In this episode Ryan shares a few thoughts about the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election, followed by an interview with Juhem Navarro-Rivera of Socioanalítica Research about the political views and values of secular Americans as compared to all Americans. These results are revealed in a new report by Socioanalítica Research entitled, Secular Voices Survey. LINKS Download the Secular Voices Survey | https://secularvoices2020.socioanalitica.com Socioanalítica Research website | https://socioanaliticaresearch.com Friendly Atheist guest post | https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/10/08/pay-attention-democrats-research-shows-secular-americans-are-a-voting-bloc "NoneDecision 2020" (The Humanist) | https://thehumanist.com/commentary/nonedecision-2020-secular-voters-disagree-on-more-than-candidates Socioanalítica Blog (Medium) | https://medium.com/storias/how-secular-voters-can-decide-the-election-f45d72b0285f Follow Juhem on Facebook and Instagram, @Socioanalitica Follow Juhem on Twitter @JuhemNR

On this episode I speak with Victoria de la Torre and Margaret Downey about Secular Day of the Dead, a secularized celebration of an ancient pre-Columbian Mesoamerican celebration that goes back some 3,000 years. This year the Freethought Society is hosting International Secular Day of the Dead on Zoom, due to the pandemic. All are invited to join in this celebration of the lives of our dead loved ones and pets. Learn more about Secular Day of the Dead and register to attend at http://www.ftsociety.org. Reserve a 3-5-minute time slot to speak in celebration of your dead loved one by sending an email to SecularDayoftheDead@FtSociety.org. KPCC coverage of the first Secular Day of the Dead in 2018—https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/11/02/86926/angelenos-celebrate-first-secular-day-of-the-dead

On this episode I speak with Chris Stedman. Chris is a writer, speaker, and community organizer living in Minneapolis. His new book, out tomorrow from Broadleaf Books, is called "IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives." The IRL in the title refers to the internet shorthand for “in real life,” in contrast to our online lives. But Chris thinks this designation is a mistake. Much of the time, Chris says, we don’t think of our time on the internet as “real” and therefore don’t approach it with the same critical analysis that we might a different kind of engagement. How much thought do you put into an activity you don’t think is real? Chris argues that while our lives online are different than other relational spaces, it is no less real. As such he invites us to think deeply and critically about how we engage with the internet, how it is shaping us, and what it’s telling us about what is real and what is important. ::LINKS:: Visit Chris Stedman's website | https://chrisstedmanwriter.com Buy the book | https://bookshop.org/books/irl-finding-realness-meaning-and-belonging-in-our-digital-lives/9781506463513 Follow Chris on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/ChrisDStedman Read “The Problem of Free Speech in an Age of Disinformation” | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/magazine/free-speech.html

On this episode I speak with Jamie Lombardi about the humanistic philosophy of Albert Camus against the backdrop of our contemporary political situation: pandemic, wildfires on the west coast, police violence against black people, and the impending election. LINKS Reading "The Plague" During a Plague, with Jamie Lombardi, Greg Epstein, and Ryan Bell https://youtu.be/EF5rsNl5QnE "The Best Books by Albert Camus," recommended by Jamie Lombardi (interview by Nigel Warburton) https://fivebooks.com/best-books/albert-camus-jamie-lombardi Follow Jamie Lombardi on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/euthyphro Become a member of Life After God http://www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod Visit our website at http://www.lifeaftergod.org

On this episode I speak with Robert P. Jones, founder and CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) about his new bombshell of a book, "White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity." Jones speaks about his growing up in the Southern Baptist Church in Texas and Mississippi, his growing awareness of the crisis festering within his faith community, and how he has come to understand the role that history and theology play in Christianity's support for white supremacy. Then he backs all that up by polling Americans about their attitudes about racial difference. What he found is not at all unexpected and yet somehow shocking all the same. ---------- LINKS Buy "White Too Long" | https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982122867 Visit PRRI's website | https://www.prri.org/ Read "Christianity Will Have Power" in the New York Times | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/us/evangelicals-trump-christianity.html

On this episode I speak to Greg Epstein, humanist chaplain at Harvard University and MIT. In this wide ranging conversation, Greg and I talk about his upbringing and some of the events that led to where he is today at two of the most prestigious universities in the United States, working to build meaningful community among the non-religious and ask difficult questions about the ethics of technology. We recorded this conversation in the immediate aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the uprisings for racial and economic justice around the United States. Mentioned in the episode: Greg's book, Good Without God. https://www.amazon.com/Good-Without-God-Billion-Nonreligious/dp/006167012X Greg's writing for TechCrunch | https://techcrunch.com/author/greg-epstein/ Is this sadness or anger? Is there a difference? by Ryan Bell https://medium.com/radical-humanism/is-this-sadness-or-anger-is-there-a-difference-67cea83e3ee Secular Student Alliance virtual conference | https://secularstudents.org/2020conference/

In this episode I speak with Justin Clark about the relationship between secularism, humanism, and socialism. We even talk a little about Marx and the current political climate in the US.

