Voices of Deconversion

Atheist and agnostic Ex-Christians share their stories of deconversion.

085 Tom Boulton: Loved Ones Going to Hell Brings Anxiety. Faith is All Consuming. His Definition of Christian Evolves. After Deconversion Invites Christians Out for a Pint 07/17/2022

083 Ryan Penney: Former Homeschooled evangelical from Texas. Enjoyed life and understanding the world so much that he outgrew his Christianity. He's now secular (atheist/agnostic) w/a buddhist-like philosophy. 02/06/2022

082 Bella: Aware They're Non-Binary at 6. Catholicism Ruins Childhood. Bullied, Abused and Suicidal. Reads Bible. Realizes it's (Dark) Fiction. 01/09/2022

081 Christa Elane: Toronto Blessing Shapes Early Faith. Sheltered and Homeschooled. Later Sent to Christian School. A Vision Leads to a Cult. She Now Leans Atheist. 10/04/2021

080 Eric: At Army ROTC Discovers the Real World, Fundamentalist Upbringing, Forced to hide Music He Liked. Served in Afghanistan. He was an Atheist in a Foxhole. 09/21/2021

079 Amanda Roe: Ex-Catholic Atheist. Used to Attend Daily Mass. Unwittingly Joins a Cult at University. Propaganda in U.S. Elections Catches Her Attention. The Bible says "You'll Know Them by Their Fruits". That's the Last Straw. She Lets it All Go! 08/10/2021

078 Chelsy Albertson: Lesbian Ex-Christian Who's Agnostic/Atheist. Former Campus Crusade for Christ Member. A Mission Trip to India Leads to Epiphany. 06/07/2021

077 Abigail Sandoval: Adopted from South Korea by American Christian Parents. Abuse, Neglect & Purity Culture Cause Harm. Now She's an Atheist Mom Who Became the Kind of Parent She Always Needed. 05/18/2021

076 April: Bible Belt Raised & Homeschooled. An Abusive Relationship Ends, Questions Begin. Astronomy Class Brings Epiphany. 03/28/2021

074 Vaughn: Agnostic Pastor & Musician Who Leads Worship at His Church 01/25/2021

073 Tiffany Cappello - A Fundamentalist Christian Mother of 7 Begins to Ask Questions about Faith/ The Impact of Faith on Mental Health 06/24/2020

072 Ronna Russell - The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher's Kid 04/13/2020

071 Muhammad: The Satanic Verses Cause Curiosity, then Questions. Becomes an Atheist in Iran. Spreads Anti-Islam Material. Arrested & in Solitary Confinement. Forced to make a False Confession on Youtube. Threatened with Prison, He Plans His Escape from I 01/03/2020

070 Jordan: Worldly Friends vs. Church Friends. Learns Calvinist Theology. Rejection from a Mentor. Doubts Lead to Agnosticism. 12/01/2019

069 Roland Watts: Raised Methodist in a small Australian Township. Blasphemed the Holy Spirit as a Child. Feared He was Damned for Years. Meeting the Christadelphians Brings Huge Relief. He's now an Agnostic Atheist. 11/11/2019

068 Matt Scott- *Update - Matt Recently Became Christian Again 10/13/2019

068 Matt Scott- *Update - Matt Recently Became Christian Again *UPDATE-Matt Recently Became Christian Again. A few months after we recorded this interview, Matt became Christian again. I'm leaving the interview up, but wanted listeners to know in case they were to reach out to Matt. ----------------------- Matt was born in Wichita, Kansas and lived there until about age 7. He was raised non-denominational/charismatic mostly in the Assemblies of God churches and had full on believed by age 5. He had great parents and never had too many issues in the church. However, he always had a great fear of hell even as a Christian. He was in and out of church most of his life until his first divorce. Then went to bible college at a very charismatic school in 2009. He began seeing cracks and flaws in that particular doctrine and started pulling back. He had gotten his minister's license close to graduation and upon graduation went straight to the mission field in Asia in 2011/12. He worked with the underground church in China and the Burmese refugees I’m Thailand. He finally began having more questions over the years until he couldn’t do it anymore because of how it was just messing his head up. 10,000 religions, 40,000 plus denominations within Christianity alone, good people going to hell, simply for not believing. He hated the way Christians viewed & spoke to the LGBTQ community and other faiths like they all couldn’t just be people, but had to be a mission and Christians had to have an agenda. He felt that devalued all groups outside of Christendom as less than human. He hated it. Later he had a stint in rehab for alcohol and began reading books like the wisdom of insecurity from Alan Watts and Thomas Paine’s the Age of Reason. He felt like he'd found freedom in Deism. He was there for a bit, then went back out of fear. That didn’t last long. The full shift happened less than a year ago and now he is an Atheist. He said he truly feels born again and free. /episode/index/show/vodpodcast/id/11618807

067 Debbie McNulty: Survived Sexual Abuse in the United Pentecostal Church. Now Neo-Pagan She Advocates to Help Other Abuse Survivors. 09/20/2019

065 Oklahoma Fire Fighter Wiley Gabehart: As a Marine Became an Aggressive Christian. Faith is Tested with Tough Questions. He Looks at Faith & Mental Health Transparently. He's Now an Atheist. 08/07/2019

064 Amanda Holloway: Impacted by Sexual Abuse and Mental Illness She Turns to God. She Gets a Bachelors Degree in Youth Ministry. God Does Not Help During a Mental Health Crisis. She's Now an Ex-Christian. Amanda is realistic about life's difficulties, but also very hopeful. She wears her heart on her sleeve and hopes her story will help others going through similar challenges. I loved her wise words about living with mental illness and how, although better off today, she still has ups and downs. She's a kindhearted person with a great sense of humor. I loved getting to chat with her. Her story is such an important one to tell. Amanda is a newly deconverted Christian that wonders where her prayers went for the 16 years she was a Christian, she describes herself as a multiracial undomesticated goddess but understands she’s a work in progress. Amanda was raised in an emotionally neglectful household and experienced sexual abuse from a family member. She committed her life to God as a way to escape abuse and to find love. Suicide was a common theme as she struggled with undiagnosed mental illnesses. She wants others to seek help with depression and anxiety when it comes up because it can be dangerous for those to go undiagnosed. During a mental health crisis last year she realized that God was not the answer and that she needed help for depression. During that time she was also diagnosed with PTSD. Since leaving Christianity she’s been freed from the guilt and shame associated with religion and now sees the world differently. This allows her to enjoy life, laugh more, and watch Game of Thrones. She is a mother to dynamic twin boys and a wife to a strong, adventurous man. She enjoys being outdoors but not exercising, she enjoys reading only for pleasure, she enjoys watching her children laugh and play but not fight, she loves game nights, good food, and rum punch drinks. She also aspires to be a comedian. She wants others to be unencumbered by the fear of what others think and to reach out when they need help. She wants to be a safe place for herself and others. /episode/index/show/vodpodcast/id/10651109