Podcast appearances and mentions of cass midgley

The word authenticity can be weaponized to push people or even judge. We will discuss the fine line between being "authentic" and being blind to the belief that it's always a good thing. #authenticity #trueself #livelovegive #commonsense #inspiration #possibilities #breakthrough #emotionalintelligence #fulfilment #empowerment #authenticity #freedom #lifelessons #courage #consciousness #wisdom #selfawareness #trustyourself #growthmindset #habits #transformation #personaldevelopment #talkshow

Cass Midgley had one of the hottest podcasts in the spiritual genre, and one day he said, "I'm done." We discuss what he learned about moving on and what possibilities have come from saying goodbye to something you once loved.   #sayinggoodbye #cassmidgley #podcaster #everyonesagnostic#love #livelovegive #commonsense #inspiration #possibilities#breakthrough #emotionalintelligence #fulfilment#empowerment #authenticity #freedom #lifelessons #courage#consciousness #wisdom #selfawareness #trustyourself#growthmindset #habits #transformation #personaldevelopment#talkshow

Nobody Knows Shit!   The train rolls into the very heart of indecision as we examine the preferred euphemism of the fence-sitters In Agnosticenter: Random Rider:  Sid Brixton Godless Gab: The gang weighs in on the word, and whether ugly sweaters are actually creepo uniforms! A Man Named Cass:  Interview with Everyone's Agnostic podcast host Cass Midgley! plus...  Secular News and Events...and Commentary!  

Today I speak with Dave Warnock of Dying Out Loud, a speaking tour that he is on which I manage! Dave is a former pastor and now atheist. He became zealous in his teen years during the Jesus Freak movement of the late 60’s. He left religion about 8 years ago and became an atheist. His marriage ended due to this departure from the faith and 2 of his 3 children cut off communication with him. He connected with The Clergy Project, an organization that provides resources to former and current clergy who no longer believe in the faith. Through that organization, he met Cass Midgley who also lived in Nashville. The two became quick friends. And through Cass’s podcast, Everyone’s Agnostic, my paths eventually crossed those of Dave Warnock as well. I met him at the Everyone’s Agnostic retreat in 2018 but it was in March of 2019 when I visited Nashville to see Cass that I started paying more attention to this guy. He had been diagnosed just a week before with ALS, an ugly, terminal disease. I have a lot of issues around death, most I blame on Christianity’s denial of death. Dave wasn’t afraid of death. He was just incredibly disappointed that his time alive would be shorter than he anticipated. He spoke with me, with Cass, with everyone in their Nashville community that week about his reaction to his diagnosis. He didn’t shy away from sharing how he felt. He didn’t shame others for asking questions, for being speechless, for crying more than he was. He was setting the type of secular precedent around dying that I had never witnessed before and I was hooked. Knowing how many secular contacts I had in the podcasting world, I asked Dave if he’d like to talk about his diagnosis and his reaction to it on public platforms. He said, sure darlin’. And so it began. We initially called it, “Dave’s Last Ride”, but it quickly morphed into “Dying Out Loud”. We were surprised by the response of those who heard his story. I reached out to more and more platforms and now, 9 months later, Dave has been on The Atheist Experience, The Thinking Atheist, and The Scathing Atheist. He has plans to travel the nation and the world next year, speaking at NanoCon and the Conference on Religious Trauma. Dave and I have been working closely these last 9 months, just following the demand for his story that is being provoked from the community. Dave has told his story again and again and again in all this time, constantly reaching a new audience. So when we had an evening to ourselves in Madison, Wisconsin, I asked if I could interview him for my show, but I demanded that we not talk about the same old, same old that you could hear from any other interview. I want you to know Dave like I do. It’s such a pain in my ass and gives me such a hard time. He tells the worst jokes. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel loved. He’s a goof and I love him. With this interview, I hope you can get to know Dave a little better as the weird and wonderful guy that he is. Love you, Dave. So happy to be on this journey with you.****Now that we’ve begun to process our history with toxic religion, we seek to regain autonomy over our minds and bodies from residual narratives, whether cultural or religious; while working towards respecting and empowering the autonomy of others. Together, we seek to rejoin the human race and participate in this chaotic experience of existence Thanks for listening and remember: You are autonomous and so is everyone else. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your financial support, if you are willing and able, can make a huge impact on my ability to continue in secular activism. You can become a Patreon supporter or make a one-time donation via PayPal. Links are on EA's website.Websites: everyonesautonomous.com and mariedelephant.com Facebook (Marie): fb.me/mariedelephantFacebook: facebook.com/everyonesautonomousTwitter: twitter.com/s_autonomousInstagram: instagram.com/everyonesautonomous/Produced by Marie D'ElephantProduced by Post Christian Podcasting (Caleb Rowe)***1:05 Monologue21:09 Interview Introduction25:50 Interview1:28:35 Announcements

Summary:  Episode 255 is our final episode pending intermittent releases when we feel like it. In this final episode, Marie and Cass chat about their time together on the show and Cass and Bob talk about those first 4 years doing the show together. Cass will share some comments from listeners after finding out about the hiatus of the show. And Marie will share about her new spin-off podcast entitled "Everyone's Autonomous" which discusses the more practical steps of how to heal, move forward, and rebuild our lives with a full sense of agency over our bodies and minds.   Other Resources: Voices of Deconversion, Life After God, The Life After, Shunned, Your Atheist Pastor, Exvangelical, The Thinking Atheist, A Better Life, How-To Heretic, The Friendly Atheist, Recovering from Religion, Women Beyond Faith, Secular Sexuality   We taped this conversation in October 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

Joe grew up a farm kid in rural northern California. His parents mistrusted public education and home schooled him all the way through eighth grade, although home school meant more farm labor and than learning, and social education happened only through the church. In eighth grade his parents decided it was time for him to get a "real" education, which meant sending him to a small private Baptist school where he learned more about the bible than reading or math. His de-conversation journey began when he entered college and learned that the world is a much bigger place than the space within the walls of a church.   We taped this conversation on September 15th. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

I had the opportunity to go to the abode of Cass Midgley, co-host of Everyone's Agnostic podcast, to interview Dave Warnock. Dave is an ex-pastor who deconverted to atheism. He was diagnosed with ALS fairly recently, and he made the decision not to just sit around and wait for death, but instead he is, what he calls 'dying out loud'. We talked about his past life as a pastor; his deconversion and the ensuing consequences; and his diagnosis. He has been traveling the country talking about his experience, and he is inspiring people on the way. I was really honored to speak with Dave. He is helped so many people with his words, and that is a rare trait nowadays. I hope y'all find him as amazing as I did. Music by Dot Dot Dash, cdbaby.com/cd/dotdotdash

Cass Midgley talks with Randy Krakowski. Randy was raised Catholic but in his mid twenties discovered an exciting evangelical Christianity on the radio during his daily commute. From the frying pan to the fire, then out into the cold water of reality. Randy was raised in Buffalo, NY.  A Roman Catholic altar boy for 7 years and CCD religious instruction for 10. However, after moving to the Bible Belt post college, he converted to Evangelical Christianity. Some 20 years later, while trying to reach his son and wife "for the Lord" by researching science and Atheism, he came out the other side deconverted.  As a result of discovering the lengths at which Christian apologists and ministries will go to defend Christianity, he decided to create an exposé. In 2018 LyingForJesus.org was born. An exposé of prominent & influential Christian leaders who have used lying and dishonest tactics in an attempt to validate Christianity. We taped this conversation on October 3rd, 2019. The intro music is "Just Groove Me" by Dave Weckl.  The segue music on this episode is a percussion groove I recordedThanks for listening and be a yes sayer to what is

The premise of this appalling podcast, Conversations With God, is to have open, deep and frank discussions with the creator of the universe: God. Each episode they address incredibly important issues of creation, morality, philosophy and cooking with the lord, in an informal, yet matter of fact, discussion. It is an irreverent comedy podcast which was launched in January of 2018 has has over 40 episodes to date. The host, Tony, tries to hold the God of the Old & New Testament accountable for the atrocities that are in the aforementioned book. God is portrayed as a buffoon who has little regard for the human race and the troubles that plague it. Tony regularly gives god the opportunity to explain/redeem himself and apologizes to the audience but is generally ambivalent & evasive which regularly becomes very frustrating for Tony. They often bicker and pick at each other. The show is fast paced and switch's between regular segments like: God's Kitchen: Cooking Tips from the Lord God's Top Ten Diseases Questions from The Mortals (listeners email in their questions for the lord to answer on the show) What you could have been doing instead of listening to this audio drivel Philosophy Corner (where celebrities talk with God) Tony, the host is a 45 year old sales executive living in Australia but who was born in the UK. He has a background in audio production/music and has been an atheist for most of his life. He is an audio nerd, loves audio tech and audio software.  Patreon: www.patreon.com/convowithgodpod  Twitter: twitter.com/ToeKneecwg iTunes Website: www.convowithgodpod.com/   We taped this conversation on September 7, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

Cass Midgley talks with married couple, Amy and David. They recently went through an intense deconstruction of their faith after which they found true freedom for the first time in their lives. David and Amy both come from a “Christian” upbringing, but were raised very differently.  David comes from a healthy loving home while Amy was raised by an abusive father. Amy served on the worship staff at a non-denominational megachurch for many years where David also served as an Elder.   We also feature a 12 minute sketch of Jerry Dale and Leroy on AM Christian talk radio, KING.   We taped this conversation on September 16th, 2019. ​The intro music is "Never Know" by Jack JohnsonThe opening rant is by Hank Green from his YouTube channel, the Vlog Brothersthe segue music on this episode are segments of music by our guest today, Amy learn more about us at everyonesagnostic.com email us at everyonesagnostic@gmail.com  follow us on Twitter @evry1sagnostic and Instagram To be invited to our private support group on Facebook please contact us on Facebook or email everyonesagnostic@gmail.com  Thanks for listening and be a yes sayer to what is    

