Everyone's Agnostic Podcast

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

 

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 [email protected].  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

 

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

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