithjer.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithjer/ Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/10/15/jeremy-schumacher-wellness-with-jer/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Jose Ramos: Deconverted In The Pulpit | 29 Nov 2021 | 01:23:20 | |
This week’s guest is Jose Ramos, Hannah’s husband from her episode two weeks ago. Jose’s family converted to Independent Fundamentalist Baptist and his father became a pastor. They were taught that the IFB had the “pure word of God,” and it was their purpose to evangelize and change the world. Throughout his teens, Jose’s only rebellion was, “like a month partying with [his] brothers.” Later, he went to Bible College, and then started preaching. He met Hannah and took over his father’s Spanish speaking church. Studying the Bible for ministry, however, brought more questions and doubts. Over the next year, he continued preaching but knew he didn’t believe. He left the ministry and later told Hannah why. After another hard and depressive year, he knew he was agnostic. Jose gave Hannah the space to go on her own journey. They still attended church as a family, but he did not try to change her. Today, their stories can give comfort to other couples facing religious doubts and uncertainties. Jose’s honesty and vulnerability show the grace and goodness in his own human heart. No more looking forward to heaven or fearing hell, simply being present in each movement and looking for the beauty that’s found there. Recommendations Books #PaidLinks Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari https://amzn.to/3xuaddv (Also available in graphic novel form) https://amzn.to/319PbEF https://amzn.to/3E93tV2 Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari https://amzn.to/3CXUNiF Podcasts Sam Harris’ Making Sense https://www.samharris.org/ Links Hannah’s episode https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/11/14/hannah-ramos-unequally-yoked-to-deconverted/ Clergy Project https://clergyproject.org/ Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Movie Review: The Truman Show | 22 Nov 2021 | 01:06:06 | |
“Good afternoon. Good evening. And good night.” This week’s episode is a compelling discussion between David and past podcast guests Jimmy and Colin. They take a deep dive into how The Truman Show mirrors the long, painful journey of deconstruction—realizing the story you’ve been told isn’t quite what it seems, pushing back little by little, and then sometimes leaving completely, walking out the door and into the darkness. “You never had a camera in my head.” They consider it all:
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-truman-show Final scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn5kuDdeGzs Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/11/21/movie-review-the-truman-show/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Hannah Ramos: Unequally Yoked To Deconverted | 15 Nov 2021 | 01:05:18 | |
My guest this week is Hannah Ramos. Hannah grew up in an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist family, one of ten homeschooled children. Dissuaded from going to bible college, she waited for her Prince Charming. When Jose showed up to speak at her church, she knew he was “God’s choice” for her as a husband. Very early in their marriage, Jose took over as pastor of a Spanish speaking church. Everything seemed to be going according to God’s plan, until three years later when Jose admitted to Hannah that he no longer believed. Suddenly, she found herself in an unequally yoked relationship. For six years, Hannah focused on her own faith and raising their three children as believers, and they loved one other through this time. Jose supported Hannah’s faith, and Hannah had given up on changing Jose’s mind. Hannah had the space to begin to question her own faith. Her children innocently asked her to explain the Trinity, and they were not satisfied with her answers. She read through the Bible, asking, “But is this true?” She no longer could assume that it was. Finally the pat answers Hannah received no longer satisfied her, and she admitted to herself that she also no longer believed. To Jose’s amazement (and slight disbelief), Hannah revealed that she was no longer a Christian. Today, they are closer than ever, and their children are free to decide for themselves what they believe. Hannah has found a peace she did not think was possible. Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/11/14/hannah-ramos-unequally-yoked-to-deconverted/ Lars and Christie episode https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/09/26/lars-and-christie-deconverted-family/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Phil Quagliariello: PK, IFB, Emergent church and Insurrection | 08 Nov 2021 | 01:12:43 | |
My guest this week is Phil Quagliariello who blogs at Phil Q Musings. Phil grew up as a PK in Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Churches which, of course, were the one true Church. He moved around often as a kids and saw the dark side of ministry when his father was removed from a church by the board for being too “new fangled.” He went through the entirety of his education including college in Christian schools. Phil eventually found himself in Calvary Chapel churches were they were more exegetical, focused on the Bible. He got married and they both were worship leaders. Eventually, the concept of the “Emergent Church” came to their church and Phil lead the worship for that service. Unfortunately, that marriage did not last. Phil found himself seeking a church experience that was more authentic and “that did not suck.” He found a faith community that met in the basement of a bar that at first he found satisfying. Phil remarried to a women with two children. These children and the children they have together became the light of his life. Phil began to recognize the trauma of his upbringing: the fear of punishment and the fear of Hell. And he focused on being parent who does not use fear as a weapon. Phil began to seriously doubt Evangelicalism during the 2016 election. But he still hung on to the church experience until the Jan 6th election when he could no longer call himself an Evangelical, a Christian or a believer. Phil has a particularly good answer to how he finds meaning in his life. Links Phil Q Musings Blog https://philqmusings.wordpress.com/ Interact Ginna’s Episode https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/10/10/ginna-deconversion-anonymous/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Jack Robertson: Deconversion of an ADD mind | 01 Nov 2021 | 00:55:02 | |
My guest this week is Jack Robertson, host of the Musings of an ADD mind podcast. He grew up with a super Evangelical Southern Baptist mother and always went to church. As a teenager he became super religious himself until a confidant let the whole youth group know he was having sex with his girlfriend. Then he stopped going to church for a while. Then late in his 30s Jack got heavily involved in an Oklahoma City based megachurch. He read through the bible three times. But, jack always had questions. “In the Exodus story god is the bad guy, not Pharaoh. If man was created in god’s image then wicked pre-flood people that were so evil he needed to destroy the world would be a reflection of him.” Jack asks himself if he really believed or if it was his ADD hyper focus on Christianity that kept him in for so long. After a friend asked for prayer for a job interview it hit him, “how would god decide? Go with whoever had the most friends pray? The person who’s friends prayed the most? Use a prayer version of comment winner generator?” After a deep dive into Mesopotamian history he realized it was all just stories. The 2016 election and then his son coming out as bi-sexual finalized his decision. He no longer believes Links Musings of an ADD Mind https://open.spotify.com/show/0ebZTxuf9YUOrT58H4TvRK?si=DpVTS3YwSU-BuyGTEyy5lw&utm_source=copy-link Website https://www.podpage.com/musings-of-an-add-mind/ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/musngsofanaddmind/ Interact Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionJon Steingard https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/01/03/jon-steingard-the-wonder-and-the-mystery-of-being/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Mark Landes: Military, Deconversion and Humanism | 25 Oct 2021 | 01:04:50 | |
My guest this week is Mark Landes, a former Army officer who is working toward becoming a humanist chaplain. Mark grew up in the United Methodist tradition. He went to West Point and became an officer in the Army. He wanted to become an Army chaplain. Mark’s army career is a fascinating tale in itself. He was stationed in West Berlin shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then during the Gulf War he volunteered to go to Kuwait and experienced the first air raid of the Gulf War. Mark was also a gay man in the military before the time of “don’t ask don’t tell” when there were witch hunts to remove gay military members. He was investigated and removed with an “other than honorable” discharge. Understandably, Mark went through time of deep depression. To make maters worse when he returned to the states he joined a 12 step group that was in effect a group conversion therapy. It is during this dark time of his life that Mark began to question the reality of god. Through a years long process Mark deconverted eventually admitting to himself he no longer believed. Mark has since become a humanist celebrant and has made an attempt to get a Masters in Divinity to become a humanist chaplain. In this process he began his “theological anthropology” which has led him to tell his story. He now wants to get a Masters in Pastoral care and is hoping to create an “institutional chaplaincy” in the business world. This humanist journey began with him asking the question, “how can I make the world a better place?” Links Mark’s Blog https://humanistchaplainjourney.blogspot.com/Captain Cassidy https://gracefulatheist.com/2019/10/17/captain-cassidy-roll-to-disbelieve/Sasha Sagan https://gracefulatheist.com/2020/02/06/sasha-sagan-for-small-creatures-such-as-we/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/10/24/mark-landes-military-deconversion-and-humanism/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ Thanks to Logan Thomas for the new Graceful Atheist Podcast art work | |||
| Emily: Deconversion Anonymous | 18 Oct 2021 | 00:56:30 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Emily. Emily grew up in an Evangelical Free Church in the rural Midwest. She was on the Cubbies-Sparks-AWANA track. Around age 10, she became a pastor’s kid when her dad switched careers and went into ministry. Her early childhood experiences of church were fairly positive, but she struggled with severe fear of hell and the rapture from a young age. The youth group setting was horribly unsuited to a sensitive introvert like. She was miserable being forced to attend churches where she didn’t know anyone except her parents.This discomfort in Christian circles continued through college. After college, Emily spent a year in London doing a master’s degree. She immersed myself in the city’s amazing performing arts scene and met a lot of people with totally different backgrounds and beliefs to hers. That year really expanded her horizons, and when she moved back to the US, she pursued a career in performing arts administration. For the first few years after grad school, Emily wasn’t ready to reject everything and say that she didn’t believe in God, but she had no interest in going to church, praying, reading the Bible, etc. Then the 2016 election happened, and she watched with horror as Christians whom she loved and admired went all-in for Trump. At that point, her indifference turned to disgust, and she wanted nothing to do with Christianity at all. In the past 2-3 years Emily has really done the hard work of figuring out what she believes now and addressing the harm that her Christian background has caused. Emily has had to work through the baggage of purity culture as she is in her first long term relationship. Therapy with a focus on religious trauma has been helpful. Emily is discovering who she is, relish the arts and experiencing the joy of being a human being. Interact We are very excited to announce the new private Deconversion Anonymous Facebook Group. The group will be administered by Arline from episode 71. Please join us in building a community of graceful human beings. Deconversion Anonymous Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/10/17/emily-deconversion-anonymous/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ Thanks to Logan Thomas for the new Graceful Atheist Podcast art work | |||
| Ginna: Deconversion Anonymous | 11 Oct 2021 | 01:04:52 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Ginna. Ginna is a software developer in her 30’s. She went through deconversion in her 20’s after suffering depression during her college years. Even though there were Christians around her who were on medication for their depressions no one was public about it. The implied stigma kept her from reaching out for help and kept her from finding the right treatment when she did. After college she went to a ” shelter for honest questions” called L`Abri to find answers to her questions. Her questions were pointed and personal. The questions of theodicy, divine hiddenness and theological evil. She “had a really good time, but [she] didn’t get answers to the questions that [she] had.” After a brief stint in a liturgical church, which she loved, she stopped going to church and gained some perspective. She realized she could no longer believe in a god where there was no practical difference between non-existence and said god being evil. Ginna eventually received the help she needed for her mental health. She had to try multiple different doctors and therapies until she found the right combination. Today she is excited about exploring secular community and growing as a human being. Interact We are very excited to announce the new private Deconversion Anonymous Facebook Group. The group will be administered by Arline from episode 71. Please join us in building a community of graceful human beings. Deconversion Anonymous Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Full show notes with quotes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/10/10/ginna-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap92Magic Feathers and Sugar Pills https://gracefulatheist.com/2018/03/21/magic-feathers-and-suger-pills/?gaid=gap92Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap92Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap92 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Monique: Deconversion Anonymous | 04 Oct 2021 | 00:46:44 | |
My guest this week is Monique. Monique grew up a cultural Christian until the family of her boyfriend “made it known they were Southern Baptists.” She married that boyfriend and had kids. He became abusive. First psychologically, then spiritually and eventually physically. He gas lit her, told her she was not worthy and that she was not following god, and called her purity culture epithets we won't recount here. After years of isolation and spiritual abuse, Monique left after executing a cloak and dagger level plan to serve divorce papers and a restraining order simultaneously. Eventually, her kids were taken from her as he had lawyers and she did not. She was estranged from them for years. Monique went through a deconstruction and deconversion that began to give her some peace. Her youngest son reached out to her to tell her he is gay. She opened up her arms and showed grace, love and respect. She and her daughter attempted to reunite but this was ruined when the daughter took offence to a passing joke about prayer. Today, Monique is free and loving learning true things. Her and her new husband (who happens to be a believer) have respect and love for each other. Monique is telling her story to give hope to others so they may know they are not alone. Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/10/03/monique-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap91 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap91Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap91 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Lars and Christie: Deconverted family | 27 Sep 2021 | 01:08:38 | |
My guests this week are Lars, Christie, Teddy, Amy and Eleanor, a whole family who deconverted around the same time. Lars felt a sense of duty to be a Christian all his life because he believed it was true. Christie felt there was “good evidence” for parts of the Bible and accepted that the rest was true. This worked until both of them came to the conclusion there was not enough evidence to believe. During the pandemic with Church on screen rather than in person, both Lars and Christie began to feel the freedom from Church. They eventually admitted to each other that they no longer believed. A few months later they asked the kids, “do you notice anything we are not doing any longer?” To which they responded, “church.” None of them seemed to miss it too much other than friends and the snacks! Lars and Christie also share about Lars’ demi-sexuality and the difficult early conversations around sex when they were first getting married. This highlights the destructive aspects of purity culture on everyone. Today the whole family is feeling free, intellectually honest and relieved after admitting to themselves they no longer believe and stopped going to church. Links Answers To Answers In Genesis FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/answers2aig/ William Lane Craig admitting it is the witness of the holy spirit not evidence
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap90Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap90 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Graceful Atheist Solo October 2023 | 09 Oct 2023 | 00:14:55 | |
This week is a solo episode with David talking about the state of the podcast. Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/10/08/graceful-atheist-solo-october-2023/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Book Review: Scout Mindset with Jimmy | 20 Sep 2021 | 01:09:47 | |
