Knowing & Believing

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. In this conversation I kinda found my doppelgänger...It was a really good conversation.

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Tim was the 3rd person to respond. So we sat down for a chat. Tim knows his stuff and handed over a lot of “nuggets”, thanks Tim!

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Ryan was the second person to respond. So we sat down for a chat.

So I posted an ad on craigslist asking anyone to come and sit down and chat about what they believe. Aviv was the first to respond...so we did chat and it was good.

I recently sat down with my good friend Jonathan Leonardo to discuss his faith that has both grown and simplified over the past few years. We have both grown up in the adventist system of belief...my faith has all but vanished while Jonathan's has seemingly deepened.

We recently got the chance to sit down with Science Mike, aka Mike McHargue, in his studio in Los Angeles California. We asked him about everything from his new book to spiritual experiences, determinism, dissociative disorder, Dyson spheres, Autism Spectrum Disorder to deconstruction regrets and so on. Mike has one of the most unique perspectives on faith and the human experience that I have ever encountered and it was a real treat to get to speak with him one on one.

In this episode of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Brenda Johnson, Pastor at the Saco Seventh Day Adventist Church to discuss her experience leading a congregation within an institution that does not freely ordain women. The conversation focuses on the challenges and unique opportunities presented in such an environment, while also discussing ways the church has evolved and continues to evolve under female leadership. What has been the impact on close family members and friends? How does the church pursue a more open stance on LGBTQ issues? These are just a few of the important questions we address in our interview with Pastor Brenda Johnson.

In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part three of this episode, Taylor summarizes his journey of deconstruction and his renewed sense of focus moving forward into the future.

In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part two of this episode, we look back on Taylor's journey through the lens of a scientific and evolutionary approach.

In this three-part series of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Taylor Lange for a discussion about faith deconstruction, his academic journey as it relates to religion, and his process of rebuilding. Currently, Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate that holds a Masters in Geography, with a Graduate Certificate in Evolutionary Studies. In part one of this episode, Taylor shares his journey of faith and the struggle he faces from stepping away from the community he was raised in."In the discussion about intuition and rationality, I say that we make a choice to follow our intuition and use our rationality to justify it. In reality, that is often not the case. We tend to rationalize our intuitions unconsciously if we are not cognizant of how our mind works. We can choose to be conscious of our intuitions and check our assumptions only after we train ourselves to do so through mindful observance." - Taylor Lange

In this episode of Knowing and Believing we sit down with Dr. David Livingstone Smith for a discussion around the topics of free will, determinism, hard determinism, and truth. Dr. David Livingstone Smith is a professor of philosophy at the University of New England, where he teaches courses on the philosophy of psychology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, free will and determinism, philosophy of human nature, philosophy of race, and other topics.

Two different preacher’s kids experienced the same religion with the same problems and had the same options for changing it...one chose to become a pastor and improve the belief system from the inside and the other chose to distance himself and critique it from the outside. Why? Listen in on this two-part series as Trent talks with Seventh-Day-Adventist pastor Shawn Brace about his reasons for belief, answers to skepticism and why Adventism is still the right choice for him.

Two different preacher’s kids experienced the same religion with the same problems and had the same options for changing it...one chose to become a pastor and improve the belief system from the inside and the other chose to distance himself and critique it from the outside. Why? Listen in on this two-part series as Trent talks with Seventh-Day-Adventist pastor Shawn Brace about his reasons for belief, answers to skepticism and why Adventism is still the right choice for him.

In this episode of Knowing & Believing Trent sits down with Brian Beaudette to discuss the reality Brian experienced as a closeted gay man for the majority of his life. Recounting his journey from childhood to raising a family, Brian eventually comes to the realization of who he was and how he made it to where he is now.

In this episode of Knowing & Believing we sit down with my friend Caleb Johnson to discuss the experience, the reasons, the pitfalls and the advice he would have looking back on his own process of deconstruction thus far.

Life is easy when you agree with everyone around you, but unfortunately this is no longer the situation for my family since I have lost my faith. In this episode Amber Bell (my wife) sits down with me to discuss the difficulty and emotional roller-coaster of having your spouse go through faith deconstruction.

For this first episode of Knowing & Believing, show host Trent Bell sits down by himself to briefly describe the vision for the podcast and to share a recounting of the issues that led to his deconstruction.