Daniel: Office of the Skeptic

Explicit content warning

10/10/22 • 85 min

This week’s guest is Daniel. Daniel is a social scientist with a master’s degree in psychology. He grew up in the United Church of Canada, but church wasn’t a huge part of his life until high school. He then went to bible college and worked in ministry. He tried to experience God like others were, but it just wouldn’t happen. He took on the “Office of Skeptic,” for himself. He hoped it would both help his faith and the church. He could articulate questions and doubts that others couldn’t. Were these miraculous stories true? Was God really even there? If so, what the hell was he doing? Unfortunately, this only kept him in the church longer than he needed. By 2020, he’d been an agnostic theist for years and was finally seeing the harm done in North America by White Christianity. Now Daniel writes and speaks, sharing his knowledge with those struggling with addictions and other mental health needs. He no longer looks to the supernatural for miracles but knows how much human connection is the true healer. Links Here’s How Religion Imprints Us — Even When We Walk Away https://www.templeton.org/news/heres-how-religion-imprints-us-even-when-we-walk-away Religious Identity and Morality: Evidence for Religious Residue and Decay in Moral Foundations https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167220970814 Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/09/daniel-office-of-the-skeptic/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/

Previous Episode

Arline Interviews Treasure

This week’s guest is Treasure who is interviewed by Arline, the Deconversion Anonymous community manager. Treasure grew up in the Seventh Day Adventist tradition. Her whole family was focused on ministry. Treasure is a singer and she was continually asked to sing for every church she attended. She was focused on mental health issues and ministering to people in need. In 2020, Treasure began to quietly question her faith and began the slow painful process of deconstruction. Though she still loves hymns, even music, once a joy, has become “confusing” due to the obligation to perform for churches and feels like a “job”. Treasure has found spiritual and community fulfillment in her current spiritual practices of meditation, intentional journaling and yoga including sound bowl healing. She is also a participant in the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group where she says it is safe to vent. Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/02/arline-interviews-treasure/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/

Next Episode

Keke: Deconversion of a PK

This week’s guest is Keke. Keke grew up a PK. Her family was in church, “running the show,” anytime the doors were open. Life at home was difficult for Keke, however, so the church provided a safe haven. But over time, domestic violence, mental health problems and other family secrets were too great a burden for her to carry. After high school, she joined the military, got married and even led her husband to Jesus. Then in 2017, as she was reading a most peculiar bible story to her daughter, she started on a deconstruction journey that she never saw coming. Keke now is learning everything she can about ancient mythologies, African American history and many other cultures. She’s also raising her children to be open to the world and its many cultures. She knows that human connection is truly what we need—whether with our ancestors through stories or with those around us today. Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/10/16/keke-deconversion-of-a-pk/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/