Recovering From Religion

Latest Episodes:

E176: To Celebrate or Not to Celebrate: A Holiday Hangout Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Whether you’re celebrating holidays this season, assiduously avoiding them, or just looking for a little cheer in your day, join us for our last RfRx meeting of the year! (Don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2023). Popular co-hosts Helen Greene and Rob Palmer will both be making appearances this week to discuss doing holidays in a secular fashion, tips for dealing with religious loved ones and overcoming other holiday challenges, and reflecting on the past year of RfRx. As always, you’re invited to bring topical questions for the speakers and stick around for the hangout afterwards. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E175: Suicide Bereavement and Supporting Loss Survivors w/ Lindsey Doolittle Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, we are joined by Lindsey Doolittle, art educator, children’s author, artist to the Faces After Suicide exhibition, and Award-Winning filmmaker. She will share her experience as someone who is bereaved by suicide and suggest resources and tools to help support suicide loss survivors, especially during this time of year. After she speaks, Lindsey will welcome any questions.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org.

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E174: "Breath of Life" Putting the Pneuma Back Into Spirituality w/ David Teachout LMHC Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, popular guest speaker David Teachout will be returning to discuss putting the pneuma back into spirituality - an exploration of pneuma, Greek for breath or life, at the heart of spirituality and why the transcendent doesn’t have to leave humanity behind.

David Teachout is a mental health therapist and photographer, focused on and teaching how creativity intersects with mental flexibility to work through life’s struggles. David grew up as a Christian fundamentalist, attending a bible college and receiving a bachelor’s in theology and psychology. During his studies there, David deconverted and has been on a journey of appreciating humanity and all the stories we create to build meaning and purpose. David has a master’s in both forensic psychology and counseling psychology, and is currently at work on a doctorate in clinical psychology. David has been actively working within the field of psychology as therapist, social worker, advocate, and subject-matter-expert, for over fifteen years. In his spare time, David enjoys reading a copious amount, both fiction and non-fiction, exploring perspective through photography, and maintains a blog at www.lifeweavings.com and a podcast at www.humanitysvalues.com.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E173: Supporting the Queer Community w/ Ryan K. Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Recent events in the United States have represented a painful reminder of the ongoing threat of violence against members of the queer community, regardless of their religious affiliation. This week on RfRx, Ryan K. will be joining us to share his story as a queer person in and outside of religious communities, offer resources for finding support, honor some of the latest victims and survivors of violence against the LGBTQ+ community, and answer questions from the audience.

Ryan is from Charlotte, North Carolina where he volunteers as a small group leader for Recovering from Religion. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E172: Mindful Self-Compassion and Religious Trauma w/ Christy Powell Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

A lifetime of being told you are broken, sinful or just wrong can tend to make our hurts and our flaws somehow less obvious, hidden under heaps of shame, guilt and trauma. Tapping into our innate mammalian care-giving system and inner sense of kindness and compassion can give us the tools to sit with ourselves in our darkest places and empower our healing and growth. This week on RfRx, Christy Powell, licensed professional counselor with Valence Counseling and producer of the AEN’s Secular Sexuality shares his experiences of sexual healing, religious trauma and the healing power of loving attention.

Christy Powell is a licensed professional counselor highlighting issues of gender, sexuality and religious trauma. Through Secular Sexuality and Valence Counseling, Christy works to normalize, educate and entertain while providing kink, poly and queer affirming therapy, online or in person.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E171: A Journey Through 'Woo' with Kelley Laughlin Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, Kelley Laughlin will be joining us to discuss how he moved away from religious belief, took a trip through various forms of unsubstantiated “woo woo” beliefs, and finally found his way out. Now he volunteers and advocates for secular causes promoting science and critical thinking.