My returning guest this week is Jimmy. Jimmy and I review Julia Galef’s book Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t. We explore the book from two lenses: Deconversion and Secular Grace. Jimmy brings an intense focus on humility, self-honesty and truth seeking to the conversation. The perfect complement to Julia’s book. Julia GalefThe best description of motivated reasoning I’ve ever seen comes from psychologist Tom Gilovich. When we want something to be true, he said, we ask ourselves, “Can I believe this?,” searching for an excuse to accept it. When we don’t want something to be true, we instead ask ourselves, “Must I believe this?,” searching for an excuse to reject it. ... In contrast to directionally motivated reasoning, which evaluates ideas through the lenses of “Can I believe it?” and “Must I believe it?,” accuracy motivated reasoning evaluates ideas through the lens of “Is it true?” Links Jimmy’s first appearance on the podcast https://gracefulatheist.com/2020/09/20/jimmy-deconversion-anonymous/ Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t https://amzn.to/3nFCKd9 Soldiers and Scouts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRC8ZgBXZw Why Buddhism is True https://amzn.to/3nGnXyM Humanist Ten Commitments https://americanhumanistcenterforeducation.org/ten-commitments Daryl Davis, who attends KKK rallies and has helped many leave: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Davis Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/09/19/book-review-scout-mindset-with-jimmy/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Sara: Deconversion Anonymous | 13 Sep 2021 | 01:18:17 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Sara. Sara is “a musician from a home of musicians.” She grew up in an Assemblies of God church in a “vibrantly faithful home.” She spent her teen years in a “cool” Southern Baptist Church. She then spent some time in Acts 29 churches and Reformed theology. To round things out she attended a Presbyterian (PCA) church. Sara started having doubts in college, but she was able to ignore them for some time. They eventually wore her down. Parenthood was the last straw. She realized she loved her son more than God loved anyone. God’s “hiddenness” was neglect that any parent could recognize. Sara had been a worship leader. This usefulness kept her in the church longer than she would have otherwise. It also contributed to her deconversion as she saw what church was like “back stage.” Now Sara writes on her blog, Former Protagonist, about her deconversion experience. She is also exploring Humanism and loving her family. Links Former Protagonist Blog https://formerprotagonist.blogspot.com/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/09/12/sara-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap88 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap88Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap88 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Joel: Deconversion Anonymous | 30 Aug 2021 | 01:10:52 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Joel. Joel grew up in the WELS Lutheran church. He met his wife at a Christian group during college. They attended a few churches, one of which was Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll’s church. Joel began to question what he had been taught. He began noticing discrepancies in scripture. He began to see the way the Church handled LGBTQ rights and the role of women was wrong. He was able to reconnect with his sister as they grieved the loss of his grandfather. He discovered that she had deconstructed as well. He began to see atheism as not just reductionist and evil but as a viable option. Today he is making his unequally yoked relationship work with mutual respect and love. And he is experiencing “absolute joy that the shackles are off.” Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/08/29/joel-deconversion-anonymous/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap87Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap87 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Stephanie: StephUp and Deconstruct | 23 Aug 2021 | 01:01:02 | |
My guest this week is Stephanie, the host of the StephUp Podcast where she “delve[s] into different topics to learn more about the world and more about ourselves.” Stephanie had me on her podcast to delve into atheism. In this episode, Stephanie describes her journey of deconstruction of Christianity, politics and conservative culture. She is focused on caring for people and shedding racism, sexism and abusive behavior within and without the Church. Stephanie lives up to the honesty contest while describing: the burden of a “relationship with God,” purity culture and being single in the Church, and her disappointments with Church leadership. Ultimately, I believe Stephanie is an important voice of change within the Church. Links StephUp Podcast https://stephuppodcast.com/ What should Dragon Do https://www.stephanieannwebb.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stephup_podcast/ Twitter https://twitter.com/steph_ann_webb My interview on the StephUp podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-about-atheism-with-the-graceful-atheist/id1527866039?i=1000530710497 Interact Jon Steingard interview https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/01/03/jon-steingard-the-wonder-and-the-mystery-of-being/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Eli: Transition and Deconstruction | 16 Aug 2021 | 00:51:14 | |
My guest this week is Eli Fuhrmler-Wheeler. Eli grew up going to Awanas at an Evangelical Free church. Eventually, he attended an Assemblies of God church and spoke in tongues. His parents forbade him from going to that church and “of course I felt they were keeping me from the gates of heaven and pulling me into hell.” Eli’s childhood was traumatic in many ways. He experienced sexual abuse, neglect, his mom was very sick her whole life, her boyfriends were abusive, his father had an antisocial personality disorder, and he lived on and off in foster homes. Eli sought the comfort of drugs and alcohol. He discovered he was a lesbian. He was told he was going to hell by his family. As an adult, he began a relationship with his now-wife. At 30 he realized he was a man and began transition. Eli has faced rejection by family and some friends. However, his gracefulness through it all has won some of them over. Eli deconstructed from Christianity through the years. He has explored various world religions including Norse Heathenry and various mystic traditions. Transition and therapy have given Eli the wholeness he deserves. Eli and his wife show unconditional love for one another. This is the relationship that Eli has experienced grace for himself. Links Secular Therapy https://www.seculartherapy.org/ Religious Trauma Institute https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/ Interact Thank you for nominating the podcast for the People’s Choice award in the Religion and Spirituality category https://www.podcastawards.com/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap85Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap85 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Jason: Deconversion Anonymous | 09 Aug 2021 | 01:10:25 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Jason, the son of a pastor. He grew up in the independent Christian Churches, an offshoot of the Church of Christ that allows music. He grew up doing “sword drills” and was a devout teenage believer. He participated in Bible memorization contests. He became a musician and participated in worship bands for years. In Jason’s young adulthood he began to question his own interpretation of the Bible. Why was bad language bad? Why the limited role of women in the church? How could a loving god send people to Hell? Eventually, the disparity between the idea of a loving god and the reality of the world and the suffering of innocent children led to his deconversion. Jason’s wife is still a believer though they both deconstructed from Evangelicalism and started participating in an Episcopal church. They are making an “unequally yoked” relationship work based on love, equality and mutual respect. Links Captain Cassidy interview https://gracefulatheist.com/2019/10/17/captain-cassidy-roll-to-disbelieve/?gaid=gap84 Roll To Disbelieve https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rolltodisbelieve/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/08/08/jason-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap84 Deconversion Anonymous https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap84Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap84Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap84 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Geoffrey Wallis: A Voice From Inside | 02 Aug 2021 | 00:57:44 | |