In this episode I speak with historian Dr. Nathan Alexander about his new book, Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850-1914. We talk about what Christianity and secularism have each done to engender and stem racist ideas and policies. We also discuss the peculiar resurgence of scientific racism in recent years, particularly among self-described atheists, skeptics, and freethinkers. Please buy and read Dr. Alexander's book, Race in a Godless World. More info here: https://nyupress.org/9781479835003/race-in-a-godless-world/ If this podcast makes a positive contribution in your life, please consider becoming a supporter of the show. More information at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod. You can visit our website at www.lifeaftergod.org

Today on the Ex-Files I speak with Pat Green. Pat is a former Christian pastor and recovering evangelical. Pat’s claim to fame is that he is a the father of Dave. Pat has been a successful business person, a taxi cab driver, and is currently a writer and photographer, living in Chicago. Pat was originally on the Life After God podcast back in 2015 when the I first started the show and I’m honored to have him back. This episode comes with a content notification. In the conversation that follows we discuss Pat’s recent suicide attempt, how he survived, and what he has learned about himself and what he wants from his life going forward. I want to express my deep gratitude to Pat for courageously sharing his story and courageously choosing life. Pat writes a column for the Patheos website entitled “Transparent Expedition,” where he writes in his characteristic raw, honest way about being the father of a gender fluid child and his experience of being a recovering evangelical. Please follow his writing by going to the link in the show notes. Please follow Pat's writing at www.patheos.com/blogs/transparentexpedition

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Tim Hellmann. Tim is a former Christian who grew up fundamentalist in Bible Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness congregations. He tells me that he’s not very comfortable with labels but mostly closely identifies with agnostic. He has a bachelors degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Truman State University, and, most importantly, Tim is the father of two sons. Tim is an honest, open-hearted, compassionate person whose commitment to authenticity keeps him learning and growing. I am endlessly inspired by his generosity of spirit and his fearless, whole-hearted approach to life. In this conversation, in addition to talking about his journey through Christian fundamentalism to where he is today, we talk about questions of healthy masculinity and where we might contribute to healing in our communities. Tim lives in Oregon but I had the privilege of recording this conversation with him in person, in Pasadena, on a recent visit. If you want to learn more about Tim and read this writings, please follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SubversiveLens

On this episode of the podcast I speak with University of North Carolina history professor, Christopher Cameron, about his new book, Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism. Buy the book: http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/content/black-freethinkers Follow Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccamrun2 Visit Chris's website: https://pages.uncc.edu/christopher-cameron/ Dr. Christopher Cameron is an Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also the founder and past president of the African American Intellectual History Society. He received his B.A. in History from Keene State College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research and teaching interests include early American history, the history of slavery and abolition, and American religious and intellectual history. Cameron’s first book, entitled To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement, was published by Kent State University Press in 2014. His second book, Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism, was published by Northwestern University Press in September 2019. His current book project, entitled Liberal Religion and Race in America, explores the intersection of race and liberal religion dating back to the mid-18th century and the varied ways that liberal theology has informed African American religion and politics in the 20th and 21st centuries. Please support the podcast by becoming a patron - www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod

On this episode I speak with my friend Brian Peck about the importance of taking a trauma-informed approach to treating what he calls adverse religious experiences. Rather than merely pathologizing religion, Brian suggests that we recognize the reality of religious abuse and then focus on treating trauma using the best evidence-based practice. "Religious abuse is what happened to you," he says. "Trauma is your body's response to the abuse." This is a conversation I've been wanting to have with Brian for months. It's finally here. Please let me know what you think by writing to me at ryan@lifeaftergod.org. Brian earned a Master’s of Social Work degree from Boise State University and completed the required post-graduate supervision and training to gain clinical licensure. He is a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and serves on the steering committee for the Social Work and ACT Special Interest Group. He is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), has served on the board of directors for the Idaho Chapter (NASW Idaho) for several terms as a branch chair, and has served as the chair for NASW Idaho’s Political Action for Candidate Election (IDA PACE) committee. LINKS Room to Thrive website - www.roomtothrive.com Room to Thrive Facebook - www.facebook.com/RoomToThrive Room to Thrive Instagram - www.instagram.com/roomtothrive Room to Thrive Twitter - www.twitter.com/RoomToThrive Support the Life After God podcast by joining today at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod.