Josh Richards is an ex-pastor who now serves as a humanist chaplain. Josh was laughed out of his last church he served as a minister for, and then he struggled for years leaving faith. He is an example of someone losing faith and then everything else. He made mistakes and had to learn to live honestly. He is so thankful to come through all of that. Josh runs a webshow "JRRTalking" and speaks in public as often as he can. We taped this conversation on June 2, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

Journalist, book/music critic, and memoirist Thomas Larson is the author of "Spirituality and the Writer: A Personal Inquiry" (Swallow Press). He has also written "The Sanctuary of Illness: A Memoir of Heart Disease" (Hudson Whitman), "The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's 'Adagio for Strings'" (Pegasus Press), and "The Memoir and the Memoirist: Reading and Writing Personal Narrative" (Swallow Press). He is a twenty-year staff writer for the San Diego Reader, a six-year book review editor for River Teeth, and a former music critic for the Santa Fe New Mexican. His Kindle books include "What Exactly Happened: Four Essays on the Craft of Memoir," "We Are Their Heaven: A Family Memoir," "On the Poetry of James Wright," and "Awash in Celebrity Authors." As a lecturer, Larson speaks about his book on heart disease, holds workshops on "Writing the Memoir" and "Writing the Spiritual Memoir," edits nonfiction manuscripts, and gives talks on jazz, American composers, and nonfiction narrative. His website is thomaslarson.com. When not on the road or spending time in Santa Fe, Larson lives with his partner Suzanna Neal in San Diego We taped this conversation on May 30, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

Cass Midgley and Marie D'elephant discuss everyone's autonomous right to grieve their loss however it manifests. We feature a segment of a YouTube talk by ex-Jehovah Witness, Rodney Allgood, and an updated from Dave Warnock on the Dying Out Loud campaign. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is". We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

The Seeker and The Skeptic is a podcast in which two friends, Rebecca and Cat, explore esoteric, paranormal and spiritual topics from two completely different perspectives. Cat is The Seeker, she’s interested in spiritual ideas and hopes to find something meaningful and empowering in the wisdom of religion and new age philosophy. Rebecca is The Skeptic, she’s passionate about finding truth (or at least getting closer to it) using the tools of reason and evidence. Though their approaches to life and ideas are very different they share a sense of humor and a commitment to talking honestly about what we believe and why, which is why they started this podcast. In each episode they discuss a different topic or experience they’ve had from Holotropic Breathing to Mediumship and they’ll see if they can learn something from each other or change each other’s minds… or if their conversation will devolve into a good natured slanging match. Whatever happens they think having these conversations will be enlightening and amusing and after they finish recording they’ll be pouring themselves a drink and planning their next adventure. The Seeker and the Skeptic podcast Twitter & Instagram: @SeekerSkeptic   We taped this conversation on April 28, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com  

Cynthia Jeub was raised in a cult of sorts. She is the 3rd oldest of 16 kids and her parents believed God wanted them to avoid birth control of all kinds, and try to breed as much as possible. Cynthia was to marry young and become a baby-making handmaiden, after having been a sister-mom to her younger siblings since childhood. Her family was highlighted on the reality show "Kids By The Dozen".   Cynthia is now a freelance writer, blogger, and author. She writes about the deconstruction of faith, mental illness, abuse recovery, economic justice, and philosophy at cynthiajeub.com. She is working on a memoir about her childhood, Music in the Dream House, which is being sponsored through her Patreon.   Cynthia's website: www.cynthiajeub.com Cynthia's Twitter: @Cynthia Jeub  Cythina's Patreon (to support forthcoming book): Patreon.com/cynthiajeub   Gary T. McDonald Gary McDonald is a fifth generation Texan who now lives in California. A practicing Buddhist, Gary has had a lifelong interest in the origins of Christianity. These two strands culminated in his first book THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS (THE YOUNGER), a post-modern novel which is both a gospel and a novel that attempts to reboot the Jesus mythology. The Gospel of Thomas (The Younger), while telling a captivating story, also replaces a theology based on deity worship with a prescription for living a full and happy life. It offers a humanistic and secular view of Jesus and Christianity, if such a thing is possible. It shows how Christianity took a wrong turn early on and does its best to set it straight.   We taped this conversation on April 21, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic Patreon: link D'Elephant: mariedelephant.com

Dave Warnock, a former conservative Evangelical pastor and church leader for almost 40 years and former guest of the show, began a process of de-conversion several years ago. At first calling himself an agnostic, he gradually began to embrace the word ‘Atheist’, as he does what he can to de-stigmatize this word (which simply means “non-theist”). Dave’s leaving the Christian faith came at huge cost with the loss of almost his entire community of friends, the breakup of his 37 year marriage, and the Christian “shunning” by two of his three children, which has also deprived him of being a part of his six grandchildren’s lives to this day. Given how life can be random, chaotic, and unpredictable, on February 26, 2019 Dave received the devastating diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).  Suddenly for Dave this precious and brief life became infinitely more precious and incredibly brief. Instead of succumbing to the depression, anger, and hopelessness this debilitating fatal diagnosis often brings, Dave immediately decided to begin “Dying Out Loud,” - living life to the fullest and making plans to travel as much of the world as his body will allow - seeing places he's never been to and spending time with people he knows and loves, while also experiencing the joy of meeting new people and cherishing the beautiful “moments” life offers to all of us. Follow his adventure on Facebook as he seeks to grab as many moments as he can.    We taped this conversation on April 15, 2019. Dave's deconversion story is on episode 107.  Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link  

Cass Midgley, former pastor and a host of Everyone's Agnostic Podcast, joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his faith deconstruction, how he found his co-host, blind spots developed from being brought up in Patriarchy, turning from Presbyterian to Baptist, the slippery slopes of allowing yourself to examine doubts, and rebuilding of community. "Mark Driscoll is the Dane Cook of the Evangelicalism." CW: Brady sings the AWANA theme. And lots of F-bombs.   Connect with the Life After Podcast & Community here: linktr.ee/thelifeafter

Amberly Page was raised in a particularly literal strain of Mormonism. She was convinced as a child that the Last Days were here and she would never grow old enough to go to college or have children of her own. She was home-schooled and sheltered from worldly influences, partially on a secluded compound in Arkansas, waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus never did come and to the dismay of her parents, life on this fallen world continued. Amberly went on to follow the back-up plan of getting a degree in Music History, a Returned Missionary husband, and the recommended minimum three children. Always faithful to The Church, she found herself stuck in a holding pattern that turned into a deep depression in her late 20’s. To counter it, she threw herself deeper into church service until a forced confrontation with homophobic and misogynistic doctrines pushed her out for good. Still angry and grieving over the loss of family and community, she copes with the trauma of spiritual abuse and deconstruction by subverting her domestic goddess skills to design blasphemous needlepoint art. Amberly's Instagram Amberly's Facebook We taped this conversation on April 14, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Jessica Wilbanks is the author When I Spoke in Tongues, a memoir about faith and its loss (Beacon Press, 2018). She has received a Pushcart Prize as well as creative nonfiction awards from Ninth Letter, Sycamore Review, Redivider, and Ruminate magazine. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Salon, Houston Chronicle, Sojourners, The Rumpus, Longreads, and Lit Hub, and has received Notable Mentions from Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading. For more information, visit http://jessicawilbanks.com.  When I Spoke in Tongues  We taped this conversation on April 7, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link  

Jeremy and Elise had the perfect Christian beginning to what promised to be the perfect Christian marriage.  They met in church.  Even though they had very different backgrounds and life experiences, and an age difference of almost 6 years, they found a strong attraction to each other, similar life goals, and of course their shared faith wonderful reasons to tie the traditional Christian knot.  They began a Family right away, their son being born shortly before their first wedding anniversary and a daughter followed nearly three years later.  Due to Jeremy’s career as a chemical engineer their family has moved many times, three time across the country.  They currently live in the fifth home they have bought together. Now, married 20 years in 2019,, with one child in college and a high school sophomore at home, Jeremy and Elisa are navigating marriage, family, and independence after deconversion.  Through they walk that path together now, it wasn’t always so.  Jeremy began his process towards unbelief many years ago. When he admitted to Elise in 2010 that he was an atheist, as a believer she  thought their marriage would end in divorce. Thankfully, it didn’t.  Elise began her own process in 2015, with no input from Jeremy. She declared herself free from religion in 2016.  Today, they discuss being “equally and unequally yoked”.  How they navigated the very tough times they faced. How they had to renegotiate what marriage and family meant to them. More importantly, how they were able to do it with their marriage and their love and respect for each other intact. They want everyone with a believing spouse to know that there is hope. There can be fulfillment in an unequally yoked marriage. And ultimately, that the gift of personal freedom and autonomy within marriage is the best gift you give your loved one and yourself.    We taped this conversation on April 6, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Leah is a middle aged former-evangelical homeschool mama who studied Biology and Secondary Ed at universities in New York & Washington, D.C.. From the age of 10, she dreamed of rescuing all the ill and downtrodden children of the world by studying to become a pediatrician. Those dreams died when she failed to get in to medical school right out of college. Plan B?  Leah rose above the discouragement & disappointment & determined that she could still save the world, one child at a time, by becoming a die hard fundamentalist christian.  This led her on a 20+ year journey into the domain of falsehood, deception & tyranny.   Thanks to the critical thinking skills of her oldest son, Leah has fully rejected the truth claims of Christianity. Today she strives to make every effort to rediscover the harsh beauties of life. She counts devouring content by the likes of Hitch & Harris, marathon training, podcasts, adventuring near & abroad, growing communities of like minded people and quality conversation among her myriad of interests.   Leah is the host of the Podcast, "Women Beyond Faith." To continue your conversation with Leah, visit her on Facebook (Leah Helbling), at her email leahhelbling@ymail.com.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-beyond-faith/id1441232338 We taped this conversation on March 31, 2019. The intro music is "Just Groove Me" by Dave Weckl. The segue music is "The Loop" by the 77s.  Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is". We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link   https://player.fm/series/conversations-with-god

