Today I speak with Tom Boulton from the U.K. Tom's Christian faith grew in his teenage years amongst friends. His dad thought Tom was in a cult. Tom experienced intense anxiety at the thought of friends and family going to hell.  His faith is all-consuming.  He said that 18 year old Christian Tom wouldn't recognize 23 year old Christian Tom. His understanding and definition of Christianity changed.  Tom mentors a 16 year old boy from church who comes out to Tom as gay. Tom doesn't respond...

Emily experienced several difficult relationships in her teen years. The boys/men she was with were often several years older than her and might described as manipulative and/or emotionally abusive in the way they treated her. When things went wrong, as she put it, she "went ham for God". During these years she went on mission trips and led worship in several churches. Later when she suspects somethings not quite right with her boyfriend, an atheist co-worker affirms her feelings and gives...

Ryan is a former evangelical homeschooler who enjoyed life and understanding the world so much that he eventually outgrew the religion of his upbringing. He now works in the tech manufacturing field in Austin TX and enjoys group meditation, talking about philosophy and history, and playing both sports and music. Today, Ryan calls himself atheist or agnostic but prefers the simple term “secular”, with a philosophy most closely aligning with Buddhism. We have a great conversation. It was so...

Christianity ruins their childhood. They were born into a Catholic family and went to church every Saturday. They became aware they were non-binary at 6 years old, realizing they didn't want to be a girl. Their parents were caring and the type of people that you wish Christians were.  Despite a loving home environment, this didn't prevent a childhood of isolation and self-hatred. They were bullied, abused and suicidal. Somehow they remained a hardcore Christian. Later in life they experience...

* Trigger Warning: Discussions of abuse and rape* Christa is a self described "old Millennial" who's been deconverting for years & now leans atheist. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her spouse and kids. She's a social worker & disability advocate with a passion for Autism acceptance & inclusion. She was raised in a "spirit filled' non-denominational church in California. She was a part of the "Toronto Blessing" revival in he 1990s & was in a Christian cult...

He knew no other perspective, but the one he was told. His family didn't attend events outside of church. He spent preschool-12th grade at the same school and church. Friendships were controlled, "crushes" prohibited. Every potential influence was censored. No privacy. He wasn't allowed his own opinions. He was forced to hide thoughts, friendships & music that didn't conform. His worldview was dictated. In Army ROTC he discovered the real world. He's now atheist, married with 2 kids &...

Amanda was a devout Catholic. She used to attend mass daily. She and her husband didn't use birth control, in accordance with church teaching. She accidentally joins a cult at university. The U.S. elections get her thinking about propaganda. She wonders what propaganda she believes. She hears a Bible verse that says, "You will know them by their fruits". That's the last straw. It gave her the final push to leave Christianity. She became an atheist in November 2020.  

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! [email protected]

Chelsy's been instructing English as a Second Language for 20 years. She's been a full time lecturer at Purdue University since 2014. Currently she's working on her 2nd Master's degree about the experiences of lesbian ex-members of Campus Crusade for Christ. Raised Christian, an experience after her Freshman year in college begins a series of big life changes. Her parents don't respond well. A mission trip to India leads to epiphany. Chelsy and her wife recently got married just a few weeks...

Today I speak with Abby. She was adopted from South Korea with her little sister by Christian American Parents. Her early life was marked by abuse and neglect. She was raised in a non-denominational Christian family. Demons and hell cause her nightmares as a child.  She makes big life decisions based on her faith. She later has to tell her Christian family that she is getting divorced. When She has to tell them she's an atheist, it doesn't go over well with some.  Now Abby is determined to...

April grew up under a lot of pressure and expectations. *Trigger Warning: We discuss an abusive relationship, mental health & suicide. When abuse ends, April begins to question. What happens when your autonomy is taken from you? This happens to a lot of people, what do we do then? She shares about mental health & intrusive suicidal thoughts. When she takes an Astronomy class she has an epiphany.  Thankfully, she's in a much better place mentally today. You can contact April by...

