People aren’t leaving the church because they “hate God.” They’re leaving because the church keeps begging for cash, propping up patriarchy, justifying abusive marriages, and trashing LGBTQ people. In this episode, we talk about the real reasons people walk away and how to stay rooted in spirituality through safe, inclusive community that actually exists.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

Virginity isn't real. We unpack how purity culture weaponized the concept of virginity to control women, why the biology doesn’t back it up, and how the shame attached to sex has wrecked entire generations. Bonus: we share some memes that are funnier than your youth pastor’s abstinence sermon.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

This isn’t your Sunday school Ruth. Naomi sends her in to seduce Boaz and secure a future for them both. It’s raw, risky, and very much not the evangelical “wait until marriage” narrative. We talk about how this story reframes grief, highlights the resources we already have, and smashes the purity-culture lie that sex is the enemy of holiness.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

What happens when theology is weaponized? We talk with someone actually getting a PhD in religious trauma—yes, that’s a thing—and leading a support group for people recovering from it. We unpack how this kind of abuse isn’t “just church hurt” but complex trauma, rooted in communities where doctrine gets twisted into control. And of course, it wouldn’t be evangelical trauma without someone dropping the “synagogue of Satan” line.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

Boaz feeds Ruth like she actually belongs—because she does. That’s the point. His generosity breaks the scarcity mindset and shows what it means to embody God’s social safety net. We’ll unpack how Ruth’s full basket challenges us to look at our own hospitality: who gets left out of our tables, and how can we change that? By the end, Naomi finally sees the big reveal—Boaz might be the Kinsman Redeemer.

Patreon.com/skepticpastor

When Jesus said “turn the other cheek,” He wasn’t telling us to be doormats—He was giving oppressed people a blueprint for resistance. From civil rights history to modern data, we’ll show why non-violence works and why the church needs to stop worshiping at the altar of the sword.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

thequollective.com

Code: UnBelief

Forget the “God helps those who help themselves” nonsense. Ruth’s story proves God built a social welfare system and stamped it holy. In Ruth 2, she walks into a stranger’s field, risks her safety, and outworks every man there—because God’s law said the rich were required to share. Your favorite “hard work” preacher would hate this chapter.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

You asked, we answered: How do you make sense of the Bible after learning how it was written? Can someone follow Jesus and also find truth in Buddhism? Is hell biblical—or just a scare tactic? And what’s the most trustworthy Bible translation? It’s all in here.

Patreon.com/skepticpastor

Sometimes God feels absent. Bitter, even. Naomi gets that. But Ruth shows us that when everything collapses, the right person by your side can be sacred. This episode is about that kind of love—the loyal, no-matter-what kind—and what it teaches us about faith and friendship.

patreon.com/skepticpastor

She was told her worth was tied to being a wife and mother—and that at 22 was practically a geriatric bride. So she got married, made sure “obey” was in the vows, and followed the evangelical script. Years (and one major deconstruction) later, she’s out as bi, still married, and thriving. Spoiler: the husband stayed. The evangelical friends? Not so much.

patreon.com/skepticpastor