Graceful Atheist Podcast

Content Warning: Spiritual, physical and sexual abuse. Depression, post-partum depression, infertility and suicidal idealization. Arline guest hosts interviewing author and podcaster, Nicki Pappas. Nicki Pappas is a writer who critiques the evangelical establishment that shaped her. She's the author of As Familiar as Family: Leaving the Toxic Religion I Was Groomed For. She's also the host of the Broadening the Narrative podcast where she interviews guests who are broadening the narratives she was taught within white evangelicalism. She has three young children with Stephen Pappas, her steady partner in the chaos since 2010. Through her work, she desires to spark hope in the world around her and live out an embodied faith. Links Website
https://www.nickipappas.com/ Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/broadeningthenarrative/ Broadening the Narrative Podcast
http://broadeningthenarrative.blogspot.com/ #AmazonPaidLinks
As Familiar as Family: Leaving the Toxic Religion I Was Groomed For
https://amzn.to/3FlMRez Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/12/04/nicki-pappas-as-familiar-as-family/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Support the podcast onPatreon
https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheistSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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This week's guest is Jessica Moore, a life coach focusing on purity culture. Jessica grew up in a non-denominational Christian in Salt Lake City Utah surrounded by Mormons. She felt both the pressure to evangelize and be proselytized. Jessica went to an unaccredited Christian college where she first began to have doubts. She wound up traveling to Israel and seeing life on both sides of the Palestinian/Israeli border. She experienced the reverse culture shock coming back to the United States. Jessica put a lot of pressure on herself to be a "godly woman." Purity culture had a damaging impact on her life. The focus of her work now is helping people recover from purity culture and religious abuse. Links Website
https://jessicamoorecoaching.com/ Series of Expansion blog
https://jessicamoorecoaching.com/blog Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/becomingyou.coaching/ Interact My appearance on the I Was A Teenage Fundamentalist podcast
https://pod.link/1558606464/episode/f8067a71cf74f38205420663954fceaf For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/11/27/jessica-moore-becoming-you/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Support the podcast on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheistSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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Ben and Ang have been married for seventeen years. They met as tender homeschooled church-kids. They married young, and the church's "formula" worked well for a while. They were mostly happy and went on to have kids of their own. But little things from childhood would pop up now and then—purity culture shame, fear of emotions, fear of the end of the world… In June of 2016, the shooting at Pulse nightclub "broke" Ang, and she knew she had to find a different way forward. By 2017, they both were out of church—Ben trying to save their marriage; Ang trying to save herself. Now, Ben and Ang are navigating a new and more intimate life together. They're both agnostic, defining agnosticism a little differently from one another, but they both agree—this life is most important, and it must be lived to the fullest! Links Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/buildanadventure/ Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/11/20/arline-interviews-ben-and-ang/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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This week's guests are podcasters, Nathan Alexander and Todd Tavares of Beyond Atheism. Nathan grew up Anglican and in his early twenties, he realized there were no good reasons to continue believing. Todd grew up Catholic—technically still confirmed—but even at ten years old, he was a skeptic, wanting to explore reality rather than make-believe. In this interview, Nathan and Todd discuss racism, humanism, community-building and what it means to live thoughtfully in a godless world. It's a sharp conversion you don't want to miss! Links Beyond Atheism
https://www.nathangalexander.com/podcast Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850-1914
https://www.nathangalexander.com/book-race-in-a-godless-world
#AmazonPaidLinks
https://amzn.to/3hGdEtO Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/11/13/nathan-and-todd-beyond-atheism/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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This week's guest is Heather Wells, author of Trustworthy: A Journey from American Christianity to Freedom. Heather grew up in a happy Christian home, attending a variety of churches—from "Women cannot wear pants," to "There are drums!" She married at eighteen and expected to have a similarly happy marriage as her parents, but no matter how hard she worked—both literally and metaphorically—that was not going to happen. Heather felt like a spectator, watching the men around her plan her life. It looks years of a one-sided marriage, churches refusing to help and zero answered prayers for Heather to realize she had to be her own savior. Once she had a well-paying job and more education, she no longer needed others to rescue her and her family. Heather now enjoys a life that is her own and no one else's. She is the trustworthy one. She can look to herself—her own intuition, her own knowledge and education—for what is best for her. That is a sweet gift that no one can take from her.