Kelley left Christianity as a teenager, explored a bunch of different religions, and ended up believing in a lot of woo. He started field collecting and making jewelry in his early 20s and later started his own business which he has now been at for 40 years. He later went back to college to take a few geology classes so he could answer questions about crystals, and the more he studied the science behind it, the more he became intrigued. Kelley has since co-authored several geology papers, some of them peer-reviewed. He is a regular host on the Atheist Community of Austin (ACA) show ‘Non-Prophets’, and volunteers as a moderator at Atheist Community of Discord where he also hosts ‘Meet the ACA’ and the ACA aftershows.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E170: Politics and Civic Engagement “After” Religion w/ Jason Racheotes Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, Jason Racheotes will be joining us to discuss how our views on politics and civic engagement may evolve and change after deconverting or coming out of religion. We will learn about some different political concepts that are often ignored and get more clarity on tangible actions we can take as individuals to improve our political process. Jason Racheotes was raised in a secular household, but was always interested in the relationship between politics and religion. He grew up learning about the cultural significance of religious traditions, and went on to study political science at George Washington University. He has taught social sciences previously and has been volunteering with RfR since May of this year. He also hosts the Non-Essential Workers Podcast. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E169: The Psychology of Fear w/ David Teachout LMHC Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

Join us this week for the RfRx Halloween Special Episode! David Teachout will be returning to speak about the psychology of fear, its effects on our lives, and how to overcome it. Come talk with us about what terrifies you - and what doesn’t anymore. Help us celebrate our favorite secular holiday by bringing your spooky costumes, scary stories, and skeptical questions. Stick around for the hangout afterwards to compete for best costume bragging rights.

David Teachout is a mental health therapist and photographer, focused on and teaching how creativity intersects with mental flexibility in working through the inevitable difficulties in life. David grew up as a Christian fundamentalist, attending a bible college and receiving a bachelor’s in theology and psychology. During his studies there, David deconverted and has been on a journey of more deeply appreciating the many nuances of humanity ever since. David has a master’s in both forensic psychology and counseling psychology, and is currently at work on a doctorate in clinical psychology. David has been actively working within the field of psychology as therapist, social worker, advocate, and subject-matter-expert, for over fifteen years.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

E168: The Phantom God, What Neuroscience Has to Say About Religion w/ Dr. John Wathey Jan 22, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, Dr. John Wathey will return to discuss his latest work, The Phantom God. Does neuroscience have anything to say about the existence of God or the basis of human spiritual beliefs? Many books have been written about this, but most have strayed from the
scientific method. In this talk Dr. Wathey will take a more rigorous approach, emphasizing two big ideas.One is religious compulsion, which includes the appeal of ritual, the tenacity of religious belief, and the religious obsession with sex. The other is religious phantoms: the idea that the feeling of God’s presence is a phantom sensation, directly analogous to the phantom limb of an amputee. Here we’ll explore how the brain handles embodiment and the fascinating illusions that happen when the circuitry of embodiment goes awry.

John C. Wathey is a retired computational biologist, whose interests include evolutionary algorithms, the biology of nervous systems, and electoral reform. He got his PhD in Neurosciences at UC San Diego and has spent most of his career working on computer simulations of protein folding. His first book, The Illusion of God’s Presence, explores the evolution of the emotions and intuitions behind religious belief, emphasizing behavioral and psychological research. His latest book is The Phantom God: What Neuroscience Reveals about the Compulsion to Believe. It relates the motivating forces behind religiousness to the neural circuitry of embodiment, mother-infant attachment, adult sexual pair-bonding, addiction,selective attention, hallucinations, and many other neurological surprises.

E167: Grief Vampires w/ Susan Gerbic Jan 21, 2023

Show notes

This week on RfRx, we will be continuing the conversation about psychic mediums with Susan Gerbic. A skeptic activist, Susan spent the last two years battling “Grief Vampires” during lockdown. She will explain how grief vampires took advantage of online resources and why we should, too. Susan will also discuss her work on Wikipedia fighting against the nonsense and the battle to stay in the game.

Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW), Monterey County Skeptics and is a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. A Skeptical Inquirer contributor Gerbic is a fellow of CSI and winner of the James Randi Foundation award for 2017. In 2018, Susan founded and now manages About Time, a non-profit organization focusing on scientific skepticism and activism. While her particular focus has been “Grief Vampires” (psychics), her activism encompasses all areas of skepticism.

For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org.

Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org.

To talk over the phone, dial:

(844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada

Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer

Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

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