My guest this week is Geoffrey Wallis, author of A Voice From Inside: Notes on Religious Trauma in a Captive Organization. Geoffrey is Physically In but Mentally Out (PIMO) of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. After recognizing the religious trauma and the cognitive dissonance he was experiencing he found help through therapy. He remains within the Watchtower organization because it is a “captive organization” which enforces shunning by family members and friends. Geoffrey’s book, A Voice From Inside: Notes on Religious Trauma in a Captive Organization, is an evenhanded look at life inside a High Demand Religious Group. Geoffrey shows Secular Grace in his documenting his personal experience. It is incredibly well written and interesting to read. Links A Voice From Inside: Notes on Religious Trauma in a Captive Organization https://amzn.to/3BRvmjv Website https://www.wallisbooks.com/ Interact Nominate and Vote for the Graceful Atheist Podcast on the Podcast Awards https://www.podcastawards.com/app/nominationsDeconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap83Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap83 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| David: That's Questionable | 26 Jul 2021 | 00:54:04 | |
My guest this week is David. David is the son and grandson of pastors. He does has have good memories of growing up in the church and he credits his parents with restraint. As an adult, he became more fundamentalist. He was a Southern Baptist and went through a very strong Calvinist phase. David taught apologetics classes. He delved into apologetics to qualm his own questions. But teaching apologetics on topics like the Trinity led to more doubt not less. It was a re-read through the Bible where he began to recognize the god of the Bible is not a loving one. The full implications of Reformed theology began to have horrifying implications. Ultimately, David deconverted and now calls himself agnostic. Today David is the co-host of the That’s Questionable podcast Links Website http://thatsquestionable.net/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thatsquestionablepodcast/ Twitter https://twitter.com/thatsquestiona1 Interact Nominate and Vote for the Graceful Atheist Podcast on the Podcast Awards https://www.podcastawards.com/app/nominations Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/07/25/david-thats-questionable/?gaid=gap82 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap82Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap82 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Daniel Kelly: When Belief Dies | 19 Jul 2021 | 01:17:15 | |
My guest this week is Daniel Kelly, the new co-host of When Belief Dies. Daniel began as a Charismatic Christian, moved to an Orthodox Christian church, and eventually was at a Bible church that preached through every verse in the bible. Daniel was a dedicated Christian working in a Christian non-profit helping those with disabilities. His mother had MS when he grew up so he was focused on helping his family through difficult times and did not always get to be a kid. Daniel’s feminism and belief in the humanity of the LGBTQ community led to moral objections to some of the harder Biblical passages that do not uphold the humanity and full autonomy of everyone. His serious investigations into theology and the Bible were some of the early seeds that led to deconversion. The grief Daniel experienced leaving the faith and the loss were profound. He lost his faith, his community, the health of his relationship and on top of that the pandemic hit. He was isolated and alone. He experienced “Hell Anxiety” and worried he was a “vessel of wrath.” The first year after deconversion was one of the most difficult of his life. He made it through and today he is the co-host of the When Belief Dies podcast. He is building healthy relationships and restoring family relations. He is experiencing the freedom to love people unconditionally. Links When Belief Dies Podcast https://whenbeliefdies.com/ Recovering From Religion https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ Secular Therapy https://www.seculartherapy.org/ Interact Sam and Daniel interview me https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/05/23/sam-and-daniel-interview-david-ames-the-graceful-atheist/?gaid=gap81 Daniel and I interview Sam https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-belief-dies-bonus-inquisition-daniel-kelly-david/id1516058806?i=1000522850337 Tris Mamone’s Finding Faith in Secular Grace https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/finding-faith-in-secular-graceDeconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap81Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap81 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Thomas: Deconversion Anonymous | 12 Jul 2021 | 01:29:31 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Thomas. Thomas is a Missionary Kid. He was very close to his mother who passed away in her 40s when he was in middle school. Thomas went through real depression for years after losing his mother and losing his faith. We discuss the hardships of grieving a loved one without comforting beliefs. He went through bouts of self-medication including being immersed in the massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft. Thomas went on to become a professional scientist. The meditative nature of running was helpful. He also discovered actual meditation gave him peace. A rich and varied diet of podcasts also helped him along the way. He says he now experiences real joy that was only promised to him as a Christian. Interact Nominate and Vote for the Graceful Atheist Podcast on the Podcast Awards https://www.podcastawards.com/app/nominations Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/07/11/thomas-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap80 Deconversion Anonymous https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap80 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap80Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap80 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Mandi: Deconversion from Messianic Judaism | 02 Oct 2023 | 01:11:22 | |
This week’s guest is Mandi. Mandi grew up in a mixed Jewish and Christian home, attending a Messianic temple. She loved every minute of it as a kid and cherishes her memories. In high school and as a young adult, though, she began to ask questions, and as we’ve seen in religion time and time again, her questions were dismissed. After incredible and full years of life—moving to Israel, returning to Georgia, joining an Orthodox Jewish community, getting married, and having children—she identifies as an agnostic atheist. “It’s been so good for my mental health, to not believe, to stop praying.” Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/10/01/mandi-deconversion-from-messianic-judaism/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Vanessa: Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome | 28 Jun 2021 | 01:12:05 | |
My guest this week is Vanessa. She describes herself as “born into a large family of fire and brimstone preaching, bible beating, in-tongues-speaking Christians in the Pentecostal Church of God faith tradition.” Her father, her grandfather, and her great grandfather all were pastors of her home church. She began to doubt at a fairly young age and discovered she no longer believed in god in her college years. As a non-believer, she married her believing husband. Recently being unequally yoked has become a discussion point as they negotiate how to raise their daughter. Vanessa is grateful she can be present for her daughter in a way she did receive when she was young. We discuss unequally yoked marriage, secular parenting, and post-traumatic church syndrome. Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/06/27/vanessa-post-traumatic-church-disorder/?gaid=gap79 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to?gaid=gap79/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap79 Support the podcast Via Anchor.fm and Stripe Via Paypal: paypal.me/gracefulatheist | |||
| Chris Highland: Friendly Freethinker | 21 Jun 2021 | 01:15:08 | |
My guest this week is Chris Highland. Chris is an author of over a dozen books, he was a Protestant minister for 14 years and an Interfaith (collaborative, open-minded, inclusive) chaplain for 25 years. Currently a Humanist celebrant, he has a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Seattle Pacific University and an M.Div. from San Francisco Theological Seminary. My highest compliment to Chris is that he has been doing Secular Grace for most of his life. Chris shares his love of nature and beauty. We discuss humanism, nature and loving believing spouses. Links Friendly Freethinker Blog https://chighland.com/ Clergy Project https://clergyproject.org/ Why I am not an angry evangelical atheist https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rationaldoubt/2019/02/why-im-not-an-angry-evangelical-atheist-part-1/ Do we have to choose between aggressive religion and aggravated atheism? Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap78Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap78 Books Nature Is Enough https://amzn.to/3qnp1XX From Faith to Freedom https://amzn.to/2TLEjcK Attribution Additional music Dakar Flow – Carmen María and Edu Espinal "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Travis: Measure of Faith | 14 Jun 2021 | 01:01:10 | |
