Voices of Deconversion

Dan Barker and his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor are co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and co-hosts of Freethought Radio. Dan is a former minister and evangelist, Dan became a freethinker in 1983. His books, Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children and Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher To Atheist (1992) are published by FFRF. Other books include Godless (Ulysses Press, 2008), The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God (Pitchstone Publishing, 2011), Life Driven Purpose: How an Atheist Finds Meaning, Pitchstone Press (2015) and GOD: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction (Sterling Publications, 2016). A graduate of Azusa Pacific University with a degree in religion, Dan now puts his knowledge of Christianity to effective freethought use. A professional pianist and composer, Dan performs freethought concerts and is featured in FFRF’s musical CDs, "Friendly Neighborhood Atheist," "Beware of Dogma,” and “Adrift on a Star." He joined FFRF's staff in 1987, serving as public relations director. He was first elected co-president in November 2004, speaks widely and has engaged in more than 100 debates about religion. Freedom From Religion Foundation https://ffrf.org

The Clergy Project http://clergyproject.org A Room of One's Own http://www.roomofonesown.com

Maria is a writer and podcaster from rural New Jersey from an ultra-catholic family. Maria wanted to be a nun and was obsessed about going to hell. By chance she read Joseph Campbell in high school and he flung open the doors to how humans create story and belief. Maria was a stand-up comic in New York. She has a Master's degree in creative writing from the University of Iowa, where she also studied religion. Her passion is the new cosmology-the science based story of how we and our universe have evolved and its potential to supplant religion. Her e-book: Songs That Are to Come, tells of her own discovery of this story from catholic nuns. She now lives in northern Vermont where she blogs and podcasts at meetyourmyth.com.

The Big Chew Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-big-chew and Soundcloud

Songs That Are to Come: An ex-Catholic, A Sacred Earth and the Nuns Who Reunited Them. Find the e-book at: http://meetyourmyth.com

Joseph Campbell books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell The Power of Myth documentary with Bill Moyers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth Loyal Rue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyal_Rue

Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution Thomas Berry books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Berry

Robert W. Parham, M.A. is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider. He holds two Masters Degrees, one in Counseling that he earned in 1996 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and one in Clinical Psychology that he earned in 2006 from the Washington School of Professional Psychology. Robert has been helping people in the mental health field for over 18 years, working in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment programs, and private practice. Parham Counseling, Inc. is a professional counseling office committed to helping individuals, couples, groups, and families live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives. The Clergy Project http://clergyproject.org Recovering From Religion http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org

The Secular Therapist Project https://seculartherapy.org

Researcher, teacher and counselor Candace Gorham shares her story of deconversion from Christianity.

The Ebony Exodus Project: https://www.amazon.com/Ebony-Exodus-Project-Walking-Religion/dp/1939578027

Black women are the single most religious demographic in the United States, yet they are among the poorest, least educated, and least healthy groups in the nation. Drawing on the author's own past experience as an evangelical minister and her present work as a secular counselor and researcher, The Ebony Exodus Project makes a direct connection between the church and the plight of black women. Through interviews with African American women who have left the church, the author reveals the shame and suffering often caused by the church—and the resulting happiness, freedom, and sense of purpose these women have felt upon walking away from it. This book calls on other black women to honestly reflect on their relationship with religion and challenges them to consider that perhaps the answers to their problems rest not inside a church, but in themselves. Secular Student Alliance: https://secularstudents.org Recovering From Religion: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org Secular Therapist Project: https://www.seculartherapy.org Black Non-Believers: https://blacknonbelievers.wordpress.com The Clergy Project: http://clergyproject.org The Triangle Freethought Society: https://trianglefreethought.xyz Ebony Exodus: https://www.facebook.com/EbonyExodus/

I just wanted to share an encouraging quote from the TV series "The Innocent" on Netflix. The show has nothing to do with deconversion, but the quote definitely does. I thought you might find it an encouragement in terms of coming from a past you aren't all that happy about (having been a Christian) and looking toward a better, hopeful future. There aren't any spoilers, so I hope you get a chance to watch this show. If you do, let me know what you think of it!

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Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans!