CW: sexual abuse; suicidal ideation This week’s guest is Religious Trauma Life Coach, Mary Burkhart. See her full bio here. Mary grew up in the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, and her family’s devotion goes back generations. When she was little, unspeakable things happened to Mary, but their church self-righteously dismissed the situation, forcing her mom and her to move. They found different churches; Mary hoped these would be different. Between working behind the scenes in another church and seeing the “same ugliness,” she’d seen before and a silly question asked by a college friend, Mary’s uncertainties started to pile up. She was still a believer but she needed sturdier answers than Christianity was giving her. “It’s not about being hurt or about hurt feelings. You leave [the Church] because things keep compiling, things keep compounding. That’s why.” After more than fifteen years out of religion, Mary coaches others through their own journeys of religious deconstruction with Religion In Remission. Her work is a grand example of secular grace. Links Site https://religioninremission.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/religion_in_remission/ Facebook https://m.facebook.com/RiRLifeCoach https://m.facebook.com/religioninremission YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE0BqfCB0iPQT2zmxbj66Rw Religion In Remission Podcast https://religioninremissionpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Interact For quotes, recommendations, transcripts and more see the full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2023/07/30/mary-burkhart-religion-in-remission/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Graceful Atheist Podcast Merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/gracefulatheistpodcast Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gracefulatheist 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/