My guest this week is Travis. Travis documented his deconstruction on the blog measureoffaith.blog. There Travis has documented his journey from a questioning but dedicated Christian to a doubting agnostic. He delves into the apologetics that was supposed to give him comfort but ultimately led to the loss of faith. This is one of the more emotionally raw episodes. Travis opens up about his grief at the loss of his beloved father. His dad was an example of faith well lived and it had a profound impact on Travis. We discuss what secular grief is like after one no longer can be comforted by belief in life after death. I have been feeling a little conflicted putting this information out there that can potentially help people lose faith because it was so important to someone like my dad. It makes me question whether I really want to be a participant for taking that away from someone. These days Travis feels like he has said what he needed to say on the blog. His compassion and empathy is evident in that he is more concerned with caring for the people in his life than endlessly debating apologetics and counter-apologetics. Links https://measureoffaith.blog/ Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap77Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap77 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Amy Rath: NoneLife | 07 Jun 2021 | 01:12:09 | |
My guest this week is Amy Rath, the host of the NoneLife podcast. NoneLife is dedicated to all those who check “None of the above” for a religious category and who do not feel comfortable being categorized any other way. The podcast is inspiring us all to do good in the world and to live an ethical life. I’m Amy, and I’m a “none.” A what? Well, it took a lot of searching for me to find this term, but it fits perfectly. A “none” is someone who doesn’t belong to any particular religion. There are likely as many reasons for being a “none” as there are individuals, so we’re a hard group to label. Nones might be atheists, agnostics, former-members-of religions, humanists, etc. etc. etc. Amy grew up a dedicated Catholic and was “all in.” In her late teens and early twenties she felt better “just not believing in anything.” In 2019 she discovered the term “None” as in “None of the above” and had a sense of “coming home.” “Finally there is a name for what I am.” She had found her people. Amy started the NoneLife podcast so that others could discover this sense of finding themselves sooner. She has become an important and inspiring voice for Nones the world over. Links Website https://nonelife.org/ PechaKucha presentation https://www.pechakucha.com/presentations/practicing-decency Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/06/06/amy-rath-nonelife/?gaid=gap76Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap76Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap76 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Reverend Bones: Escape From Heaven | 31 May 2021 | 01:20:36 | |
My guest this week is Michael, AKA Reverend Bones. Michael is an Australian singer/songwriter whose latest album Escape From Heaven is about his faith transition out of Evangelicalism. Michael talks openly and honestly about how purity culture affected him and the religious trauma it produced. Michael is now a climate activist and anti-purity culture activist. Michael uses his TicTok presence to speak out on these topics as well as the need for separation of church and state. Links Website https://www.reverendbones.com/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@reverend_bones Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reverend_bones Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ITRWlI5YToDcwA1o7SdRi Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/05/30/michael-escape-from-heaven/?gaid=gap75 If you are interested in producing music for the Graceful Atheist Podcast, the sound I am looking for has a strong baseline and beat with gospel church organ, potentially with R&B or Gospel vocal samples. Here is a playlist to inspire you to Gospel R&B Beats. Get in touch. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/27qcj0QlDP23O7SzQKaAUL Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap75Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap75 Attribution Music by Reverend Bones from Escape From Heaven "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| David Ames: Graceful Atheist interviewed by Sam and Daniel | 24 May 2021 | 01:38:03 | |
This week I am being interviewed by Sam and Daniel from the When Belief Dies podcast. The focus is on what I have changed my mind about since beginning work in the secular community. We discuss the following topics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mtOgkvIqJU Music If you are interested in producing music for the Graceful Atheist Podcast, the sound I am looking for has a strong baseline and beat with gospel church organ, potentially with R&B or Gospel vocal samples. Here is a playlist to inspire you to Gospel R&B Beats. Get in touch. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/27qcj0QlDP23O7SzQKaAUL?si=d4fad72b30c64c94 Links When Belief Dies https://whenbeliefdies.com/ https://linktr.ee/whenbeliefdies Full show notes with much more https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/05/23/sam-and-daniel-interview-david-ames-the-graceful-atheist/?gaid=gap74 Attribution Photo graphic design by Logan Thomas, Beyond Belief "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Caroline Schwabe: My Beautiful Cyborg | 17 May 2021 | 01:30:35 | |
I begin every streaming interview with a question, “Hi, can you hear me?” Never has an affirmative answer to such a mundane question been so profound as it was with this week’s guest, Caroline Schwabe. Caroline had progressive hearing loss and eventually could no longer speak on the phone even with hearing aids. Almost by accident, she was referred to a Cochlear implant program in Canada during a routine hearing test. January 28, 2018, was her last deaf day. She has been on a three-year journey of rediscovery after receiving a Cochlear implant. Along with her husband, Andreas, Caroline co-hosts a podcast called My Beautify Cyborg about her Cochlear implant journey. It describes the hopes and fears leading up to surgery and the joy and rediscovery after turning on the implant. Caroline’s gratitude and joy is infectious and comes through in each episode. Caroline and Andreas had experienced major disappointments and hurts from the Church. At the same time, she was going through the implant process, both she and her husband were slowly leaving the Church. If not a full-blown deconstruction, they have been asking very hard questions and wrestling with the answers. This episode is unique in that there are two parallel stories: one of regaining hearing and one of questioning one’s faith. Podcasts have played an outsized role in Caroline’s rediscovery of hearing and language recognition, including this one. Links My Beautiful Cyborg https://mybeautifulcyborg.com/ Links for Cochlear implant information https://mybeautifulcyborg.com/links/ Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap73Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap73 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Brette: Deconversion Anonymous | 10 May 2021 | 01:01:44 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Brette. Brette was so serious about her Christianity in junior high her goal was martyrdom. In her young adulthood, she followed her pastor’s advice and attended Master’s Commission, similar to a discipleship training program. Her experience there was nothing short of psychological torture. Her faith began breaking down as did her physical and psychological health at Master’s Commission. It included deliverance sessions and enumerating her demons. It wasn’t until she saw her younger brother being treated poorly that she began to question. She and her brother left: “leaving was the BEST feeling!” After a brief stint in “spiritual but not religious” land, she finally admitted she no longer believed in god. She let go of “trying to make it be true.” Brette has since discovered naturalistic and psychological explanations of her experiences that have given her more closure and comfort. Interact Sam (When Belief Dies) GoFundMe for a laptop https://gofund.me/9bed67a7 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap72Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap72Deconversion Anonymous https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap72 Attribution Picture by Brette’s daughter A. "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Arline: Deconversion Anonymous | 03 May 2021 | 01:04:27 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Arline. Arline became a Christian in early adulthood. She went to a Christian college where she met her now-husband. Her faith tradition was a severe version of Calvinism. She taught complementarianism. The roles allowed for women and complementarianism were not a good fit for Arline’s inquisitive personality. Her husband went through an emotional deconversion first. Arline did not take this as well as she would now like. Alongside this was the long slow deterioration of her mother’s health. She slowly began to deconstruct. First by exploring other versions of Christianity. Eventually exploring other faith traditions including meditation from a Buddhist perspective. In short. she was letting her curiosity and intelligence explore all the areas of interest that were previously prohibited. In the end, for her own personal intellectual integrity, she admitted to herself she no longer believed. She has since discovered natural human habits that have helped her far more than her faith ever had. Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap71Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap71 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Bonus: Janice Selbie and Conference on Religious Trauma 2021 | 30 Apr 2021 | 00:18:46 | |