Surprise! You get an extra episode this week! Cass and Marie interview Dr. Darrel Ray. Dr. Ray is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of Recovering from Religion and founder of The Secular Therapy Project. He has been a psychologist for over forty years and is the author of four books: two on organizational teamwork as well as "The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture" and "Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality”. Dr. Ray has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a Masters Degree in religion as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a Doctorate in Psychology. We taped this conversation with Dr. Darrel Ray on May 12, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon: www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Cass and Marie chat with Steve Hilliker, host of Voices of Deconversion Podcast. We discuss the complexities of raising children in a secular way, absent the prescription believers are raised by. We talk about how to cope with our impending deaths, now, as atheists, and how to die. We touch on the common theme of how to create our own purpose and meaning in life (Steve proposes leaving a legacy of love in those you love, as you reflect on the legacy of love that brought you into the world, too). Steve Hilliker is an ex-conservative Christian living near Seattle with his wife and teenage sons. Steve deconverted from Christianity in 2005 while earning his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and planning to be a pastor. What followed was a major crisis. Steve’s career path was gone and his wife still a Christian. He worried about how they would raise their kids. He couldn't find resources or community and struggled greatly with depression. Years later, Steve realized the importance for himself and others in discussing these experiences. In 2017, Steve started the Voices of Deconversion podcast to encourage ex-christian atheists & agnostics. Steve loves listening to podcasts, becoming engrossed in a good Netflix show and watching March Madness each year with his friends. We taped this conversation on March 3, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is". We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Today we’re back with Marie – Join me as we dive a bit deeper into Marie’s adventure of becoming her best self – Putting herself out into the world. Challenging societal norms. Taking risks. Investing in Self reflection. Placing herself into spaces where there are opportunities to Fall in love. Again. Marie likes the way she is showing up in the world. She applauds her authenticity. She admires herself. I concur. She’s pretty fabulous. Born and raised in a Lutheran household until Junior High when Baptist General Conference became the faith persuasion, Marie was a neurotic, anxious kid with incredibly low self esteem. Turbulent years between the ages of 13 and her mid 20s consisted of periods of profound doubt coupled with overcompensating evangelical behaviors. Purity Culture. Missions at 17. YWAM. Therapy. Bravery. Divorce. Deconversion. Freedom. Keith. Ethical Nonmonogamy. Today Marie is in her late 30s exploring ethical nonmonogamy, podcasting (Marie is the popular new cohost of the popular Everyone's Agnostic with Cass Midgley), and remediating her education. Her passion and zeal for life is contagious. You can find out more about Marie by listening to her conversation with Dr Darrel Ray - From Missionary to Poly:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/085-from-missionary-to-poly/id914276437?i=1000394071507Or Marie's conversation with Cass & Bob on Episode #108 of Everyone's Agnostichttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyones-agnostic-podcast/id894460873?i=1000372976319Lastly - Marie's follow-up interview with Cass on Episode #180 of Everyone's Agnostic which focuses on her Ethical Nonmonogamyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyones-agnostic-podcast/id894460873?i=1000396864538If you're interested in reaching out to Marie you can contact her via email at everyonesagnostic@gmail.com.#findingfreedom #womenspeakup #femalevoices

  Jon is a father, Army veteran, computer programmer, and host of The Wayward Willis podcast. He grew up in a military family with fundamentalist Christian beliefs and at the age of 5 he accepted Jesus into his heart and was baptized. He spent the rest of his childhood pursuing his relationship with Jesus but after reading the Bible from start to finish twice he began to have doubts about the accuracy of the text and the goodness of Yahweh. His deconversion began when he left his parents' home and started interacting with people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Though it took nearly 10 years to complete, the availability of the Internet sped it along. While shedding religious belief, Jon also shed preconceived notions about sexuality, gender norms, and Conservative ideologies. At 27 years old, Jon started blogging, tried YouTubing, and eventually started up a podcast as a progressive, liberal atheist to publicize secular humanism and push back against the harms of organized religion and credulity. We discuss reconciling with kids raised religious when the parent deconverts later on. We get into gender and sexual orientation fluidity. And lastly, we celebrate the surprised delight in feeling fully human as opposed to a temporarily postponed angel.    We taped this conversation on February 17, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Born and raised in a Lutheran household until Junior High when Baptist General Conference became the faith persuasion, Marie was a neurotic, anxious kid with incredibly low self esteem. Turbulent years between the ages of 13 and her mid 20s consisted of periods of profound doubt coupled with overcompensating evangelical behaviors. Purity Culture. Missions at 17. YWAM. Therapy. Bravery. Divorce. Deconversion. Freedom. Keith. Ethical Nonmonogamy. Today Marie is in her late 30s exploring ethical nonmonogamy, podcasting (Marie is the popular new cohost of the popular Everyone's Agnostic with Cass Midgley), and remediating her education. Her passion and zeal for life is contagious. You can find out more about Marie by listening to her conversation with Dr Darrel Ray - From Missionary to Poly:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/085-from-missionary-to-poly/id914276437?i=1000394071507Or Marie's conversation with Cass & Bob on Episode #108 of Everyone's Agnostichttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyones-agnostic-podcast/id894460873?i=1000372976319Lastly - Marie's follow-up interview with Cass on Episode #180 of Everyone's Agnostic which focuses on her Ethical Nonmonogamyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyones-agnostic-podcast/id894460873?i=1000396864538If you're interested in reaching out to Marie you can contact her via email at everyonesagnostic@gmail.com.#findingfreedom #womenspeakup #femalevoices #silentnomoreSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=8739294)

On this episode, Ryan speaks with Dave Warnock. Dave is the father of two daughters and a son, a former evangelical pastor in the Foursquare Church, now an atheist, and a lover of life.About six weeks ago Dave was diagnosed with ALS—Lou Gehrigs Disease—for which there is no treatment and life expectancy is between three and five years. As a result of this heavy news, Dave has chosen to live the remainder of his life very deliberately; to die out loud, as he says.We talk about his conversion to Christianity, his ministry in the Foursquare Church, his departure from the church and his eventual atheism and its effect on his relationships. In the second half we talk about his ALS diagnosis, what the prospect of death means to him and what he is already learning on this journey.Special thanks to Cass Midgley for his production and post-production assistance, and to Marie D'Elephant for helping me schedule Dave and for all her support along the way.Our executive producer is Jeff Straka.LINKSDave's website | http://www.everyonesagnostic.com/dave.htmlDave's Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dwwarnock

Join Cass & Marie as we speak with Jenn. Jenn's upbringing in Georgia, USA, was deeply insular, racist, and shrouded in a demon-obsessed, Southern Baptist Christianity. An only child emerging from a world alien to her inner convictions, she broke out of that world laden with cognitive dissonances to be her truest self. Becoming the co-host of the skeptical podcast Waiting for Wrath helped her even further to understand her own journey to non-belief and introduced her to a community of fellow skeptics and deconverts.  We taped this conversation on February 10, 2019. Thanks for listening and "Be a Yes-Sayer to What Is".   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.   ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Join Cass & Marie as we talk with Aaron and GW of the podcast Embrace the Void. Things get pretty philosophical as we discuss the notion of the "self" and the "other", cultural immersion, animal friendships with each other, and the overwhelming demand of global human needs. We wrap up by talking about how to create your own morality absent the one you were taught from a "sacred" book.  https://voidpod.com/podcasts www.patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid Philosophers in Space Facebook Group We taped this conversation on February 2nd, 2019. Thanks for listening and Be a Yes-Sayer to what is.We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. ​Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant with Kari Lynn Becken. Kari did not fall from faith, she/they outgrew it. After 43 years of fundamental religious dogma and indoctrination involving several sects and persuasions, Kari is now recovering from the loss of both career and community. While sifting through the wreckage of religious rubble, Kari's ‘rise to reason’ enabled the finding of her Self and the embracing of their queer, gender non-conforming identity. Today, they are committed to making a ruckus by creating compelling, relatable content and a safe space for those discovering their own this-is-who-I-really-am selves. Now, as a certified professional life coach, Kari works with others who are coming out – those coming out of religious paradigms and those coming out to embrace their sexual and gender identities. Through harnessing the power of courageous vulnerability, Kari inspires possibility and encourages potential. Engaging clients in a process empowered by neuroscience and its role in how our habits are formed and why we hold ourselves back, she helps in the overcoming of unproductive habit loops, damaging mindsets, limiting beliefs and emotional obstacles such as fear and self-doubt. Speaking from the real, raw place of their own self-suppression, anxiety and bouts of depression, Kari chronicles her journey and shares strategies of hope in their email newsletter Queerious Beckonings. The goal? To invite others to create the future they truly desire so that they, too, may experience being fully alive – and free. Website: www.karibecken.com Community Newsletter (and future Blog/Podcast): Queerious Beckonings Facebook: Coach Kari Becken (@karibeckencoaching) Email: coachkari@karibecken.com ******* Link to the film "Papoy" ******* Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'ElephantWebsite: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link We taped this conversation on January 13th, 2019. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.

Luke is a former Foursquare Pastor, Seminary student and US Navy Chaplain Candidate turned atheist. He went from believing in divine healing, speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and other supernatural phenomenon to embracing a secular perspective on life. His goal is to put a friendly face on atheism and create an environment for atheists to experience love, belonging, and connection. Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant skip past Luke's deconversion story and jump right into discussing post-religious community building and deconstructing sexual traditions. Show Links:  Your Atheist Pastor Tea/Consent Video Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'ElephantWebsite: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link We taped this conversation on January 6th, 2019. The intro music is by ---- The segue music on this episode is an excerpt from ---- We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.

Cass and Marie speak with Naomi grew up in an extremely conservative Christian family. She went  to a conservative Christian school, as well as a Christian college. Her parents became missionaries when she was in high school. She spent most of her adult life living abroad in China and moved back to the US a few years ago. She is a youth worker and is finishing up her master's in education.  Produced by Cass Midgley and Marie D'ElephantWebsite: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link We taped this conversation on December 9th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is an excerpt from Aja, by Steely Dan.  We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.  

Today I finally had the privilege to meet Cass Midgley! His podcast (Everyone's Agnostic) was the first podcast I found that shared deconversion stories. This has been so encouraging to me through the years and played a big role in helping me process my deconversion. He's an open book and a straight shooter. The longer you listen to Cass, the more you'll discover an incredibly insightful, compassionate and generous human being.  Cass Midgley earned his Masters in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University in 2013…as an atheist. Cass started the Everyone's Agnostic podcast in 2014 with friend and former co-host Bob Pondillo. Everyone's Agnostic podcast now has over half a million downloads!  As a boy, Cass knew there was a God; the two were close, personal friends.  Born and raised in Oklahoma, Cass walked right into Christianity. Christianity gave him a great life: purpose, friends, community, hope, etc.   ​ In 2004, at age 38, he left the church and began thinking and reading things he would not allow himself to while a Christian.  ​When not uniting the deconvert community, Cass also enjoys his daily crossword puzzle, watching college basketball, and drinking cheap gin & tonic with lots of lime. Cass is also a Humanist Chaplain who officiates non-religious weddings and funerals for all genders and orientations. 

Marie D'Elephant and Cass Midgley chat with Dr. Eric Sprankle. Dr. Sprankle is an associate professor of psychology and co-director of the sexuality studies program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is also a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist at the Minnesota Sexual Health Institute in Minneapolis. He lives with his wife, Katie, and two cats, Lucy and Mina, in south Minneapolis where they bask in being called "devil worshippers" by their family. We taped this conversation on January 12th 2019. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me." The segue music on this episode is a looped drum track played by Johnny Jackson of the Jackson 5. Thanks for listening and Be a Yes-Sayer to what is. Recovery websites recommended by Dr. Sprankle: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/#rfr-welcome https://www.seculartherapy.org/ http://www.snapnetwork.org/ http://shamelessthebook.com/books-purity-culture/ (a book list mainly for Christians recovering from purity culture, but a few are for non-Christians, too) Sex education and sexual health websites/articles Dr. Sprankle recommends: https://helloclue.com/ http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/projects/cliteracy https://pie.med.utoronto.ca/htbw/module.html?module=sex-development https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/sa-visual/visualizing-sex-as-a-spectrum/ http://www.transstudent.org/definitions/ https://www.morethantwo.com/polyglossary.html http://betterthanieverexpected.blogspot.com/ https://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/brand-dear-daughter-i-hope-you-have-awesome-sex/ http://swopusa.org/ http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/what-consent https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control https://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm

I want to update all of you on what's been happening since the last episode. This is a brief update on some personal stuff and also some podcast stuff.  I'm currently editing my episode with Cass Midgley of Everyone's Agnostic podcast. That will be out in the coming days. Thanks for being such awesome listeners! I appreciate you all.

Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant talk with Emily. She is a former Evangelical Christian who struggled with a lot of doubts and crises of faith on her road to freedom in unbelief. Nowadays, she considers herself a former fundie or a shameless heathen; although, "atheist" is the title she uses most.  She is in her early thirties, works in healthcare, and is currently going back to school to further her career. In the very small amount of free time she currently possesses, she likes to write fiction, daydream, and wander aimlessly through Target with an empty cart. She doesn't have a spouse or kids, but she does have a pet bunny that she spoils beyond all good sense.  Emily tends towards being a hermit, but thankfully has great friends who occasionally persuade her to leave the house and do things like this podcast. We discuss things from faith healing (and is it your fault you weren't healed?) to healing through playful blasphemy of what once felt so direly serious.  ​Website: everyonesagnostic.com Facebook: fb.me/everyonesagnostic Twitter: @evry1sagnostic  Instagram: @everyonesagnostic YouTube: tinyurl.com/sayyestowhatis Patreon: link

We're joined by Cass Midgley of the Everyone's Agnostic podcast and talk about his podcast and journey from fundamentalist pastor to atheist podcaster. www.everyonesagnostic.com Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com" or leave us a voice message at (541) 203-0666 or atheistnomads.com/speakpipe Support the show at atheistnomads.com/donate Take the survey at atheistnomads.com/survey This episode is brought to you by: Danielle M Darryl G Arthur K Rachel B Jimmy Ninetoes Al from Cestus Three Kim B SoJo Alan M Alexandra T John A Rob C Henry K Levi C Sam E Adam G Janet Y The Flying Skeptic Daniel J George G Freethinker215 You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice mail message at (541) 203-0666. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

We're joined by Cass Midgley of the Everyone's Agnostic podcast and talk about his podcast and journey from fundamentalist pastor to atheist podcaster. www.everyonesagnostic.com Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com" or leave us a voice message at (541) 203-0666 or atheistnomads.com/speakpipeSupport the show at atheistnomads.com/donateTake the survey at atheistnomads.com/survey This episode is brought to you by: Danielle MDarryl GArthur KRachel BJimmy NinetoesAl from Cestus ThreeKim BSoJoAlan MAlexandra TJohn ARob CHenry KLevi CSam EAdam GJanet YThe Flying SkepticDaniel JGeorge GFreethinker215 You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice mail message at (541) 203-0666. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred. DOWNLOAD EPISODE

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we chat with Cass Midgley, a former youth pastor and current host of the “Everyone’s Agnostic” podcast. We discuss issues such as the doctrine of eternal torment in the lake of fire and why such an idea might be a tad destructive (apparently being dangled over the yawning chasm of hell is not the healthiest feeling. Who knew?).      

Who earns a Masters degree in Theological Studies…as an atheist? Cass Midgley did! But his infatuation with God began much earlier. As a boy, he knew there was a God, and they were good friends. As a teen, he discovered there were many Christianities, and he determined to find the right one…or start his own. As an adult, he began asking questions. Eventually, he left the church altogether. Cass is now one of the hosts of the “Everyone's Agnostic” podcast, and also serves as a Humanist Chaplain. Links are for information purposes only to supplement the podcast content. RfR does not endorse this or any religious organization. Cass' Website: everyonesagnostic.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/recovering-from-religion/message

Cass Midgley and Marie D'Elephant  We taped this conversation on Oct 17th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is "Two Wounded Birds" by Caitlyn Smith Thanks for listening and Be a Yes-Sayer to what is. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. I want to introduce a new co-host on this show. Marie. She's been on the show as a guest before and we met in October at the retreat. I've wanted a woman's voice for some time and had considered two women as co-hosts when Bob left that just didn't pan out. I've done the show solo for several months and had pretty much settled into that as the new reality. When Marie offered to help out, it was initially in a managerial capacity. She handles all the social media associated with the podcast and schedules all the guests. But when she expressed a desire to co-host, I decided to give it a try and today is her first appearance in that capacity.  Last note: We were listed in the top 30 Religious Podcasts by Feedspot! https://blog.feedspot.com/religious_podcasts/

Cass Midgley and Matthew O'Neil converse. Cass and Bob had Matthew on the show back in March of 2017, episode 142. Matthew is a prolific writer, activist, theologian, and teacher. He has an MA in Theology from Saint Michael's College and is a certified Humanist chaplain and celebrant. He is the author of several books including his latest, “Attrition” (through David G. McAfee’s publishing company Hypatia Press). It’s a fiction book that sheds light on the awful nature of the God character in the Bible as well as playing with the ideas of free will and determinism. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped this conversation on Oct 17th, 2018.The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is "Handyman" by AWOLNATIONThanks for listening and Be a Yes-Sayer to what is. Matthew O'Neil's books:    "What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn't) Say About Sex: The How, When, Why, and With Whom of Scriptural Prohibitions and Permissions." "After Life: Solving Science and Religion's Great Disagreement" "Adam and Eve: Questioning the Historicity of Biblical Human Origins" "You Say That I Am: Jesus and the Messianic Problem." "Judas" “Attrition”  You can also find Matthew on Twitter. If someone were to ask me what the most central and solid truth is I would say "life is hard." Everything we do is in some way a form of coping with its hardness. 24 hours a day. Even sleeping. But awake, working to give ourselves meaning but even more important, money. Laughing to stay sane, learning to add tools to our belt, skills to propel us forward and above the pack. Drugs, alcohol, religion, porn to make us forget how hard life is. Constantly hurling through  space. Ever since the Big Bang when our slumber was interrupted. When our unity, connectedness, oneness and belonging was blasted into a billion pieces hurling into space at the speed of light. Are we expanding or contracting? Every atom always moving, gyrating, bouncing, bounding. The nucleus full of positively charged particles, and negative charges surrounded it, just like our lives. Electrons move in large empty space of an atom in set orbits. sleep, wake, eat, shit, work, play, fuck, read, watch TV, sleep, wake, etc. They say even the atoms of a wooden table are always moving. But never touching. We never touch anything. Particles are, by their very nature, attracted to particles with an opposite charge, and they repel other similarly charged particles. This prevents electrons from ever coming in direct contact, in an atomic sense and literal sense. Their wave packets, on the other hand, can overlap, but never touch. Nothing ever touches anything. We try, we press, we make love, we wrestle, we hug, we dance, always moving, never touching. We attract and repel. We have a love/hate relationship with everything. We delightfully bask in the warmth of the sun as it burns our skin and creates cancer. When we're tired of being alone we crave being with loved ones only to soon crave being alone for the fatigue of being together. We hate humans smells and love them. We love onions and hate arm pit odor. We're repelled by skunk smell but love the smell of coffee, we hate the smell of farts but eat hard boiled eggs, (and we rarely pinch our nose at our own farts), we eat cheese that smells like smegma, and what's our relationship to fish? Why does our blood taste like iron? Our we the elements of the universe? Dirt and rocks and metals and fungus? Are we shattered stardust that misses its mommy? the pre-big bang warmth of our womb? to nurse at the teat of the cosmos? separation anxiety? abandonment issues? Why do we try to get inside each other? with our tongues and fingers and dicks and dildos? why are comforted by large bodies of water? by the ebb and flow of the tide? by going under water? the amniotic fluid of the silent cosmos? the muffled beating of our mother's hearts?  What do we need from each other? Why are we always lacking something? Something is always missing? We're always missing something? what's that snack I'm craving, what's that emotion I miss, what need was temporarily met by that person, that song, that career--all fleeting and unpredictable like the wind. The wind that makes trees hiss and also rips them out of the ground? we're afraid of the dark and drawn to the light, chilled by the cold, warmed by the fire, DOES NOTHING EVER STOP? IS IT ALWAYS PUSH AND PULL? IN AND OUT? HIGH AND LOW? No wonder all animals have to sleep every night! it's exhausting being alive! like clothes tossed about in the dryer, the tumbling 24 hour cycle of our rotating earth, and her annual trips around the sun, the gyroscope motion of the planets and the atoms inside a pin-head, always moving never stopping, even our sleep our minds are creating stories, fantasies, horrors, and sex scenes, where the push/pull of intercourse is desperate to get deeper inside another, in a primal dance between power and vulnerability, tenderness and violence, pleasure and pain, and out of these frictions of rubbing two sticks together or flint rock on steel, a star is born, a seed finds its egg and it all starts over again in a climax of fireworks and big bangs and booms in the unending, unpredictable thrashing of wind and rain, fire and ice, time and space, work and play, laughter and tears, grief and elation, life and death, generation after generation, now worm food in the earth in a compost make rich by the carbon salad of every plant, animal, insect, human and bird who ever fell in that spot and rotted, making space for new life that will crave to be together with those we love and at war with those we fear, but the show must go on, I go to work tomorrow, I make small talk tomorrow, I eat, shit and sleep tomorrow just like today until my consciousness stops in a long awaited rest that I will not experience. And my skin, this skin, that I can smell on my forearm, and feel the little hairs on my nose and the muscle and bone underneath will contribute to the cycle until the next big bang. Yeah, life is hard. But its all there is. I'm literally nothing without it. And so here we find ourselves. Big picture perspectives like this make me love you. Help me forgive you. Provoke me to laugh at you and all of us and everything. Maybe the best advice from a silly source that was entirely lost on me: "row row row your boat gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream." Is it any wonder that we sing that in the round?

Cass Midgley talks with Ryan Bell. Ryan J. Bell is a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor who became an atheist after spending 2014, a "year without God", as an experiment. In August 2015, Ryan launched a new blog and podcast called "Life After God." He currently serves as the National Organizing Manager for the Secular Student Alliance, an organization that empowers secular students on college campuses across the US to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism. Ryan is also the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California. His story of gradual deconversion was covered by national and international news outlets including CNN, NPR, BBC, CBC, LA Times and Sunrise in Australia. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan and a Doctor of Ministry in Missional Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Ryan is a writer, educator and public speaker and has expertise in subjects ranging from religion, intercultural communication, bioethics and brewing coffee. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped this conversation on Oct 8th, 2018.  The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is titled "Dudes" by David Mead Thanks for listening and Be a Yes-Sayer to what is. http://www.lifeaftergod.org/ https://www.facebook.com/ourlifeaftergod/   I don't usually use this platform to make arguments for or against the existence of gods. As the title exclaims, no one knows and thus when it comes to whether a being started the Big Bang or is somehow involved in the affairs of life on earth, no one knows. But, it all just smacks of human origin, imagination and projection. All the theistic gods are far too anthropomorphic (which is human-like) to be the unknowable, unimaginable, ineffable god that is so ethereal that even if he/she/it does exist, what difference does it make? So, at the end of the day, life is happening exactly as it would if there were no god, so let's get on with it. In fact, the banner of the Life After God Facebook site reads "Ended relationship with God. It was time." That's why some call themselves apatheists, because who gives a fuck. I've often said that atheism is the best practice of theism because if we got on with the reality of life and the struggles of being human and stop looking to the heavens for help or guidance, we'd fix our own goddamn problems, which is what a good god would want. But I bring this up today because I was shocked by something this week that reminded of the strength of the argument against the existence of God that is known best as the problem of evil. As you know, I am an unapologetic lover of what it means to be human. Sure, I could easily hate it, hate humans and hate how hard my fucking life is, but then I'm left with contrasting that with the alternative, which is utter nothingness. Unconscious. Zilch. No experience whatsoever. So yeah, if I've got to be here (or should I say GET to be here), let's do this. Let's love one another and make the best of things. But because I know that day is coming when I will fade to black, I'm also learning what battles to pick, what's important and what is not, and for damn sure, God is not. And that's how she likes it! But seriously, you all know I love orgasm. I love cold fried chicken, snow skiing, watching the Final Four, sorting out shit in my brain while I mow the lawn, Donald Fagen's music, and most of all--sex! I love the celebration of our bodies as playgrounds, I love it when people can be naked and not overly conscious of it. I love watching people fuck, all right? But a couple of times in my life, while exploring the internet for naked people enjoying themselves, I've stumbled onto some horrific, tragic, despicable, evil shit. The kind that is shocking, heart-breaking and utterly devastating to the poor soul that sees it and can't unsee it, but moreso, the real human being to which this inhumane treatment is being imposed. That happened!! And I can't unsee it. And then I ponder, "it's happening right now, somewhere in the world, maybe thousands of places--bedrooms, hotel rooms, backrooms, locked basements, children, sex-trafficking, and rape--it's all happening right now." Then I remember the few times that I've accidentally brushed my cigarette against my arm and how quickly and surprisingly painful that is and how some parents do that on purpose to their children, and the thousands of parents that I don't think have any business being parents and the unfairness of innocent children being introduced into a world they didn't have any say in entering, to parents they didn't choose, into bodies they didn't choose. Who we get to be on earth is a total lottery. No justice to it whatsoever. I have a nurse friend who worked in a children's hospital for years before it just took a toll on her and had to change careers. Right now, as we speak, countless, unspeakable evils are happening to millions of people. Screams. Horrors. Pain. Hell, this week, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was said to have been murdered by dismembering him while he was still alive. And it took 7 minutes for him to die! And historically this is the least violent century in human history. Unimaginable evil has happened every second of every day around the world for over 200,000 years and if ANY of us were all powerful... even as unloving and selfish as we are as humans... compared to the alleged all-knowing, all-loving character of god, we would do something or go insane. And yet god does NOTHING?!?!  Any one of us would be a better god than that and put a stop to it, even if it meant putting a stop to all life. Fuck it, we'd do it, to stop the screams and suffering and injustice. We'd at least scrap this fucking disaster and start over with a better plan. So, yeah. There is no god in this god-forsaken universe. It's just us here. I got behind a car this week with a bumper sticker that said "protected by angels" and I just wanted to ram it just to show how delusional, childish, and cowardly that mindset is. Wake up! That kind of stupidity and magic-thinking is why these same evangelicals elected one of the worst specimens of a human being on the planet to the highest office on the planet, because God. God's gonna save us and he's gonna use the weak things of the world to confound the wise, those liberals, those smarty-pants, educated libtards. We'll show them. They think they can solve our problems with getting smarter and education and science and thinking and working together and cooperating and CARING! All those good things are filthy rags to a god who wants glory, who wants to show off, and the more incompetent the human being God uses, the more credit he gets. THIS IS NOT A GAME! THIS IS NOT MAKE BELIEVE! Evil is real and humans are doing it and if we're going to make this world tolerable, it will be humans that do it. Cause the only thing that stops a bad man with a god is good people without one.

Cass Midgley interviews Andy Chaleff, author of "The Last Letter." We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com.  We taped this conversation on Sept 29th, 2018.  The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics. Thanks for listening and be a Yes-Sayer to what is. http://www.thelastletter.com/  https://www.meaningfulrelations.com/ https://www.instagram.com/inspirevulnerability/ Andy Chaleff is a private mentor and advisor to a handful of high-profile business leaders. He has been behind the scenes of many of the disruptions in mindfulness and education today. eMindful, InnerExplorer, SOLE and The Cleveland Municipality School District are just a few of the clients that he has helped guide to success.His approach is unconventional. He lives with clients for a week at a time and touches all aspects of their lives, from child rearing to office intrigue, childhood trauma to facing death. His clients see him less as a business coach and more as a guide and partner in a lifelong journey.Andy’s work is a byproduct of his own life story. He left the U.S. at age twenty to escape the sadness of his mother’s death, traveling the world. After backpacking for years, he finally set roots in Austria, where he helped to take an IT company public in 1997. He has visited over sixty countries and lived in seven of them around the world. In spite of his business success, Andy felt empty inside. In 2005 he sold everything he owned to embark on a radical life do-over. After experiencing profound inner transformation, he founded a coaching business with his dear friend and mentor, Cees de Bruin. Their company, Meaningful Relations, helped thousands of people in more than twenty countries.Andy is a walking paradox. He is as loving as he is provocative, and his mentoring style is equal parts unsettling and comforting, irreverent and compassionate. His mother affectionately called him, “My little shit-stirrer.”Andy founded the non-profit, The Last Letter, which goes by the same name as the book that he published, inviting individuals to share their feelings in letters to loved ones. His life's work is helping people connect with themselves and others through vulnerability and self-awareness. He helps people transform their most feared and painful emotions into their greatest source of motivation and connection.When he is not consulting clients, he serves as the Director at Amsterdam’s Welvaren Training Center. He enjoys Amsterdam and bores people with the history of the city whenever he has the chance. Andy lives between Amsterdam and London, with a few months of the year spent in the US. My conversation with Andy made me think of two movies, both of which illustrate the beauty of naivete. Naivete is an ignorance of norms of some kind--cultural, social, religious, political, logical, etc. Naivete can be bad or good for us depending on that which we're ignoring AND the amount of agency that is intact while acting on our ignorances. In other words, whether they are chosen by us, or we've fallen prey to them. Andy is the former. He's fully aware of how the world works, the norms of culture, society, logic, etc. And has seemingly chosen to transcend them and live his own life, follow his own gut, march to his own drum. In this sense it can't really be called naivete, can it. So for lack of a better word, I call it Zen. He walks 6 inches off the ground the rest of walk on. Now I know some woo-woo people who think they don't live by the same natural laws that the rest of us do, but that can be self-delusional. But Andy's practice walks right along the edge of that cliff without going over. As an ex-Christian, I cringe at how naive I was to believe as literally as I did. To be a fundamentalist Christian, one must check their skepticism at the door. So in a way, it is willful naivete but not coming from within, but pressures from without--peer pressure, everyone's doing it, the fear of Hell, the desire to please God and people, etc. So still no agency. One of the movies is called Enchanted, with Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. It's about a young maiden named Gisele who lives in a land called Andalasia--a beautiful place, displayed in cartoon animation, reminiscent of Disney fairy tale films. Andalasia is a fantasy world with a lot less trouble or problems than the real world, and as a result, emotions such as anger and frustration are rarely experienced by its inhabitants. Gisele is cast into the real world by an evil witch and we, the viewers, are transported into live action filming. The beauty for me is Gisele doesn't let the real world bring her down the cynical pessimism that is prevalent. She stays naive and it's refreshing to see. In this clip, she believes a prince charming character is coming to get her because a squirrel told her. Dempsey's character, a real human, tries to talk sense into her. Here he models a healthy skepticism by our standards, but in this metaphor she calls him out for being a no-sayer. An argument ensues and Gisele experiences anger for the first time and it feels good. My guest today, Andy, grew up thinking anger was bad because his dad was a rager. He suppressed his own anger in fear that he would become like his father. As a part of his therapy, he learned to be honest with his feelings and his body and no be ashamed of being human. Gisele is not ashamed of being naive. In fact she chooses it, like Andy. That being said (and spoiler alert), she ends up staying a human, letter her cartoon prince return to Andalasia, and falls in love with Dempsey. Because in the spirit of the dialectic, they were both right--his realism and her willful naivete. The second movie is The Man Who Knew Too Little with my hero, Bill Murray. Murray is a naive Blockbuster Video clerk, named Wallace Ritchie, who travels from Des Moines, Iowa, to London to celebrate his birthday with his wealthy younger brother, James. When Wallace turns up on the same night that James has plans to attend a high-profile client dinner party where he hopes to bring in millions from a German investment firm, James needs to keep Wallace away during the evening, so he gives Wallace a ticket to the participatory Theater of Life. The theater game requires Wallace to assume a character and interact with actors portraying people in dramatic situations. At the corner phone booth, where the game is to begin with instructions of his mission, should he choose to take it, an actual call intended for an actual assassin rings first, unbeknownst to the producers of the show and Wallace, and he's now a part of a scheme to kill some key figures and revive the Cold War. Wallace leaves the phone booth to begin his mission--oblivious to its criminal intent, and the real assassin gets the call from the Theater of Life. Blissfully unaware, Wallace walks without fear into a complex web of intrigue involving defense ministers, call girls, and Russian hitmen. For Wallace, all the world's a stage, and he's amazed at the skill of the actors, while his pursuers are mystified by their adversary's fearlessness in the face of threats, torture and bullets. In this clip, Wallace, played by Murray, (did I mention that?) has started his quest, thinking he's being filmed for the show, The Theater of Life, when he's approached by two actual hooligans wielding real knives. So, perhaps you can see how these two movies demonstrate a way, albeit fictional and metaphorical, for us in the real world to take everything less serious, especially ourselves. Andy got so depressed after his mother died that he wanted to die. Instead of killing himself, he killed the anxious, depressed, fearful Andy and resurrected as the fearless, transcendent Andy you're about to meet. I need people to model for me those characteristics I truly aspire to be--caged up within me, afraid to emerge. Gisele, Wallace, Bill Murray himself, and Andy Chaleff are examples that encourage, enable and empower me to step into a more authentic version of myself--fearless, naive, and yes-sayers.  