In this episode I speak with Kristi Kiger Upman. For ten years Kristi worked for the Southeast White House, a ministry associated with The Family. She tells me about how she became a Christian, her experience working in evangelical Christian ministry, and how she ultimately left her faith. Kristi was at the Southeast White House at the same time Jeff Sharlet was at Ivanwald. In episode 81 I speak with Jeff Sharlet so be sure to check that out as well. Please support the podcast. Visit www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod today and become a member.

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Yale professor of comparative literature and humanities, Martin Hägglund, about his new book, "This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom." Unlike any book I've ever read before, Martin weaves together a secular understanding of life that is rooted in our necessarily fragile, temporal existence, with the logical outcome of this understanding of secular life in our social and political lives. In, "This Life," Hägglund argues that the social form of our life must embrace this fragility and move on to realize deeper emancipation for all. Buy and read the book: https://www.amazon.com/This-Life-Secular-Spiritual-Freedom/dp/1101870400/ Follow Martin Hägglund on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/martinhaegglund Read Jedediah Purdy's review in The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/article/153024/spiritual-case-socialism-martin-hagglund-book-review Become a supporter of the show: www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod Visit the Life After God website: http://www.lifeaftergod.org Follow up on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ourlifeaftergod Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ourlifeaftergod Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ourlifeaftergod

This week on the podcast I speak with Jeff Sharlet, the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy. Today, Netflix released a five-part documentary series entitled, The Family, based upon Sharlet's stellar investigative reporting. Watch the Netflix series: https://www.netflix.com/title/80063867 Buy Jeff Sharlet's books The Family - https://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053 C Street - https://www.amazon.com/Street-Fundamentalist-American-Democracy-Readers/dp/0316091065/ Visit the Life After God website: http://www.lifeaftergod.org Follow Life After God on... Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ourlifeaftergod Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/ourlifeaftergod Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ourlifeaftergod

This week on the podcast I speak with Marissa Alexa McCool and Bethany Futrell, the co-hosts of Inciting Incident podcast. Marissa is a podcaster, author, performer, speaker, and an LGBT rights and atheist activist. She is a trans woman, married, partnered, and a parent. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family. Marissa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 with degrees in English, Cinema and Media Studies, and Anthropology, while also studying theatre, Shakespeare, and communication theory. She is a sought after speaker within the atheist and humanist community. She is he author of 8 book, including, most recently, a collection of queer poetry entitled, Lesbian Purple Space Rainbow Mermaid Queen. In February 2016, before she came out, she started the Inciting Incident Podcast which now includes co-host, Bethany Futrell. Marissa is also the co-host, with Ari Stillman, of The Cis Are Getting Out of Hand, a trans-specific show using humor and skits to talk about issues that the trans community faces specifically for a trans audience. Bethany is a podcaster and atheist activist with Chicago Atheists. She is the host of She Talks Atheism, and co-host of Inciting Incident where she has been for two years. Inciting Incident podcast on Facebook | www.facebook.com/IncitingIncidentPodcast/ The Cis Are Getting Out of Hand podcast on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Cisplaniology Marissa's books | https://tinyurl.com/marissasbooks She Talks Atheism podcast | https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/shetalksatheism Follow Bethany on Twitter | https://twitter.com/BethanyLFutrell Follow and support Life After God at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod Visit our website | www.lifeaftergod.org