Janice Selbie on the Conference on Religious Trauma (CORT) The Conference on Religious Trauma (#CORT) online May 11 to 16, 2021 Links Conference on Religious Trauma https://pheedloop.com/CORT/site/home/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cometocort Face Book https://www.facebook.com/ConferenceOnReligiousTrauma Godless Moms Podcast https://www.godlessmom.com/podcast Friends of the podcast presenting at CORT
https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/04/29/?gaid=cort2021 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=cort2021Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=cort2021 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Jordon: Mennonite to Philosopher | 25 Sep 2023 | 00:58:04 | |
This week’s guest is Jordon. Jordon comes from a long family line of Mennonites but Jordon was bookish and musical and never quite fit in. He grew up in the church, but with two older brothers already having left the church, by 21 he was also out. He’d never had a television, gone to public school, or really knew anything beyond the small bubble he was in. University changed all of that. “The sense of community I was getting from the friendships I was making outside of these church communities…was really kind of gratifying.” Over years of therapy and some world-traveling, Jordon has come to terms with his upbringing. He’s found fulfillment as a professor, discussing philosophy with students and continuing to learn and grow. Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/09/24/jordon-mennonite-to-philosopher/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Michael Marvosh: Conversations That Matter | 26 Apr 2021 | 01:27:20 | |
My guest this week is Michael Marvosh. Michael is the podcast host of Dead Man’s Forest and is working on his book Reality Knows the Truth: The Art and Artifice of Being Human. Michael and I discuss what it means to be human and the human experience of spirituality. Michael tells us his deconversion story that he no longer sees as deconversion. He describes his rediscovery of a rational spirituality. Michael and I hit a broad range of conversation topics including having conversations that matter, models vs reality, A.I., Death Cafes, vision quests, blind spots and podcasting. It was truly a conversation that mattered. Links Contact Michael mm@michaelmarvosh.com Website https://www.michaelmarvosh.com/projectsDead Man’s Forest https://www.deadmansforest.org/ Reality Knows the Truth: The Art and Artifice of Being Human About Rational Spirituality–a way of looking at the world with a balance between ancient wisdom and modern reason. https://michael.ck.page/d36a3d2338 Death Cafe https://deathcafe.com/ Interact Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap70Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap70 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Sarah: Christian Nationalism, Complementarianism and Deconstruction | 19 Apr 2021 | 01:08:45 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Sarah. Sarah says she may have one of the “longest deconstruction stories. She grew up in a fundamentalist Baptist church in an area where there were not that many Baptist churches. So she felt different from an early age. She was constantly attempting to live in the “will of God” but struggled to determine what that was. She knew from an early age that she was a doubter which equates to “backslider.” Sarah was never comfortable with the limited roles allowed for women in the Church. Fortunately, her mother encouraged her to do and become whatever she wanted. Sarah was smart and interested in science. Studying science and biology did not fit the Young Earth Creationism she was taught at church. Sarah and her husband were the one couple who were egalitarian while the young married couples group were all complementarian. Sarah was vocal about her thoughts on complemntarianism. Sarah spent a long time outside the United States. When she returned to the United States she was shocked by the Christian Nationalism she heard from the pulpit. Rachael Held Evens, Mike McHargue and David Hayward helped Sarah through her deconstruction. Today post-deconstruction she is interested in finding her “deconstructing friends” in real life. Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/04/18/sarah-deconstruction-anonymous/?gaid=gap69 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap69Deconversion Anonymous https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap69Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap69 Promotions Conference on Religious Trauma https://pheedloop.com/CORT/site/home/ #ReligionShouldntHurt https://www.instagram.com/religion.shouldnt.hurt/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Carly: Christian Science Deconversion | 12 Apr 2021 | 01:04:30 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Carly. Carly shares her story with a great deal of vulnerability and emotion. Carly was a Christian Scientist. While studying philosophy and the Bible Carly was introduced to Christian Science. She was impressed with its logical arguments and internal consistency. Carly was more evangelistic than the church she attended. She wanted to use the Christian Science reading room during SXSW as an outreach. She was shot down. When she pointed out that prohibited alcohol would be consumed by renting the space out she was shot down again. The juxtaposition of what Christian Science promised and the reality of life led her to doubt. Carly eventually found what she was looking for in more secular matters like work, exercise and therapy. Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/04/11/carly-christian-science-deconversion/?gaid=gap68 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap68Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap68Deconversion Anonymous https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap68 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Rachael Parsons Svendsen Deconversion not so Anonymous | 05 Apr 2021 | 01:09:13 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion not so Anonymous episode. My guest this week is Rachael Parsons Svendsen. Rachael is a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor at RCPS Therapy. Rachael became a Christian at three years old. She went to Biola University and studied philosophy. Later in life, she experienced the effects of Religious Trauma: just setting foot in a Church she would break down in tears. Honesty is an important value for Rachael and part of what led her to deconversion. She talks about the difficulty of relationships with believers in her life while attempting to maintain honesty. Rachael and I investigate the experience of cognitive dissonance and religious trauma. We discuss the importance of the Easter story to Western thought, what is like to parent post-deconversion and the loss of the (false) sense of control after deconversion when difficult life events occur. Rachael points out that she does not have it all together post-deconversion. We agree we are all winging it. Links RCPS Therapy https://rcpstherapy.com/ Small Words Big Stories https://www.instagram.com/smallwords_bigstories/ Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap67Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/secular-grace/?gaid=gap67Adverse Religious Experiences https://gracefulatheist.com/category/adverse-religious-experiences/?gaid=gap67 Promos Religion Shouldn’t Hurt https://www.instagram.com/religion.shouldnt.hurt/Conference on Religious Trauma https://pheedloop.com/CORT/site/home/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Mike T: Deconversion Anonymous | 29 Mar 2021 | 01:15:24 | |
This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode. My guest this week is G.A.P. editor, Mike T. Mike grew up in the South and went to a Catholic church. Everyone in the South went to one church or another and this was just in the background for Mike. After a charismatic Evangelical friend encouraged him he began to explore charismatic churches. The big draw was the opportunity to play music, his life-long passion. Later in life, married with kids, he had normal financial stresses in his life. When he compared the reality of both his life and the life of those around him to the promises of his more material success-oriented faith tradition he could not help but question. When a financial advisor suggested he hold off on his charitable giving, the mandated tithe, he expected consequences. Those consequences never occurred. Things were not adding up. His first mistake was doing research on evangelists that would come to town. These fantastical claims must have generated news stories somewhere, right? His second mistake was re-reading the bible (and Bart Ehrman). Eventually, he discovered science and a new way of determining what is true. His faith fell apart. Mike is the editor of the Graceful Atheist Podcast. Beyond editing, Mike wants to start a local community for those who are going through doubt, deconstruction and deconversion. Music continues to be the great passion of his life. Links Clergy Project https://clergyproject.org/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/03/28/mike-t-deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap66 Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap66Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap66Deconversion Anonymous episodes https://gracefulatheist.com/category/podcast/deconversion-anonymous/?gaid=gap66 Attribution "Dawg Biscuits on the Moon" and "Restless Regions" John Monson and the Galaxy Brothers "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Ian Redfearn: Meaning Making | 22 Mar 2021 | 01:17:08 | |
