We think you'll really connect with this episode. In 2000, Desiree Richter's two-year-old son Elijah died in a tragic domestic accident. The world as she knew it was dismantled along with her understanding of her place in it, leaving her to figure out how to parent her remaining children and how the fundamentalist Christian faith she'd practiced all her life fit into her new reality. We talk with Desi about her Fundamentalist upbringing, the death of her son, leaving the faith, and rediscovering purpose after so much loss.

Links

• The Presence of Absence: Kitchen table talks about parenting, leaving fundamentalism, and the very messy business of living with loss
• Desi on Facebook
• Desi on Instagram

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

We're excited to welcome April Ajoy back to our show. April is an influencer, content-creator, podcaster, and all-around troublemaker for the Christian right. She grew up in the heart of American Evangelicalism as an Evangelist’s kid and she is insightful and astute at illuminating the ways Christian Nationalism has infiltrated churches and political arenas, shaping not only modern Evangelical culture but also American public policy and international relations. Her new book is called “Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism & Finding a True Faith.”

Links

• April's first appearance on our show
• April on Instagram
• April's book

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Did Jesus predict his own return in the lifetime of his disciples and first century Christians and get it wrong? Was he simply one of many failed first-century Jewish apocalyptic preachers? Did Paul and other writers of the New Testament share Jesus' view and get it wrong too? In this episode, Troy and Brian unpack some of the reasons why many scholars, progressive Christians, Exvangelicals and Atheists give a resounding, 'Yes!' to these questions.

Links

• 'The Lowdown on God's Showdown' by Edward Babinski The article serves as the foundation for this episode and is the same one that Troy read, which persuaded him that Jesus would not return.
• Episode 113 - Armageddon Isn't Coming with Bart Ehrman Bart gives his scholarly perspectives on the Book of Revelation and the early Church's beliefs about the imminent return of Jesus.
• Episode 3 - It's the End of the World as We Know it In one of our earliest episodes, we talked about how we were peddled the end-time message from the very start of our time as fundamentalists.
• Episode 35 - F**cked Over at Country Town AOG Troy has his 'fridge revelation' that Jesus may not be coming so soon after all.

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

In preparation for our upcoming episode on the failed second coming of Jesus, we decided to replay this interview with one of our Exvangelical heroes, Bart Ehrman. If you haven't yet heard this interview then you're in for a treat, and if you have heard it before, we know you'll love it all over again.

Dr Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An expert on the New Testament and the history of Early Christianity, he has written or edited thirty books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews. Six of his books have been on the New York Times Bestseller list. Brian and Troy talk to Bart about his own teenage fundamentalism and his upcoming book, Armageddon: What the Bible really says about the end. In this conversation, Bart delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, Revelation. 

You can connect with Bart via his blog: The Bart Ehrman Blog, his website: Bart D. Ehrman, and his podcast: Misquoting Jesus. 

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Following on from Part 1, we continue our chat about neurodivergence with podcast faves Danielle (D.L.) & Krispin Mayfield. 

• Krispin's website 
• D.L.'s website
• STRONGWILLED (substack.com)
• STRONGWILLED (the podcast)

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

On the back of Troy's recent ADHD diagnosis, we talk about neurodivergence with podcast faves Danielle (D.L.) & Krispin Mayfield. Danielle's tells of their own Autism diagnosis and Troy opens up about how ADHD impacted him in the Church and now that he's deconstructed. The Mayfield's also talk about their latest project, Strongwilled.

• Krispin's website 
• D.L.'s website
• STRONGWILLED (substack.com)
• STRONGWILLED (the podcast)

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed psychotherapist, trauma resolution coach, religious trauma consultant, speaker, author, and educator. We talk with her about how when we leave fundamentalism, fundamentalism doesn't necessarily leave us, and its toxicity seems to manifest in other ways. 

Laura's links:

• Laura Anderson | Religious Trauma Expert
• When Religion Hurts You (book)
• Dr. Laura Anderson on Instagram

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Cait West is a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement and advocate for survivors of spiritual abuse. In this episode, we talk about her experiences and her book, Rift: A memoir of breaking away from the Christian Patriarchy. She shares her story of hope for those who want to break free from high control environments.

Links

• Cait West's website
• Tears of Eden: Supporting survivors of Spiritual Abuse and Religious Trauma
• Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy : Amazon.com
• Survivors Discuss Podcast – Monthly Panel Discussions About Surviving Toxic & High Control Religion

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Following on from Part 1, we continue our recount of a recent Sunday service at Great Big AOG. We dive into the sermon and challenge the f*ck out of his claims and assertions and ask just how reliable are the supposed miracle stories that the pastor told. Judging by the amount of laughter, this two-parter is easily up there with our most fun episodes so far.

Links:

• Let's go back to Great Big AOG Part 1 
• Listen to the actual recording of the sermon we sat through and recount for you - Ps Dave Harvey |Originally recorded on Sunday, 21st July 2024 | 11:30AM
• Heaven Bent Podcast Season 2 is about Bethel Church

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

It's been nearly 30 years since our last visit to Great Big AOG, and in this episode, we go back for a Sunday service. Join us as we recount the weird and bizarre antics and carry-on of these modern Pentecostals. We also introduce you to Brian's significant other, Michelle, as she joined us on our expedition back into the world of church. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing in tongues and raise your hands.

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here. 

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.