Cass Midgley converses with Arael Avinu founder of fullydeconverted.com. Fully Deconverted websiteFully Deconverted Facebook Group We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped this conversation on August 26th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is an instrumental version of "Heathen" by Stars from SteetlightsThanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is. Arael Avinu is the founder of Fully DE/converted, a platform dedicated to disenfranchising dogma. Arael was involved in Christian ministry outreach for over 20 years as a "born-again" Evangelical. It was his exposure to academia and other cultures which caused him to begin critically analyzing what he believed and why. Arael deconverted from Christianity after realizing that its supernatural claims weren't evidently true. The vision of Fully DE/converted is to draw awareness to claims of incontrovertible issues through discourse and storytelling to demonstrate that there are no authorities on truth except for truth itself. Fully DE/converted adds value to the community by producing original content and hosting discussions on our most cherished values. Fully DE/converted and its team can be found on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and in podcast form. Before we get into my talk with Arael...Steve Birss, a regular listener of this podcast. is in a band called Stars From Streetlights and all three of the members of the band grew up in Christianity, and for different reasons and at different times, all walked away from Christianity. They write songs that explore their questions and doubts, and their latest release is called Heathen, which I'm going to feature here. The lyrics are: “You’ll feel lost once you’ve lost your way”But, they’re just afraid of what it means to be freeOf a hell that waits so... patientlyOf what it means to be free, when you don’t believeWhat if we lived for today?What if we stopped searching for “the only way”?What if we lived?A rich history on a man who was poorYet the wealthy folk use it as a way to make warI used to hold onto the fact that the veil had been tornNow I find peace in the fact that I fail to conformI went from baptized to chastisedI kept it to myself, I couldn’t stand to see my dad cryAnd when my friend needed treatmentI prayed to a god that I don’t believe inI’m decent, but I never was a deaconCommunion bread and grape juiceStill I sunk my teeth inIt’s recent, I’ve been finally finding freedomAnd if that makes me Heathen I guess I’m glad to be thenAnd if that makes me Heathen I guess I’m glad to be thenWhat if we lived for today?(If this the life that I’m given, then you know I’m gonna live it, life life that I’m given, so you know I’m gonna live it)What if we stopped searching for “the only way”?(If this the life that I’m given then you know I’m gonna live it)What if we lived?Saved by the graceThat I’ve given to myself I’ve come alive Saved by the graceThat I’ve given to myself I’ve come aliveWhat if we lived for today?(If this the life that I’m given, then you know I’m gonna live it, life life that I’m given, so you know I’m gonna live it)What if we lived for today?**prayed to a god that I don’t believe in**(If this the life that I’m given then you know I’m gonna live it)What if we lived?**and if that makes me Heathen then I guess I’m glad to be then** That's the band, "Stars From Streetlights" with my friend Steve Birss. Another member of the band wrote about that song, “Heathen was born out of the freedom that resulted from admitting our unbelief. Its a song about being honest with yourself about the questions you have regarding your faith. We wanted to be focused on living for today instead of living for the afterlife; embracing the here and now instead of fearing hell.  Ultimately, It’s a song about hope, grace, life, and freedom...without God.” There's links to the song in the show notes. Stars From Streetlights' song "Heathen"iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/heathen-feat-transit-22-single/1434009267 Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/album/70f1tPgCWzeOg4JEpyUBMa The New Testament, in a book called Hebrews, there's a definition of faith. It's in chapter 11 verse 1. Which is interesting, isn't it? One one one. Three in one? I'm just kidding. It's random. It goes like this, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Honestly, I think this is a powerful concept--faith. Not in god, of course, but in things we know to be true, even when we can't see it at the moment. I say this because sometimes our brain plays tricks on us. Especially those of us who have episodes of depression or anxiety or panic or delusion. Imagine being overwhelmed with fears and/or a barrage of negative thoughts about one's self and/or one's circumstance. "You're a failure," says the voice in our head. "This mess is unsolvable." "You're really bad at staying on top of your game." "You kinda suck at figuring this out; here you are again in this funk. What about this do you not understand?" or "Everyone thinks you're annoying." "All your friends are starting to lose respect for you." "Or do you really have friends at all?" "Secretly, they think you're ______." When we're coming from a place of fear, self-pity, resentment, victimhood or insecurity, we're going to misconstrue our interactions with people. We're going to think they're saying _______ when, in fact, they're saying something very different, maybe even the opposite of what you think they're thinking. After a while, it's like they're speaking German and you're speaking Spanish and no amount of raising your voices or repeating yourselves is going to break through the communication barrier; in fact, it makes it worse, escalates everyone's emotions and someone invariably storms out of the room, when any calm, civilized, mature audience would've seen that you were both saying very similar things, maybe even in full agreement with each other but because defensiveness and fear closed you up, their lips are moving but you can't hear what they're saying.   This is where I think Faith comes in handy. "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." For whatever reason--either you're guarded and feeling inferior or they're scared and feeling small, or both at the same time--you don't see them as your loving friend, spouse, or child, and vice versa. You no longer believe in them--that they love you, that they only want good for you, that they would take a bullet for you. Right now, in this moment...of intensity, and high blood pressure, and strong words, and loud voices, NO...they are not to be trusted. Part of saying yes to what is is saying no to what isn't. If it isn't true, don't believe it. If it is, believe it even if you can't see it right now. We're humans! We're complicated. We're NEVER our "best" selves--that mother fucker doesn't exist. The sooner you put him/her to rest, the sooner you get on with your life. So when we gather, shit happens, things are said, if not in words, its passive aggressive body language, smirks, facial expressions. IF WE HAVE AN IDEA IN OUR HEAD ABOUT WHAT ANOTHER PERSON IS THINKING, WE'RE GOING TO SEE EVERYTHING THEY DO AS A CONFIRMATION OF THAT PRE-EXISTING BIAS. But if it's not true, then there's nothing that they or you can do to get the truth to each other, and you run away mad, hurt, confused and embarrassed. Have faith in each other, goddammit! You know they're good people!?! Hell, 99% of the people on this planet are good and that's just because that bad 1% have something wrong with their brains. They'd be good too if something was rubbing up against that part of their brain that makes them want to fuck children or whatever. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Doubt? What doubt? THE DOUBT THAT THEY'RE A BAD PERSON! or that they're against you in this moment. Doubt it! and the and you will benefit from listening to that doubt. You're brain is fucking with you. Your fears are fucking with you. Doubt them and believe what you can't see right now because your enveloped in the fog of the destructive form of doubt--that they love you and area  good person. Don't build a wall of protection between you. You're only building a prison for yourself and you'll find yourself alone. The very thing you feared most is now upon you and fear itself led you there. We truly have nothing to fear but fear itself. Conversely, we can have true conversations, REAL, where we actually listen and thus learn. I mean it. Learn. I'm not always good at what I'm about to prescribe, but don't come to the conversation to teach, come to learn. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt--the doubt that you've got this figured out. Doubt your certainty and actually listen. (I'm self-talking right now).   Who's more powerful? the person who is unafraid to be wrong and/or corrected? or the one knows they're right? on the other hand, who's more powerful? the person who is confident in their hard-earned knowledge on the subject and thus doesn't have to yell or get excited or interrupt, or that other guy who yells, gets excited and interrupts.  (not to be confused with certainty, mind you) Hopefully you've seen the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary. As one who debates and argues for a living, she learned early on to never raise her voice or belittle her opponents, because it only reveals the weakness of her argument. Contrast that with Trump. Can you see how scared he is? How insecure? How fragile? His narcissism is a defense mechanism for his small self-image. Now, let's acknowledge that his narcissism did what narcissism does--it elevated him to high places. The highest place on earth, in fact. That's how profound his narcissism is. But he lacks true power because his insecurities feed back into his narcissism and thus he learns nothing, knows nothing, hears nothing, acknowledges nothing. ZERO humility. ZERO ability to doubt himself. Which is what makes him so dangerous. The lights are on but no one's home. Contrast that kind of narcissism with my guest today--Arael. This guy's belief in himself is very powerful. He deconverted a year ago and his internet presence through fullydeconverted.com has exploded and is already helping other deconverters. He's rubbing shoulders with some big names, he's building a community! Honestly, I was pretty sure he was going to be arrogant because of how alpha he is. BUT, I doubted that presumption enough to give him a chance, open myself up, be vulnerable, and you can hear both us kind of thaw out as the show progresses. once we get past walking around each other in a circle, smelling each other's asses. No, that didn't really happen, but you get the picture of two alpha males trying figure out who's cooler or smarter or whatever. Competition and comparison is the American way, you know. But fuck that. After we finished the taped portion, we talked for another 30 minutes about this type of work and by the tone set during the interview we were actually listening to each other and learning from each other. It was truly beautiful to me.  And I get the impression that Arael had some pretty difficult circumstances to overcome growing up, so the fact that he's ascended to where he is today is even more testimony to his belief in himself that is counter-balanced with a genuine humility and teachability that is truly admirable. Just like all human attributes, there's a spectrum, and I think a healthy does of narcissism (which is really small) can be that thing that pushes you out onto stages your insecurity kept you off of. Have faith in what is true--even if you can't see it at that moment. We obviously don't have faith in invisible friends anymore, but I think it's powerful thing to have faith in your fellow human beings and... your self. That is, of course, until the evidence says they're not really trustworthy after all. Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison this week as a serial rapist. Dr. Huckstable was hiding something to keep up the facade. Fake people can't be trusted and thus are not worthy of our faith. But I'm choosing to start and maintain my relationship with people through faith-- believing in their goodness, that they love me and themselves, that's its a safe-space to be with them even when they're being a dick; learning to know the difference in them having a bad day or when the pattern and consistency of their toxicity is truly something for which I have to throw up a boundary, and lose faith in them. Even then, they're not a bad person, they're just mentally ill and they need to own and get some help. I even feel that way about Trump. He's not a bad, even if he's the worst you've ever seen in your life--he's mentally ill and needs to own it, resign and get some help. But don't hold your breath. I want to be slow and reluctant to cast people as bad for me, especially if I'm coming from a place of inferiority, insecurity or resentment.   So that's my talk with Arael.  Good guy. Doing good in the world. He's not idle or slothful, is he? He's up and adam and doing things. Powerful, actually. again his org can be found at fullydeconverted.com. My thanks to James Exline for introducing Arael to me. If you'd like to share your story on this podcast contact me at midgley.cass@gmail.com or if you're a faithful listener of this podcast and its made a difference in your life and would like to come to our weekend retreat in the Smokies of east TN west NC, then contact me

Cass Midgley talks with Casper Rigsby. I had Casper on back on episode 153 and being how he lives right here in Murfreesboro, I invited him over for a little chat about the state of the union and the subject of Identity. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped this conversation on August 19th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me"The segue music on this episode is "We Care A Lot" by Faith No More. Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is. Casper is a prolific blogger and has personally published 7 books, including his best-selling title, "The Bible in a Nutshell." His work ranges from comedic blasphemy to philosophical inquiry and discourse. He was also nominated in 2015 for the Hitchens Prize which recognizes “an author or journalist whose work reflects a commitment to free expression and inquiry, ‭ ‬a range and depth of intellect, ‭ ‬and a willingness to pursue the truth without regard to personal or professional consequence.” To me, he's a young man, probably around 30, with a strong mind, a big heart, and a feral determination to thrive. He and I have very different histories. I don't know much about this because he doesn't talk about it much, but he served time in prison and was involved in white supremacy. Perhaps that's why he's so vehement now against it. I love him and I think you'll gain something from being with him for 45 minutes. Message from listener: "Hi Cass, I really loved and appreciated the episode with David Hayward. My deconstruction began almost two years ago when I lost my 21-year-old daughter in a tragic UTV accident in which she was a passenger. She was home for the weekend from her Air Force duty station in SC. I lost a husband at 24 that was very difficult, but losing my daughter has destroyed my foundation and all that I knew. I was a student pastor at the time and had been an active devout christian for 3 years. A short time, but I was all in. I went from being a believer to a disciple very quickly. I had grown up "knowing" there was a god and I was supposed to get right with him one day. And so I finally did. Joined the church and served with all that I had to give...three years later on a Sunday, my best friend, part of my everything, was taken from me. The night we lost Morgan, my faith began to collapse. Where was god when I prayed for my child to survive. Where was he when I was lying on the floor day in and day out in agony wishing for my breath to escape my body and never return? Where was he when all the people abandoned me and my family?  Where was he in all of my questions and pleadings? Nowhere, I learned. I learned the night of the accident that prayer doesn't work. It's nothing but mere words to a sky. Soon after, within weeks, the pastor informed me "I needed to be at church, so people could love me." I guess meeting me in my brokenness at my home was too much. I needed to be in their comfort zone. I couldn't comply. The church, the people were soon gone...before the casseroles could get cold actually. It was then that I learned that the holy spirit was a lie. People aren't changed by anything. They are the same selfish people they've always been. That was step two in my deconstruction. Step three was realizing that when I stopped brainwashing myself with singing, bible reading and teaching, and Sunday services suddenly god was gone. I never felt him after I lost my child. Not one time in my pleading, begging, and praying for something, anything, did I get a reassurance that my child was in Heaven, he didn't do this, he was good...or any of the stuff I needed. I learned it was because he was never there. It was all in my head.....Step four was when I enrolled at university to pursue the undergraduate degree my daughter was in the process of getting. I had my children young so I put off getting my degree to raise them and work. I wanted to do this to honor her. As I began taking classes, at a christian university of all things, I began to learn about the early church and its beginnings in a western civilization class.....this added to my newly formed belief that the church and religion were nothing more than man-created ways to handle the existential issues of life. Well, that and a way to rob men of their money and time. I also began exploring on the internet and in books all the things I had closed my mind to to keep from being of the world when I was a believer. Books, articles, websites, etc that were filled with rational information helped me see that what I was learning and feeling was legitimate. I soon left the christian university and transferred to the university my daughter attended before joining the air force. I'm in my sophomore year there now. I say all this just to give some background as to why I related to this episode with David so much. In addition to my husband and I losing our daughter, we lost our faith. Our complete beings were attacked and therefore so was our marriage. It has definitely been hard with both of those combined weights attacking it from all angles. We are fighting though. We have 16 years together and we both believe its worth the uphill climb. Some days are really hard. Neither of us is the same person, and we are having to relearn each other, grieve, help the other grieve, help our surviving daughter (who was at the accident that took her sister) deal with PTSD, and create new meaning, all while doing the necessary tasks that life demands. I have related to many of your guests and I'm thankful for the echo chamber and think tank that you provide with this podcast. Validation is a very important thing for humans in order to not feel alone and isolated, which is very easy to do in a situation such as ours. I need it in the loss of my child and grief, and I need it in the loss of god and the grief that that brings. Thank you for your wisdom and for sharing your own journey, as well as those of your guests. What a great way to create meaning in your life, helping us who are new on this journey. Much love to you Cass.  (I added her to the private support group on FB - ep207 death, ep216 Grief) Leisha: Thank you for adding me to the group and for sharing those episodes. I will most definitely be listening. I am grateful for this community. Damn this is a lonely place. Especially where I live: Rural, bible-loving, preacher-growing, conservative sweet home Alabama. Ugh... I love the place but finding like minded people is extremely difficult. Online communities and support are all I have with the exception of my support group for bereaved parents, which is full of people who believe they will see their child in heaven. My daughter lived life fully and on the edge, never scared of anything... I was always fearful of losing her and then I did. And the Christian's wanted me to believe it was god's plan. Well the hell with that and their god... what an asshole. I'd rather accept that hes not there than think he chose, caused, or planned this for her or I.

