Voices of Deconversion

Dr. Haralabatos considers herself an atheist and a secular humanist.

Her mom was Lutheran and her dad was Greek Orthodox. However, while she was growing up her family attended a Methodist church every Sunday. She was very rational from a young age and remembers questioning stories in the Bible like Noah's Ark.  One day, as a young girl she was searching for some chocolate. What she ended up discovering would unravel some big mysteries.

Dr. Haralabatos had some great advice on how to respond and relate to Christians when they ask us to pray for them. As a physician, she's occasionally been asked to pray when delivering difficult news to her patients. 

Dr. Haralabatos received her MD from Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine and served her residency in internal medicine at Parkland Memorial Hospital. She completed her fellowship training in Allergy and Immunology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is Board Certified in Allergy and Immunology. 

Twitter: @rini6

In part 2 of my interview with Gerardo, he tells his parents he's agnostic. He was not expecting their surprising response. 

I absolutely love his quote (which I used at the beginning of the episode) where he talks about something he experiences now, that he would not have as a catholic. His answer is the experience of raising his kid. Awaking his child's mind. Love that! He makes some great references to Interstellar and The Matrix in our conversation. He also compares his catholic-self with his skeptic-self. 

He's got a great personality and was a lively and entertaining guest. I had a great time interviewing him.

Support Masa Critica Here! https://www.patreon.com/masacritica Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/user/masacritica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodcastMasaCritica/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=masa+critica+podcast Twitter: @masa_critica

@ramasknight

Atheists of Columbia:

Facebook-

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ateismomilitantebogota/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ateosdeneiva/

Twitter-

@bogotaatea

@AATEOSBTA

Dan Barker's Book - Losing Faith in Faith:

https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Faith-Preacher-Atheist/dp/1877733075/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510117734&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Losing+Faith+in+Faith%2C+by+Dan+Barker.+In+Spanish

Gerardo was a lot of fun to talk with and an outgoing, friendly guy. He's energetic and a straight shooter.

Raised a liberal catholic, he made the transition to libertarian atheist later in life. A unique deconversion journey for sure. He shared with me his unique journey and his thoughts on politics and the changing religious landscape in Mexico.

He was part of Ateos Mexicanos, but the group has been less active of late. He currently has a weekly podcast, Masa Critica. It airs on Spreaker every Tuesday at 10:30pm, Central Standard Time. For our Spanish speaking listeners, definitely give it a listen!  

Support Masa Critica Here! https://www.patreon.com/masacritica

Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/user/masacritica

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodcastMasaCritica/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=masa+critica+podcast Twitter: @masa_critica

The second half of my conversation with David is just as good as the first!

David describes how the events in his life all came together in what felt to him like a perfect storm. He was a mess, numb and in shock after leaving his ministry of 30 years!

He talks about what got him in trouble with the church before he left. He has some great insight into the sense of purpose a minister feels in church, then how difficult it is to find that same purpose outside the church. 

Another insight I loved were his comments on having compassion for our former Christian selves. The result of this is extending that compassion to those around us. A positive and wonderful message!

This journey, although difficult, was exciting. It was like being a pioneer who's finding his own way.

https://nakedpastor.com

[email protected]

https://thelastingsupper.com

Lawrence O'Donnell Losing His Mind!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYqsY50tUv4

David Hayward of nakedpastor.com has a wonderful story! He's turned his difficult experience into a way of helping others who are going through a similar struggle (e.g. helping ex-clergy re-do their resume after leaving ministry). He was baptized Anglican as a baby, came to faith in a Baptist church when he was a teenager, changed to Pentecostal in his late teens, married another Pentecostal named Lisa, was ordained Presbyterian, pastored a Vineyard church, went Independent, and planted others.

He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a Diploma in Religious Studies and Ministry from McGill University in Montreal.

In 2010 he left the professional paid clergy after almost 30 years of ministry. 

He started the blog called nakedpastor in 2006, and initiated his public undressing of religion, religious community and spirituality through writings, art and cartoons. Thousands of people are challenged and entertained by nakedpastor every day.

In 2012, he launched The Lasting Supper, an online resource site and community for spiritually independent people to help themselves find companionship and support for their spiritual journeys. 

His art, cartoons, writings, and books have found their way all around the world.

He lives with his wife Lisa on the beautiful Kennebecasis River near Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. They have 3 grown children. And a dog, Sophie.

[email protected]

Darren picks up the story where we left off in Part 1. He is invited to preach a sermon at a Christian church! The response of the congregation is unexpected.  As Darren continues to reach out to various religious leaders in his area, he finds that doing this changes him. This interview has a very positive message and is a great example of how to keep dialogue and civility alive between groups of people with opposing points of view.  

Darren on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/darrencgarvin

Darren's Sermon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kKFrg1P7zs

Darren's Resource:

Meet-up.com

Darren's family would sing in front of his Assemblies of God church in a Partridge Family-style singing group. When Darren got into his twenties, he enjoyed them and made a conscious effort to delay a serious commitment to Christ until later.

As planned, he commits to Christ in his late twenties. He starts teaching at a Christian school. When doubts begin, he feels ashamed. The turning point is when he publicly chooses to NOT help lead his students to Christ.

Anthos is a laid-back guy with a great sense of humor, but he's also brutally honest about the teachings of his former cult, Jehovah's Witnesses.

As a young child he knocked on doors to spread the good news about Jehovah and paradise (spoiler alert...you get a pet Lion!). 

In adulthood he's disfellowshipped, but this drives him back to the faith and getting his life back together. Later in life, when his kids are grown he decides to research his church's teachings. He finds that it's B.S., but now what does he believe in?

We also discuss petting Pandas, short haired Jesus and The System! 

He's a great guy with insightful answers and some great takeaways at the end.

The Brighter Light Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCem6A97qeWuui3AXNB0iY5w/featured Twitter: @exJW_Apostacast#BLP or just look up Brighter Light Podcast Email: [email protected] 

In Part 2 of Krissy's story, she explains what made her re-think her family planning decision. She begins to question our marriage and thinks she may have married the wrong man.  Krissy's empathy is ultimately what led her away from Christianity. She discusses the issues that troubled her most and how she became an atheist.

https://www.meetup.com

http://www.sundayassembly.com

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Krissy and I became close friends in our early teen years. That was   over 20 years ago! We've now been married for 16 years. In this episode, Krissy shares how as a child she felt quite vulnerable, lonely and afraid. When problems came up in her life, she responded by trying to be a better Christian. She trusted God in every area of her life. She looked to God to find purpose in her suffering. She is now an atheist.