Today I tell the story of coming out as an atheist to my devout Christian mother. This happened 13 years ago and I wrote about it 3 years ago. My opinion about that conversation changed a little over time. I explain my current perspective and how I feel about all of this now.

Pastor & Musician who leads worship at his church. This father and husband has only come out as agnostic to a few people. He is using a fake name in today's interview.  He's a great guy and has a touching story about the costs we have to consider when leaving a Christian career.

Tiffany has so many great insights regarding the impact of Christianity on mental health. I really enjoyed my chat with her! Learn more about Tiffany: http://www.tiffanicappello.com/

I need a break from podcasting. You can stay in touch via email, Twitter or Facebook. [email protected] @vodpodcast on Twitter Steve Hilliker or the Voices of Deconversion pages on Facebook.

Today I speak with Ronna Russell, author of "The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher's Kid". Ronna describes her story as "a childhood controlled by the brutal hand of a narcissistic, closeted homosexual. I believed I could leave my upbringing behind and walk away unscathed. I married a closeted homosexual man, in hopes he could keep me safe. As our sex life and bank account dwindled to nothing, fear kept me silent. In the meantime, my father died of AIDs. The pain of his death fractured...

I left my soul-sucking job!!! This is a brief update about what I'm doing now and when you can expect the next episode. I'm really excited to jump back into it!  Stay safe and healthy with the COVID-19/Coronavirus going around. For those who are sick, get well soon. For the rest of us, also stuck (mostly) at home, hang in there.  Talk to you soon!

Episodes will be out intermittently for the coming weeks and months (I'm still aiming for bi-weekly). That was all I was trying to say and ended up talking about the impact deconversion had on my sense of purpose and fulfillment in life, LOL. If all you need to know is to check your podcast app every once in a while, then it's all good and I'll talk to you soon :) However, if you're interested in hearing about one of the most significant impacts deconversion had in my life (something...

Today is a very special episode about an ex-Muslim's deconversion to atheism, while living in Iran. His story is so important to share! He grew up in Iran in a Shia Muslim family. He was a devout Muslim until he got curious about Salman Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses. His curiosity leads him to banned anti-islam websites. He reads articles and books, eventually realizing he's an atheist. Muhammad began to spread anti-islam materials on websites and social media. After 3 years, he is...

Jordan grew up going to church every Sunday with his family. He went to Bible studies and lived a typical Christian life. When he was junior high age, his family stopped attending church regularly. As Jordan grew older, he struggled balancing his church friendships along with his non-church friendships. He didn't want to live a double life. His faith becomes more serious and he discovers Calvinist theology. At first, he embraces it. Later, he begins to question more than just Calvinism.  ...

Gidday Listeners! My first guest from Australian shares his fascinating journey out of Christianity.  He was raised in a typical Methodist Christian home in a small Township in Australia. His dad was a brickmaker and his mother a homemaker. He was raised going to Sunday school. His dad attended prayer groups during the week and his mom went to women's church groups.  As a young teenager he was listening to a Fundamentalist preacher when a blasphemous thought entered his mind. Instantly he...

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...

URGENT: If you live in Wisconsin please contact your state representative to express support for the Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act & the Child Victims Act.  These bills are being considered right now. If your representative is Republican, it's even more important. Republican support is low for these bills, but is critical. Anything you can do is very much appreciated. Now, to introduce today's guest... Debbie McNulty is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin. She attended a United...

What an amazing story! Rebecca grew up in a cult-like Christian church called the World Wide Church of God. Her particular congregation was quite small and at one point only consisted of around 20 people. They celebrated Jewish holy days, but adopted their own meaning. They kept a version of Kosher as well. They had very peculiar beliefs about becoming gods one day and having to slay sinners when the resurrection occurred.  In such a small church there weren't many children her age....