My guest this week is Ian Redfearn. Ian deconverted over 12 years ago. Since then he has continued to obsess over his deconversion. He is still asking the why? and how? questions. Ian is concerned with the deep questions of life and continuing to find ways to make meaning. Ian has experienced the full force of the chaotic world we live in. His 24-year-old son has Cystic Fibrosis which is particularly frightening during an airborne pandemic. His father is experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease. All of this is happening during the time of Covid 19. In spite of the difficulties of life, Ian has a joy and a sense of purpose. He is a committed father, husband, son, and community member. He takes time to wonder at the beauty in the world. He recognizes that relationships are what give us our most valued meaning in life. He is now attending the Manchester Sunday Assembly and becoming an active member of the Secular community. Links Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ian.redfearn1/ Sunday Assembly Manchester https://www.facebook.com/sunassemblymcr Zoom 11 am (GMT) Sunday mornings https://zoom.us/j/2472709402 What is your favorite #DeconversionSong? Music is important to Ian and it influenced his deconversion and how he talks and feels about it now. See the full show notes link below to find Ian's deconversion-related musical recommendations including Spotify and YouTube links. Use the hashtag #DeconversionSong to tell us your favorite deconversion song. Interact Full Show Notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/03/21/?gaid=gap65ian-redfearn-meaning-making/Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap65Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap65 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Leah Helbling: Women Beyond Faith | 15 Mar 2021 | 01:01:22 | |
My guest this week is Leah Helbling. Leah is the host of the Women Beyond Faith podcast and an incredibly important voice in the secular community. Leah has a long history of secular community building. Post-deconversion she started a chapter of Women Beyond Belief. She now is a team leader of Bart Campolo‘s Cincinnati Caravan. “Leah is often referred to as ‘The Great Connector‘” Leah and I discuss the gift of being present when someone tells their deconversion story. Leah shares her deconversion story which includes overcoming the purity culture and complementarianism of Evangelicalism. It also includes the unwelcoming atmosphere in the secular community for women and what she is doing about it. We talk about podcasting and what motivates us to do the work. Finally, we talk about building secular community. Links Women Beyond Faith https://womenbeyondfaith.buzzsprout.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenbeyondfaith Instagram https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondfaith/ Cincinnati Caravan https://www.cincinnaticaravan.org/ Recovering From Religion https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ Search for secular community on meetup.com https://www.meetup.com/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/03/14/leah-helbling-women-beyond-faith/?gaid=gap64Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap64Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap64 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Anna Hummel: YWAM, DTS and Deconversion | 08 Mar 2021 | 01:05:39 | |
My guest this week is Anna Hummel. Anna became a Christian at 16 after growing up in a nominal culturally German Christian home. She was attracted to the community, the love of the people and the sense of belonging. Before long she found herself at a Youth With A Mission Discipleship Training School where things were a bit more intense. At DTS Anna began to have Adverse Religious Experiences. The cumulative stress and lack of privacy began to wear on her. She had trauma around the fear of Hell both for her loved ones and for herself. It was not until she got home and experienced the Secular Grace of her non-Christian friends, that she recognized the harm she was experiencing and the loss of her normally care-free attitude. Today Anna has compassion, understanding and Secular Grace for those who succumb to the peer pressure of conformity to the group. She wants people to experience the freedom from religious trauma that she now thrives in. Links Secular Therapy Project https://www.seculartherapy.org/ Religious Trauma Institute https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/ Interact Deconversion How To https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap63Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/secular-grace/?gaid=gap63You are not broken, you are human https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/12/06/you-are-not-broken-you-are-human/?gaid=gap63 Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/03/07/anna-hummel-ywam-dts-deconversion/?gaid=gap63 Attribution "You Are Not Alone" image Anna Hummel "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Brian Blais: Bayes vs Apologetics | 01 Mar 2021 | 01:20:03 | |
My guest this week is Brian Blais, professor at Bryant University and IBNS, Brown University. He is the author of A Measure of Faith – Probability in Religious Thought and Statistical Inference For Everyone. Brian is an expert in Bayes’ Theorem and how it applies to philosophy, theology, and apologetics. In this episode, I take the restraints off myself and express the reasons why I think apologetics is faulty. Brian is the perfect guest for this. We bounce ideas off one another to articulate good epistemology. We discuss how mathematics and Bayes can be abused by injecting unstated information which changes the probabilities and ultimately the conclusions one comes to. We also discuss how beliefs have consequences. The current rash of conspiracy theories has had real-world effects. Brian explains how decision theory can be used to make difficult choices. Links Brian’s website https://bblais.github.io/ Twitter https://twitter.com/bblais Statistical Inference For Everyone (Free Version) https://bblais.github.io/posts/2019/Jan/14/stats-for-everyone/ Amazon Version https://amzn.to/2O2onzQA Measure of Faith: Probability in Religious Thought https://amzn.to/37QzEKt Bayes’ Theorem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayes%27_theorem The Monty Hall Problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem Interact Full Show Notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/02/28/brian-blais-bayes-vs-apologetics/?gaid=gap62 Deconversion How To https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Critique of Apologetics https://gracefulatheist.com/critique-of-apologetics/Apologetics Epistemology and Moving On https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/10/02/apologetics-epistemology-and-moving-on/ Previous episodes referred to in this episode https://gracefulatheist.com/2020/10/04/randal-rauser-conversation-with-my-inner-atheist/ https://gracefulatheist.com/2020/11/01/ian-mills-new-testament-review/ https://gracefulatheist.com/2020/11/15/barrett-evans-the-contemplative-skeptic/ Attribution Transition Music and Dawg Biscuits on the moon John Monson and the Brothers Galaxy "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Makaih_Beats Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/< | |||
| CG: African Polymath | 22 Feb 2021 | 01:21:14 | |
