Silencing Women in the Name of God

Casey absolutely kills this episode. Not only is her story all things interesting but she does a phenomenal job breaking down patterns of control, coercion and abuse within christianity and evangelicalism. She also talks candidly about knowing she was gay but being taught that a good Christian marriage would fix her "problem".

Ciera and I started where my podcast conversations usually do and ended up in the most beautiful discussion around the impact I unknowingly had on her life. I may have turned red at all the compliments but the power in her words are so important. My impact on her was during my darkest times which goes to show the power of being ourselves--even when we feel like we are failing at everything. This conversation is something everyone needs to hear.

Kim reached out to the church for help, bringing her and her family into the fold to find hope. But what she eventually realized was that those helping hands were actually pulling her further and further away from herself, her soul and all the things that really mattered to her.

Asheley Clark is here talking to us about so many toxic ideologies including the killing of yourself so that God can dwell in you. I'd run across this teaching in some of my research and as a parent found it an odd and dangerous thought. I'm thrilled to have Asheley here, not only to explain what this teaching means but how destructive it becomes on the individual level.

Ashlie talks about how conformity at a young age lead to the loss of herself and her light. When we silence our thoughts and desires, before we have time to learn who and what we are, it often leads to a complete divorcing from ourselves. This numb existence continues until we wake up one day and realize...we don't know who we are anymore. Which is exactly where Ashlie found herself.

Jennifer Zechlin talks about growing up in a nuanced and "progressive" mormon household. We look at the othering she watched and experienced as a child and then again as an adult within in her own home.

Jennifer is working on continued research and providing resources for those leaving the mormon faith at jenniferzechlin.com

Katherine talks with us today about growing up in a sect of Christianity where men are considered gods and kings over their household and women are to know their place. Katherine's only purpose in life was to get married and have children. Now she works on helping to heal and support others who have been the victims of spiritual abuse.

Check out Katherine's non profit, Tears of Eden, as well as her podcast, Uncertain Podcast, for more help dealing with spiritual abuse and trauma.

Cat came flying in with a particular brand of silencing I hadn't even recognized- how women have been stripped of female friendships. To be honest I thought it was just a me problem. But Cat and I talk about how the perfectionist culture that comes with high demand religions pits women against each other, preventing us from speaking freely for fear of being judged. For those of us now experiencing rich female bonds we can finally see how blindly we've been robbed.

Mary Helen grew up in a two religion household. When she got older she went in deeper, choosing a much more rigid religion for herself in a search for anything that would tell her how to fix how "wrong" and "bad" she felt inside.

Lindsay comes to us with a brave episode about her own sexual abuse and trauma as well as--with the permission of her husband--the fall out of his porn addiction in their marriage. This story is all too common and both her and her husband's vulnerability stands as a much needed breath of fresh air. *Trigger warning for detailed reports of abuse*

Find Lindsay at healingrootandbranch.com