Unordained

Survivor and former minister Kerry Walker reveals the dogma that puts children in some religious denominations at risk for abuse. Kerry is a former fundamentalist evangelical minister. After the realization that all religions without an independently objectively verifiable God claim are just the “words of mere men” he left his cult and began the long deconstruction process restoring him to our natural collective atheism.  Having been born and raised in his former faith, Kerry made many life choices to support that faith, which resulted in severe emotional and physical damage.  Today, after healing from religious trauma, Kerry is passionate about exposing the dangers of dogma, and helping victims of cult indoctrination break the cycle of abuse.

Mike Smith (they, them, theirs) is a queer, non-binary, White settler, and LGBTQ+ community advocate residing in Toronto. They attained an Honours Bachelor of Arts in sociology and anthropology from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Ryerson University. In their spare time, Mike enjoys playing classical music and binge-watching Schitt’s Creek. As a youth however, Mike was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). They attained a Diploma of Religion from the LDS Seminary based in Salt Lake City, Utah. At 19 they were ordained as an minister and served a two-year proselyting mission in Northern Alberta and British Columbia. Mike’s experiences as a queer Mormon motivated them to pursue a career supporting queer and trans communities. Whether providing healthcare services, facilitating LGBTQ+ inclusion workshops or advocating for legal reform, they have found purpose and direction working alongside queer and trans communities. Mike currently works full time for the AIDS Committee of Toronto as an HIV prevention project coordinator. Mike has recently launched their consulting business, Mike Smith Consults, offering organizational development, community engagement, and LGBTQ+ education services.

We don't just talk to atheists at Unordained! In this episode, Katherine has a conversation with Barry Waltersdorff, who after 40 years as a born again Christian, and 5 as an agnostic, has rejected Christianity but remains a believer in a Creator.

In this interview, Jade shares her feelings on what it was like to grow up in a strict, fundamentalist religious home, and the lengths she had to go to escape it. To hear more about Jade, visit her channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/JadedAtheist/featured

Dr Mark Eastwood is an Executive and Non-Executive boardroom professional with extensive governance experience. Mark has a doctorate in Global Management and wrote ‘How to care for our People ’. Mark is a survivor of conversion therapy.  “My story is that of two stories: one of us survived and one of us did not. At 5 years old my mother had an affair with another woman and I innocently came out at 6 years old. My mother went on a journey to find redemption and found it in fundamental evangelical christianity. We were both subjected to conversion therapy. I married a woman in order to have the love of God and suppress my homosexuality. I spent every day praying the gay away. And then my mother died suddenly. She was 49 years old. I reflected on my life and just did not want the one my mother had. I came out, again, and made my way to freedom. I am Mark and I am a Survivor.”

Jim Marjoram turned to Christianity as a teenager to find a “solution” for his homosexuality and lived a life of lies and deception, self-hatred, depression and suicidality. In the 90s Jim became involved with Living Waters - a gay conversion therapy organisation for 15 years, along side his second wife. But following her death in 2011, Jim began to unravel his faith, sexuality and life in general. Today, he’s the author of CORE, and the founder of Silent Gays, a project that provide resources, compassion, unconditional love and safe places for those silently suffering in and from religion.

In our premier episode of Unordained, Katherine interviews former fundamentalist and self-professed "Mennocostal" who is now a religious recovery consultant and founder of Divorcing Religion. Janice shares candidly about her own deconversion from Christianity and offers us advice on how to heal from religious trauma. 

Janice's website https://www.divorcing-religion.com

Unordained Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/unordained

In the premier episode of Unordained, Katherine interviews Janice Selbie, Religious Recovery Consultant, Registered Professional Counsellor, and Founder of Divorcing Religion. Janice shares candidly her life story, which is one of incredible transformation from a former self-proclaimed "Mennocostal" pastor's wife to her current work helping others who are experiencing the losses associated with religious de-conversion. 

Janice's website https://www.divorcing-religion.com

Unordained Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/unordained

Which religion is right?

Can I trust the Bible?

Do angels and demons exist?

Should I be afraid of going to hell?

Is religion good for us?

How do I know if what I believe is true?

Is God really real?

Hello my name is Katherine Roberts, and welcome to the first season of my new podcast, Unordained. If you’ve been asking yourself questions like this, you’re in good company. All of the hosts at Unordained, including my husband and I, are former ministers who now call ourselves atheists, agnostics, or skeptics.

Through personal accounts and interviews with activists, authors, former fundamentalists, ex-cult members, conversion therapy survivors, religious trauma experts, and more, Unordained explores the important topics surrounding losing faith, leaving religion, and living without god. Forthright, raw, and often irreverently humorous, we talk candidly about what we believed and preached for decades, the questions, fears, and doubts we faced, what it was like to lose our faith, and how we learned to rebuild our lives on foundations of reason and reality. Welcome to the conversation. Welcome to Unordained.