#AmazonPaidLinks
Trustworthy: A Journey from American Christianity to Freedom
https://amzn.to/3heAKHA
Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/11/06/heather-wells-trustworthy/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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Humanist author and speaker, Joe Simonetta, grew up in a Catholic home with good values. He and his brothers "did well," and he is thankful for the foundation his parents gave him. As a young man, affected by all the suffering in the world, he vowed to be part of the solution. He has lived a fascinating life, holding degrees from multiple universities, traveling extensively and enjoying all kinds of professions. His full bio is available here. Joe is hopeful about the future and has three basic rules that he believes can change the future for humanity: Be healthy. Be kind. Respect the environment. Links Website and books
https://joesimonetta.com/ Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/30/joe-simonetta-seven-words/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week's guest is the content creator, @boundless_and_free. Boundless grew up in a good Christian home, attended a PCA church and believed all was well in her life. She would later learn the term CPTSD and understand that a "good Christian upbringing" may not have been quite what she'd thought. In college, Ms. Free first experienced anxiety and depression but had no vocabulary for it. The Church rarely discusses these things. It wasn't until the "perfect life" she'd been promised began to unravel that she realized she needed a different way to understand "god" and herself . Now, as a "parts work" therapist, she helps others on their own journeys. Her personal experience of the divine centers around the ways that humans are connected to one another and the universe. Once again—whether someone leaves religion and becomes an atheist or continues on a spiritual journey—the real purpose in life comes from connecting with other people. We are all in this together, and we each get one life to leave this world better than we found it. Links Counseling Website
http://theempoweredselfcounseling.com/ Boundless and Free on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/boundless_and_free/ Religious Trauma Institute
https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/ Secular Therapy Project
https://www.seculartherapy.org/You are not broken, you are human
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/12/06/you-are-not-broken-you-are-human/ Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/23/arline-interviews-boundless-and-free/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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This week's guest is Keke. Keke grew up a PK. Her family was in church, "running the show," anytime the doors were open. Life at home was difficult for Keke, however, so the church provided a safe haven. But over time, domestic violence, mental health problems and other family secrets were too great a burden for her to carry. After high school, she joined the military, got married and even led her husband to Jesus. Then in 2017, as she was reading a most peculiar bible story to her daughter, she started on a deconstruction journey that she never saw coming. Keke now is learning everything she can about ancient mythologies, African American history and many other cultures. She's also raising her children to be open to the world and its many cultures. She knows that human connection is truly what we need—whether with our ancestors through stories or with those around us today. Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/16/keke-deconversion-of-a-pk/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/

This week's guest is Daniel. Daniel is a social scientist with a master's degree in psychology. He grew up in the United Church of Canada, but church wasn't a huge part of his life until high school. He then went to bible college and worked in ministry. He tried to experience God like others were, but it just wouldn't happen. He took on the "Office of Skeptic," for himself. He hoped it would both help his faith and the church. He could articulate questions and doubts that others couldn't. Were these miraculous stories true? Was God really even there? If so, what the hell was he doing? Unfortunately, this only kept him in the church longer than he needed. By 2020, he'd been an agnostic theist for years and was finally seeing the harm done in North America by White Christianity. Now Daniel writes and speaks, sharing his knowledge with those struggling with addictions and other mental health needs. He no longer looks to the supernatural for miracles but knows how much human connection is the true healer. Links Here's How Religion Imprints Us — Even When We Walk Away
https://www.templeton.org/news/heres-how-religion-imprints-us-even-when-we-walk-away Religious Identity and Morality: Evidence for Religious Residue and Decay in Moral Foundations
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167220970814 Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/09/daniel-office-of-the-skeptic/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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This week's guest is Treasure who is interviewed by Arline, the Deconversion Anonymous community manager. Treasure grew up in the Seventh Day Adventist tradition. Her whole family was focused on ministry. Treasure is a singer and she was continually asked to sing for every church she attended. She was focused on mental health issues and ministering to people in need. In 2020, Treasure began to quietly question her faith and began the slow painful process of deconstruction. Though she still loves hymns, even music, once a joy, has become "confusing" due to the obligation to perform for churches and feels like a "job". Treasure has found spiritual and community fulfillment in her current spiritual practices of meditation, intentional journaling and yoga including sound bowl healing. She is also a participant in the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group where she says it is safe to vent. Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/02/arline-interviews-treasure/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy