Face The Sun

...why have you forsaken me?

What's in the name Gaia? 

A short episode on the background of my name.

Given the U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday, I'm reposting my series on abortion.

The first episode is my personal story and why I changed my mind on this serious and personal decision. Email me at [email protected] if you wish to discuss.

I had a great time getting to know Ben Dubow who is co-pastor of Riverfront Family Church in Hartford, CT (link/website below). We intended a conversation with another pastor and me moderating but our schedules never matched up. Instead, Ben discussed his personal stories and the paths that have lead him to where he is today. 

I hope you enjoy the episode.

For more information about Riverfront: https://www.riverfront.church/ 

Ben Dubow: [email protected] 

 

To reach the host of Face the Sun, email [email protected]

It was a pleasure having my friend, Meg McDermott Tobin, on the podcast. Meg is a licensed therapist who discusses some of her religious and spiritual experiences.

We discuss religion & psychology and the work she does in her both her practices, Breathing Space Psychotherapy and Anam Wellness. 

Breathing Space Psychotherapy

https://breathingspacepsychotherapy.com/

Anam Wellness

https://www.anamwellness.com/ 

 

I was privileged to be on an episode of "Unbelievable?" this past week which was just released.  I had a discussion with Preston Ulmer who wrote The Doubters Club. I spent some time focusing on Street Epistemology and the Naked Pastors' book, Questions Are the Answer. 

Link to episode:

Unbelievable? Podcast - The Doubters Club: Preston Ulmer & Gaia McDermott 

 

 

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email: [email protected]

I have been to a couple of places of worship these past few months that I'll do an episode on soon.  

I visited the Hartford Monthly Meeting (Quakers) on Sunday, Jan. 9th. It was an experience I won't soon forget. I thought the people and the place were wonderful. If you live in or around the area, it's worth a visit. Please see the link below for more information. 

https://www.hartfordquakers.org/ 

Feel free to contact Face The Sun at: [email protected]

I'm hopeful the past few years of "deconstruction" will help places of worship and people who worship to be kinder, more compassionate and abide by the verses that hold up love.

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] 

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, you're listening to Face The Sun. My name is Gaia, and I'm your host. Welcome to a show where I discuss matters of religion, belief and unbelief. I want to welcome you to the year 2022. Thank goodness we're here. I started this podcast officially in January of 2020. I started going to places of worship and then in March of 2020, as we all know, the whole world changed.

So I did some podcasts and different things and tried to get my footing. And it's been really interesting. What I found is that because I'm not technically savvy, I am going to, I'm going to change up how I do my podcasting, that I'm not going to put music at the beginning or end. Not that it should be that difficult, but I just moved my music around, like tinker with it...and I tinker some more and I get lost in a project of the music. Then I also get lost in projects of taking out silences or taking out every single itty-bitty hiccup. I decided...I've just decided I'm not going to do that because then I don't record because it becomes this massive headache and homework and massive project, and this is supposed to be a hobby and I'm enjoying it and I want to get back to enjoying it.

That's how I'm going to be doing my 2022 with this podcast - streamlining it, making it easier for me so that I can do more recordings. So we'll, we'll see how that goes.

Okay. So for this coming year, I am going to focus on...I am going to focus on a number of things. One of the things that I'm going to focus on is this thing that I'm hearing a lot about for the past couple of years. I'm chasing this down wherever I can - people who are deconstructing - those who deconstruct from the church. Because I was raised in the Christian belief, that's the deconstructionist that I'm following and I'm intrigued. I'm so intrigued!

They say a lot of things and I'm like, "Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes, yes, yes, yes!" But they're almost becoming their own little clique. I have hope, but also concerns. And...I don't know, I hope that that a lot of them can go from deconstructing to deconverting.  Some look like they aren't, so I wish them the best and that they can make a healthier go of it than their predecessors did.

I'm also going to spend a good deal of time on things relating to the concerns that I have in regards to women and religious belief systems, as well as the LGBTQ community and the damage that can be done, but I also really want to focus on places that don't do damage. Um, wow, I almost started to cry there.

I want to go to places that don't hurt other people. Which, how about that? I just, you know, I just thought to do that, you know, what does that say about the damage that that belief can do to you, that religion can do to you that, um, I just thought I should stop going to places that aren't so, um, hurtful to who I am.

I think I found some places. I think I, um, I found some places. I went to some, I went to a church in the summertime and then I went to another place, another church in the fall.

It was the first time I've ever been to a church that had a rainbow flag in front of it. And it was the first time I went to a church that had a woman who was speaking. I mean, oh my gosh, what kind of world do I live in? You know what...I have to correct myself. I'm sure I have been somewhere - I'm sure I've been somewhere where a woman has been a pastor of a church somewhere.

I cannot for the life of me, remember when or where, but I can have vague memories. I think I do. It really struck me probably because I know Liza and I...and I haven't been in churches that much in, in, over the decades. 

Yeah, it really struck me. And a lot of things have changed when you stay out of a church for decades.

Like, just...things have changed. And so

I sat down the other day with Liza Arulampalam, pastor of Riverfront Family Church in Hartford, CT. We spoke about women in the church, the history of how Riverfront Family Church was founded and where they are today with leadership and vision. We also discussed the idea of "decolonizing Christianity". I find the times I spend with Liza spark my brain in ways I have never thought about before or thought of in a very long time. 

To find out more about Pastor Liza Arulampalam and the Riverfront Family Church, click (or copy/paste) this link:

https://www.riverfront.church/ 

 

If you would like to support the podcast with a one-time purchase of a cup of coffee or donate the amount of a cup of coffee monthly, please click (or copy/paste) this link:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/facethesun 

 

Contact Face The Sun:

[email protected]  or leave a message at 860-249-1212

 

 

Transcript to follow

Juliemar is a friend who sat down with me over Zoom a few months back. We talked about faith with her family and where she stands today regarding her beliefs.

I enjoyed every minute of our conversation and hope you do too. 

 

Transcript to follow. 

Please feel free to email [email protected] with any comments or questions. 

If you'd like to buy me a coffee, please visit www.BuyMeACoffee.com/FaceTheSun

All caffeine is greatly appreciated!!

This weeks episode is a conversation I had with Justin Good. Justin is a professor of philosophy. He also overseas with his wife, The Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a non-profit organization located on a forty acre community land trust in the Lower Connecticut River Valley.  The organization promotes interfaith spiritual practice, environmental education and community development. The land trust hosts beaver wetlands, walking paths, an outdoor stage, yurt, community garden, free-ranging goats and chickens and other permaculture demonstration projects. The land trust is open to the public daily from 9 am to 5 pm and is available for private functions. 

If you would like to contact Face The Sun, you can email, [email protected] or leave a message at 860-249-1212. If you would like to support the podcast through buying a cup of coffee, please click on (or copy/paste) www.buymeacoffee.com/facethesun