Welcome to a special edition of the Life After God podcast. I'm excited to share conversations with you from a growing number of professionals who specialize in religious trauma, deconversion, and post-religious mental health. My goal with these conversations is to offer you a diverse range of perspectives, share practical insights you can use in your daily life, and introduce you to some amazing humans who are committed to helping others thrive after leaving religion. My name is Brian Peck, and I'm a licensed clinical social worker in Boise Idaho specializing in religious trauma and mental health challenges related to the deconversion process. Today I'm excited to introduce you to Suandria Hall who is a licensed mental health professional in the Denver area who also specializes in religious trauma and helping people navigate life transitions including support for leaving high-demand religious groups. I met Suandria online through her Instagram account, My Choice My Power, which is also the name of her private practice in the Denver area. I was struck by her thoughtful reflections on mental health and her keen insight into the process of exiting religion. It's been a real honor to learn from her experience and hope you find this conversation as meaningful as I did. My goal for these episodes is to expand the conversation about post-religious mental health that includes a range of clinical voices, therapy modalities, and practices you can incorporate into your healing process. You may be surprised to learn that there's a growing number of mental health professionals out there already doing this work. As therapists, we often work with the individual, and what's said in the room stays in the room. These episodes are an opportunity to share what we're learning and to provide some psychoeducational content to support your journey. Note, these conversations are intended to be educational in nature and are in no way a substitute for working with your own licensed mental health professional or healthcare provider. As with any conversation that may reactivate past trauma, please put your needs first. This particular conversation is not graphic, but the topic and content may still be challenging for some nervous systems. Healing trauma is a dynamic process, and it's perfectly okay to step back and reengage once you have more resources available to you. **SPECIAL OFFER** Join the Life After God community as a Member between now and June 21, 2019, and receive a limited edition magnet. Visit www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod and join today! Be a part of the next LIVE panel discussion, "Facing Grief & Loss After God," on Friday, June 28 at 6:00 pm Pacific Time. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1219812888177918/ Follow Suandria Hall on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mychoicemypowercounseling/ On the web - http://www.mychoicemypower.com/ Connect with Brian Peck on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RoomToThrive/ On the web - https://www.roomtothrive.com/ Learn more about Life After God at our website - www.lifeaftergod.org

In this bonus episode I speak Gretchen Koch on the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of the murder of George Tiller, the famous abortion doctor from Wichita, Kansas, who was shot and killed during the worship service at the Reformation Lutheran Church. Gretchen's parents were members of the same church and in attendance that day. Gretchen herself was visiting her parents but was at home and heard what happened later that day. Check out Gretchen's comic based on her parents' recollection of that day (https://giantif.com/comic/a-reflection-on-the-day-dr-george-tiller-was-assassinated-10-years-later). She also spoke about another comic related to abortion entailed, Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, which I hope you'll check out (https://giantif.com/comic/snappy-answers-to-stupid-questions). Please check out Gretchen's website, Giant If (https://giantif.com), follow her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/GretchenKoch), and support Gretchen's work on her Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=261718). Please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-god/id1032909038) or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Life After God on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ourlifeaftergod), Twitter (https://twitter.com/ourlifeaftergod) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ourlifeaftergod), and support the show on our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod).

In this episode I speak with James Croft, a leader at the Ethical Society of St. Louis where he has been for the past five years. James is a humanist educator, activist, and sought after speaker around the world. He earned an MA in Education from University of Cambridge and an Ed.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. In this conversation we talk about briefly about the origins of the Ethical Society, his experience at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, his experience of the murder of Michael Brown in St. Louis just months after his arrival, and how humanist values translate into political commitments. **SPECIAL OFFER** Join the Life After God community as a Member between now and June 21, 2019, and receive a limited edition magnet. Visit www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod and join today! Be a part of the next LIVE panel discussion, "Facing Grief & Loss After God," on Friday, June 28 at 6:00 pm Pacific Time. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1219812888177918/ Follow James Croft on Twitter (www.twitter.com/CroftSpeaks) Ethical Society of St. Louis - https://ethicalstl.org/ Learn more about Life After God at our website - www.lifeaftergod.org

On this episode I speak with Lloyd Evans. Lloyd is the founder and senior editor of JWsurvey.org - a website that promotes freethought among Jehovah's Witnesses. He is also author of "The Reluctant Apostate," a book that chronicles his experiences growing up as a JW and his journey to freedom from Watchtower indoctrination. His "John Cedars" YouTube channel, which has nearly 50,000 subscribers, hosts a range of videos aimed at dissecting the various teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as new developments in the religion. LINKS Lloyd's YouTube channel | https://www.youtube.com/user/johncedars1929 Lloyd's books | https://www.amazon.com/Lloyd-Evans/e/B01N13QDU4? A Secret Database of Child Abuse (The Atlantic) | https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/the-secret-jehovahs-witness-database-of-child-molesters/584311/ Visit the Life After God website — www.lifeaftergod.org Please support the show — www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod Follow us on Twitter — www.twitter.com/ourlifeaftergod Follow us on Facebook — www.facebook.com/ourlifeaftergod Follow us on Instagram — www.instagram.com/ourlifeaftergod