Cass Midgley interviews David Hayward.  We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. David Hayward was baptized Anglican as a baby, came to faith in a Baptist church when he was a teenager, changed to Pentecostal in his late teens, married another Pentecostal named Lisa, was ordained Presbyterian, pastored a Vineyard church, and planted others. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a Masters in Religious Studies and Ministry from McGill University in Montreal. But in 2010 David left the professional paid clergy. He is still passionate about how people can find and follow their own spiritual path with courage and joy, as well as in how people can freely gather and form community in healthy ways. David started a blog called nakedpastor in 2006, and initiated his public analysis of religion, religious community and spirituality through his writings, art and cartoons. Thousands of people are challenged and entertained by nakedpastor every day. His art, cartoons, writings and book have found their way all around the world. David lives with his wife Lisa on the beautiful Kennebecasis River near Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. They have 3 grown children close by. I just want to relax. on wishing anything were different. I am most healthy when I release and accept...that which I have no control over. We don't really realize how destructive expectations are, do we? Imagine someone your sideways with comes to you, humbles themselves and tries to repair the breach and because you were expecting it, the beauty and miracle of it is lost on you. It may not have measured up to your expectation and thus lost on you. The degree in which I wish things in my life, over which I have no control, were different has a direct and immediate effect on my satisfaction with my life. Release and accept. Say yes to what is. Because, unlike my Christian life, where I was compelled to carpe diem, to keep pressing in. One scripture that I memorized and quoted almost everyday in my quiet times was Philipians 3:7-13. And it demonstrates a disdain for satisfaction. Even now, that machosim, that rigor appeals to something in me, but I now consider it to be something life-draining, and that is...never let a guy relax, be content for a goddamn minute. It's saying no to what is and constantly trying to get better, be better, be more pleasing, be more spiritual, and just reciting that again sounds exhausting and reminds me of the debilitating effect that had on my fatigue and frustration. Today I want to be satisfied, I want to relax. I want to say yes to what is. To quote Nietzsche (and I'm paraphrasing), "“I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful that which is out of my control; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful. Amor fati--the love of fate: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. The only thing I will say no to is looking away. I will not look away. I will not bury my head in the sand and deny that shit is happening. I will look at my life with eyes wide open. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer. It's my formula for human greatness: amor fati: that I want nothing to be different, not in the future, not in the past. Not only that I would endure what is necessary, much less to hide it from myself, such idealism is wishful thinking and a lie, in the face of reality— , but instead to love it...to embrace it as mine to learn from, within which to find truth. Amor fati: this is the very core of my being—And as to my hardships, failures and mistakes, do I not owe much more to these than I owe to my successes? To these I owe a higher kind of health, a sort of health which grows stronger under everything that does not actually kill me!—To these, I owe even my philosophy, which is great suffering is the only and ultimate emancipator of spirit, for it teaches one that living fearfully and suspiciously is constantly making mountains out of molehills. Only great suffering; that great suffering, under which we seem to be over a fire of greenwood, the suffering that takes its time—forces us philosophers to descend into our nethermost depths, and to let go of all that which we formerly staked our humanity which was a trust that everything happened for a reason, that life was good and fair. No, acknowledging that chaos runs the universe, not order; that absurdity is the norm, not meaning or purpose. Suffering. Beauty in it all. Not hating it; loving it. By saying saying yes to it. Release and accept." In this talk with David Hayward, we discover that he and I were both muscians in the Lort's service. Writing Christian songs. Well, just to show how truly shameless I am, I'm going to play a song I wrote and recorded in 1983 as a 17 year old, and it's the opposite of the philosophy I just prescribed from Nietzsche, and directly taken from Paul. It's about never being satisfied. Contrast that with today when all I want in these last two or three decades of my life is satisfaction. Relax, release and accept.   We taped this conversation on August 19th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me"The segue music on this episode is "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot.  Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is.  

Cass Midgley interviews Tanya Harrison. Tanya is 44 years old, totally blind since birth. She explored a variety of Christian denominations for most of her life in an earnest quest to find God. Today she's convinced that God's not anywhere! And now has more time to dedicate to her passions, which include her dog, Molly, her friends, music, reading, Star Trek and psychology. She writes, "It is a wonderful feeling to have a mind I can trust, not having to feel guilty about leaning on my own understanding." As you'll hear, she is quirky and eccentric. Tanya suspects she gets that from her mother and as Tanya is shunned by her mother and her sisters, she misses her mother dearly. Her life motto is "live life to love and laugh." We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped this conversation on July 29th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" The segue music on this episode is a song that Tanya chose that she says picks her up when things are getting her down, "Since I Met You" by the Avalanches Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is.  

Welcome everyone to episode 217 of the Everyone’s Agnostic podcast. I’m Cass Midgley. Today I don't have a guest. My wife and I are headed up to Madison as this is being released to visit our dear friends, Bob and Edie Pondillo. Bob was the co-host of this podcast for the first four years, over 200 episodes. I miss him greatly as I'm sure you do too, if you were listening through those years. But back in September of 2014 we recorded episode 14 with Bob reading an essay he wrote called "Good Without God." It remains one of our most downloaded episodes ever, with over 4,000 downloads.  So I'm going to rerun that reading by Bob as a tribute to him while I'm up thinking, stinking and drinking with him on his porch. One of my favorite things to do in the world. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. We taped Bob's reading of "Good Without God" in August of 2014 The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me" Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is.

Welcome everyone to episode 216 of the Everyone’s Agnostic podcast. I’m Cass Midgley.  My guest today is Rachel and that's all she's going to go by today. She's hear to talk about GRIEF, especially secular tools for coping with grief. This is a great convo.  You're not going to believe how sharp Rachel is. Prepare to be a better person 2 hours from now (if you listen in one sitting; which no one does, so...) Prepare to be a better person and more equipped to deal with grief whenever you get through this episode.   We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. Between 2002-2011, Rachel moved ten times for her husband's graduate education and career in ministry.  The more she studied the scriptures and served in the church, the more her faith eroded. This was true for her husband, as well. For him, addiction ensued and secrecy abounded.   In 2010, Rachel left her religious tradition to explore new worldviews, including humanism and applied positive psychology. While she flourished in her newfound freedom, her husband languished... consumed by regret, self-doubt, and anxiety around the potential fallout of leaving the fold. Two years later, Rachel's optimism was put to the ultimate test when her husband died in a car accident, leaving her widowed overnight with three boys to raise. Although surrounded by loving and well-intentioned family and friends, her support system offered definitively Christian comfort and consolation. This minimized her loss and compromised her ability to process her grief honestly and openly.   Ever since she's been exploring new pathways to navigate both life and death in the pursuit of wholehearted healing and reality-based hope.  Her desire is to build secular communities of support for people whose lives have been disrupted by tragedy, transition, and loss... including (and especially) the loss of faith. Rachel is a resilience trainer and grief support specialist. Even though she talks about death and loss a lot, she's into all things mind-expanding, life-enriching,  and joy-inducing. She is currently developing "resilience without religion" retreats through www.FlourishingBeyondBelief.com. We taped this conversation on July 29th, 2018. The intro music is by Dave Weckl called "Just Groove Me"Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is. find your 25 strengths at https://www.viacharacter.org/ Maria Paplova's Blog - Brain Pickings