CG grew up in strict religious home in Nigeria, where everything was banned except Christian media. His family was heavily influenced by the Pentecostal Word-Of- Faith/Prosperity movement. CG attended a tyrannical, authoritarian, and punitive college in Nigeria. CG, later on, moved to London, UK. In London, he saw that the world was bigger than the Christian bubble that he had been raised in his whole life. He attended a popular charismatic church where he met people from different cultures, beliefs, and denominations. However, some of his friends challenged his Word-Of-Faith/Prosperity beliefs. He started theological beliefs started changing as a result. CG, subsequently, moved to the USA to get a graduate degree at a Christian college. He lived in the American south where, as an immigrant, he felt isolated and disconnected from the Christian culture around him. This drove him to a personal intellectual journey, where he spent hours reading books, listening to podcasts, and watching videos. After graduating with his master’s degree, CG came to the point where he could not ignore the damage that Christianity was inflicting on his mental health and personal development. He realised that he had to choose between completely losing his sanity & freedom by remaining a slave to religion or abandoning his beliefs and accepting his freedom/autonomy. A few days later, he became an Agnostic, and, subsequently, an Atheist. CG has been on the path of freedom, healing, and recovery ever since. He is deconstructing sexual shame, self-hatred, misogyny, white supremacy, colonization, and western imperialism (and other forms of injustice). He also seeks to heal the havoc that religion has inflicted in Nigeria (and other African countries) through evangelism, cultural imperialism, and colonization. Religion, significantly, contributes to the apathy and passivity of Nigerians, which prevents them from fighting for their freedom and justice. CG is very passionate about humanism. He believes humanism is what our generation needs to help make the world (especially Africa) a better place. He is an existential humanist, a cosmopolitan humanist, and a planetary humanist. He believes that humanists need to have freedom (autonomy), humility, compassion, hope, love for learning, curiosity, and open- mindedness. Links African Polymath Blog https://africanpolymath.wordpress.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AfricanPolymath Reading list and resources https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/193EJcKRNIxAftLb6daW9f_blMaJ2QwrQ?usp=sharing Email AfricanPolymath@gmail.com Interact Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/deconversion/?gaid=gap61Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/secular-grace/?gaid=gap61Graceful Atheist Podcast https://gracefulatheist.com/podcast/?gaid=gap61 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Makaih_Beats Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ | |||
| Nora: MK to the USA | 18 Sep 2023 | 01:07:32 | |
This week’s guest is Nora. Nora grew up in Argentina, the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, and Argentina still has her heart. When Nora was in middle school, her father believed God wanted him to become a missionary to the US. The family’s move to California was all loss, culture shock, and homesickness for Nora. Between church doctrine on divorce, enduring an abusive marriage, Christian Nationalism, and questions that kept coming, Nora stayed in Christianity as long as she could stand it. She truly tried to make it all work. “I did it on my own…I can say, for sure, God was not there for me, not emotionally, not spiritually, obviously not practically.”Nora is now “allergic to spirituality.” She’s an atheist, no longer needing any god or religion to dictate her life. She lives out secular grace, aligning her life with her deepest values. Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/09/17/nora-mk-to-the-usa/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ | |||
| Troy Moore-Heart: Y'all Means All | 15 Feb 2021 | 01:06:31 | |
My guest this week is Troy Moore-Heart. Troy grew up in an Evangelical family in Texas and described his childhood self as a “true-believing born-again Christian” who was baptized by his father at 6 in his grandmother’s church. Troy experienced religious trauma, the natural childhood fears given the purported reality of a spiritual realm all around him. Later in life, when he acknowledged his sexuality he “fervently believed [he] was going to hell.” When he eventually came out to his family he needed to put up healthy boundaries. Troy started to call himself an agnostic and not an atheist for fear of losing his relationship with his family. After marrying as an adult, he came to terms with his religious trauma and anti-queer shame. He discovered secular humanism as “an ideological and moral home.” Today, troy calls himself a progressive humanist, and he is focused on transformative justice. He is becoming a humanist celebrant. He supports projects like the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Y’all Means All and the Trevor Project. Troy also supports the thriving secular therapy community that is growing around trauma-informed therapy, including the Religious Trauma Institute and the Reclamation Collective. Troy requests that you consider signing the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Y’all Means All” pledge. “It’s become a galvanizing slogan to promote LGBTQ inclusion and advocacy in rural Southern communities.” Links Instagram https://www.instagram.com/troy.moore.heart/Y’all Means All http://www.yallmeansall.comThe Trevor Project https://www.thetrevorproject.org/Religious Trauma Institute https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/Reclamation Collective https://www.reclamationcollective.com/American Humanist Association https://americanhumanist.org/ Interact Full show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/02/14/troy-moore-heart-yall-means-all/Deconversion How To https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Makaih_Beats Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ | |||
| Meir-Simchah: On Orthodox Judaism | 08 Feb 2021 | 01:33:00 | |
My guest this week is Meir-Simchah. Meir-Simchah Panzer lives in Jerusalem with his wife and their four children. He co-hosts the podcasts Two Christians And A Jew, with Frank M. Taylor and Dr. Jennifer Brown Jones, where the team dives into how Christians and Jews read the Hebrew Scriptures differently and what difference it makes for our lives, and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan where ordinary objects become portals into the history, ideas, and existential mystery behind them. Formerly, he co-hosted Holy Madness – The Show, with Tzvi Zucker. Meir-Simchah is a student of Rabbi Matis Weinberg. He is a co-founder and executive at Ohalecha Arts and Events Center; he writes essays, poems, and stories; and he teaches the Hebrew language and Hebrew Scriptures for individuals and groups. Meir and I discuss his work on Two Christians and Jew, how he interacts with the Christians, what he actually thinks about Jesus and the NT, and the influence of secular Judaism on secular humanism. Links Two Christians and a Jew http://twochristiansandajew.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/MeirSimchah Facebook Two Christians and a Jew discussion group https://www.facebook.com/groups/215152216739045Artifact page https://www.facebook.com/ArtifactPodcastArtifact discussion group https://www.facebook.com/groups/397213411493038 Email meirsimchah@gmail.com. Interact Full show notes and book recommendations https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/02/07/meir-simchah-on-orthodox-judaism/ Rate and Review the Graceful Atheist Podcast Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/graceful-atheist-podcast-1136736Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Attribution “Waves” track written and produced by Makaih Beats Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike | |||
| Alice Greczyn: Wayward - Spiritual Warfare & Sexual Purity | 01 Feb 2021 | 01:18:22 | |
My returning guest this week is Alice Greczyn. Alice has written a new memoir called Wayward: Spiritual Warfare & Sexual Purity. In it, Alice tells the harrowing story of growing up in an Evangelical family that attempted to live by faith. They moved from place to place believing the “Lord would provide.” Alice describes it as being “homeless.” Alice came of age under the oppressive sexual and purity mores of the “Kiss Dating Goodbye” era. She tells the story of being shamed while on a mission trip to India for being “flirty.” As an adult in her 20s, in a desperate but final act of faith, Alice tests God. God fails. And Alice begins the difficult process of letting go of faith. This is a dark time of panic attacks, depression, and self-harm. With the help of secular therapy and the discovery of the term, Religious Trauma Syndrome, Alice began her recovery process. She studied the science of faith, neurotheology, and began to understand herself and those around her who still believed. In this new freedom, she rebuilt her life reclaiming her autonomy and discovering what real love feels like. On top of being an author, Alice is an advocate for those questioning their faith. Her organization, Dare to Doubt, is a resource for those who are no longer satisfied with their faith tradition’s explanations and demands. Links Wayward: Spiritual Warfare & Sexual Purity Limited supply of signed copies https://www.alicegreczyn.com/wayward-limited-signed-copy Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1632993546/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1632993546&linkCode=as2&tag=gracefula-20&linkId=cce5b264f1fe651344a691f03654a7f5 Dare To Doubt https://www.daretodoubt.org/ Interact Alice’s first appearance on the Graceful Atheist Podcast https://gracefulatheist.com/2019/07/25/alice-greczyn-dare-to-doubt/ Full Show Notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2021/01/31/alice-greczyn-wayward/ Rate and Review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/graceful-atheist-podcast-1136736 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Makaih_Beats Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ | |||
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