Voices of Deconversion

Dan sought out good reasons to believe. It's this journey that leads to atheism. When he tells his parents, things go over much worse than anticipated. Dan is now part of the Secular Student Alliance at Baylor U. He has a great Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabcNd5rdI-FlHW6ecXQvLQ/featured. He is also host of the show, Truth Wanted, a call-in show about getting to the bottom of beliefs. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/229569754409166/ Twitter: @ObjectivelyDan

Here's a quick update :) Thanks for listening!

Nicki's story has so many twists and turns, I loved it! Her Dad saw Jesus in his truck. Her mom became a prophet. Nicki learns to read people, crack eggs on their head & help women become pregnant through prayer. She goes to beauty school and rebels, then become's the prodigal child. She meets the perfect Christian husband & starts a family. When doubts persist, she seeks life-changing counseling. The fallout is significant. As an ex-Christian, Nicki finds her friendships are incredibly important.

Christine's family moved from New York to Oklahoma, so her mom could be an evangelist. Her childhood memories include, nearly memorizing the movie Jesus of Nazareth & road trips to see evangelists! Christine struggled with guilt from "not feeling it, like other Christians felt it". Nevertheless, Christine sought God with all her heart. She is now an atheist and started the brand new podcast, Forsaking Faith with her friend Heather Bailey. It's much needed! Check it out and tell a friend :)

I had such a great time talking with Eva! We discuss a variety of topics: How people on the island are still recovering from hurricane Maria, politics in Puerto Rico and some awesome work being done by Secular Humanists of Puerto Rico. She shares news of a first ever conference of freethinkers in South America! We touch on Eva's path to Humanist Agnostic-Atheism about halfway through. Eva tells some great stories and has a great sense of humor! 

Ric is from the Philippines. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic church. Ric explains Anticipated Mass & how malls in the Philippines host Mass! A big life lesson that Ric gained in deconversion was leaving the fatalistic thinking of a christian and learning self-determination. This is a HUGE part of so many of our deconversions, mine included! It's an amazing moment when you realize that you're in control and don't need to have "Jesus take the wheel" (as Ric jokingly noted). https://www.riccalioliojr.c

Behind the pulpit 6 months ago! LA served as minister 26 yrs. From a promising radio contract to a tearful proclamation that he's called to be a pastor. Later in life LA and T experience a terrible loss, but their faith is strong. They encounter the fraudulent leaders of evangelical America, but their faith persists. LA is even named a top 300 minister in America. A chance trip to India changes everything! LA and T were also seen on HBO's Vice News, December 20, 2018.

Heather is co-host of the upcoming podcast, Forsaking Faith. From being on the church dance team to being taught that her relationship with Christ should be intimate, these things make a big impression on her. Her final straw is a conversation with a woman at her church over lunch. It makes the contrast between Heather's two potential futures so clear. She  also shares her feelings on difficult topics, such as death, the concept of a just world and what happened (or didn't) when she stopped praying. 

Mandisa Thomas is founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally raised Christian, she was definitely impacted by the Christianity around her. Her parents were both Black Nationalists, which had a significant impact on her too.  We also get to hear what motivated Mandisa to start Blacknonbelievers. She shares some thought-provoking statistics about the increasing religiousness amongst black Americans and some wonderful advice for the atheist community.

To celebrate our first year, I'm doing something a little different. I took one of my favorite questions to ask on the podcast & compiled my guests' answers to that question. It was fun to listen back to each guests' unique response. Thank you VOD listeners! It has been so much fun this past year. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you tuning into the podcast. It's been wonderful getting to know so many of you. Say hello: Twitter @vodpodcast, or email steve@vodpodcast.com Thanks for a great year!

Her dad was a preacher, her step-dad a pastor and her aunt had her own church. Raised in a strong evangelical family, she begins to experience real difficulties in adolescence.  Her Christian upbringing leads to a desire to become "less" for God and family. She develops an eating disorder. She comes out to her mom and also becomes an atheist. Her mom forces her to move back to Puerto Rico with her father. This is traumatic, as she leaves behind her friends and the life she knows. Such an inspiring story!

From Lagos, Nigeria. Mom was a deaconess, dad an Elder. He tells of BIG differences between Nigerian and American charismatic churches. Witchcraft is one example. At 16 he responds to an alter call at a revival meeting. His faith takes a serious turn. He cuts off all friendships and vows celibacy. 9/11 and Howard University influence him, but he remained a conservative Christian. Years later, CSPAN would have an enormous impact on his faith. He's now an agnostic-atheist.

He was a Baptist preacher's kid & took the Bible VERY seriously. He later helped w/youth ministry in his mom's church and even had his own church TV show!  Seeds of doubt are planted throughout life. A friend's parents listening to secular music was a major moment & also discussing God's allowance of slavery with an agnostic friend. He shares his new views with his parents as he realizes how much of his world is wrapped up in religion. His search for community leads to Black Non-Believers of Cincinnati.

Ian resigns membership at church, then we discuss atheist spirituality. He shares observations about how church doesn't make people any better. Ian tells me how he prepared to tell his wife he couldn't go to church anymore. Her reaction was amazing! Ian ends on such an inspirational note. He shares a quote from the movie, The Life of Pi and also a quote from Dr. Who. As you probably know, I love quotes! These two in particular were very moving to me. Thanks for listening! ianredfearn@hotmail.com

So many key moments influenced Ian's faith. From seeing Billy Graham speak in person, to the Christian Dental Fellowship and his experience with the Toronto Blessing. As a young family, Ian and his wife received difficult news about her health and that of their first-born son.   God calls Ian to lead. Ian gets some practice preaching. Seeing the influence of Answers in Genesis at his church is a significant turning point. Subsequent observations and questions prove to be the start of a big life change!