Growing Up Fundie

Send us Fan Mail Playwright (and long time friend) Chase Wheaton-Werle spent three years researching just who, exactly, the famed 'Three Wise Men' from the Nativity story were. Why do we not see them again in the Bible? What was their interest in the birth of the infant Jesus? How do we use them as such common Nativity Christmas decorations, without even knowing their names, or their ori...

Send us Fan Mail Tobin Templeman grew up in a family where religion reigned supreme… and varied depending on whose house he was visiting. With such a wide variety of belief systems being introduced to him as the one “true” religion, Tobin eventually found himself questioning the validity of all of them.  Through his journey in self-discovery, his live music career, and his life-changing experience...

Send us Fan Mail Graham Buck once devoted his career aspirations to being a member of leadership in his Evangelical faith. After spending decades of his life leading worship services, hosting bible studies, and even attending a conservative Presbyterian seminary after college, Graham began to recognize thoughts and feelings within himself that he eventually couldn’t ignore.  With a resume, marriag...

Send us Fan Mail Rodney, the host of  @TMMYT89 (Tell Me More) launched his channel only a month ago, with his first guest being Aron Ra. With such a major guest right out of the gate, Rodney proves himself to be nothing less than a self-starter with a penchant for learning, growing, and discovering.  That being said, Rodney didn't always feel that way.  In the beginning, he was a young teen t...

Send us Fan Mail Ivy Windsong Collins is a Kentucky girl at heart.  With a PhD, and over a dozen books under her belt, Ivy shares with us her experiences deconstructing from her faith after over 50 years, loving her family despite their differences, losing her son, and spreading her joy through her unexpected foray into creating YouTube content.  Check out Ivy’s channel here: https://www.youtube.c...

Send us Fan Mail Alie knew at a young age that her experiences within the Catholic church were different than most of her peers. While they were being taught that they had certain expectations, and should think or believe a certain way in order to be the ideal follower of Christ, her family allowed her to explore her creative side and break the mold.  As an adult, Alie continues to push herself to...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a fan of wild rides, strap in for episode 110 featuring Drew Scharfenberg. Drew was raised within the Evangelical Christian church by formerly-Catholic parents who gravitated towards the conservative ideas encouraged by the Southern Baptist Convention, and the churches that associate with it.  From a young age, Drew began to question many of the messages he was receiving...

Send us Fan Mail ***AUDIO WARNING: The GUF theme song plays after the Ring camera clip*** On Growing Up Fundie, Ep. 108: Alan DeMoss shares his story of religious coercion, cult-like mentalities, and what it's like to wake up one morning with over half-a-dozen people on your porch you'd hoped you'd never have to see again. This is one from a series of five videos captured on a Ring...

Send us Fan Mail Kris Pistole is a filmmaker, content creator, Arkansas native, and a follower of Christ. However, in his ongoing search to find a permanent community in Church, he finds that he often leaves with more questions than answers when it comes to his personal beliefs, and his relationship with Christianity. Listen to Kris’s interview, and then check out his work below: Kristopherpistole...

Send us Fan Mail The Conversation Coalition is a team of four atheists and four Christians who host live (and free to attend!) discussion events once each month in Nashville, Tennessee. This episode features the audio from our most recent live discussion event that was held on Thursday, August 31st in the Donelson neighborhood of Nashville. Tim Tant is a devout Christian who is currently studying...

Send us Fan Mail (This episode was originally livestreamed on YouTube on Wednesday, September 6th, 2023) If someone were to try and describe everything that Ember is, has done, and has experienced in any way, I think the best they could possibly do is to describe Ember as…well… Ember! In this livestreamed interview, we get to know Ember through: The various (and WILD) jobs they’ve had throughout t...

Send us Fan Mail ***Wishing an impactful Rosh Hashanah to my Jewish Fundie Friends out there!*** For those of you who aren't familiar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world, and marks the beginning of the 'Days of Awe,' a 10-day period of introspection & repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement (this specific definit...

Send us Fan Mail Cynane Shay is an engineer who was raised in an Evangelical community in Florida.  While her friends spent their summers involved in IBLP all-girls camps, she tackled the duality between studying in a college STEM program, while maintaining her conservative religious beliefs. It wasn’t until the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 that she realized cults, conspiracy theories, and so...

Send us Fan Mail Cortney Warner is a standup comedian living in Nashville, Tennessee, who produces shows in famed venues like Blue Room Nashville at Third Man Records.  However, standup comedy wasn’t always Cortney’s focus. Growing up as an adopted member of a Christian family, Cortney was homeschooled - with the majority of her social interactions occurring in Church.  After graduating high schoo...

Send us Fan Mail Steven Phelps spent over 20 years of his life as a musician and entertainer, with many of those years including a role as a music and choir leader in a Baptist Church in Tennessee.  After deconstructing from Christianity in 2023, Steven put his musical skills to work in the name of secularism instead, creating his YouTube channel, the Upbeat Atheist, and joining the board of Sunda...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jon Peters is a family doctor who practiced medicine for 35 years.  However, before that, Jon was raised in a somewhat moderate home that balanced religion and secularity. In his late teens, he was introduced to the Evangelical Christian church through his then girlfriend, and later wife, where he attempted to live the devoutly religious lifestyle. He soon realized through his...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Labor Day for those of you listening in the United States! (Happy regular Monday, September 4th for the rest of you. I hope it's still a fabulous one.) This episode is audio from a  YouTube livestream that originally appeared on Sunday, August 20th 2023 @ 5:30pm CST. Brently is a YouTube content creator whose channel consists of humorous reaction videos, roasting terrib...

Send us Fan Mail HOORAY FOR EPISODE 100!!! WE DID IT. WE MADE IT. WE ARE HERE.  @ChrisSheltonMsc   was raised a devout Scientologist until he finally left the cult behind in 2013. He now holds a master’s degree in the Psychology of Coercive Control, and hosts a YouTube channel where he helps educate his audiences on the importance of recognizing cult behaviors and manipulation tactics in their day...

Send us Fan Mail Bethany was raised in the Christian faith where she stayed until her mid twenties. After getting married, and having children, she began to listen to the feelings telling her that she wasn't sure she believed in God anymore. Now- she's openly atheist, and a member of the Conversation Coalition in Nashville, Tennessee. Hear her story on episode 99. The Conversation Coalit...

Send us Fan Mail Brady Hardin is a podcast host, a father, an atheist, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However- the story on how he came to be each of these things is one full of twists that you will NOT want to miss. Brady's "The Life After" podcast: https://www.thelifeafter.org/ The Life After on YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLifeAfterPodcast Brady’s linktree: https://link...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. J. Anderson Thomson is a psychiatrist, and a repeat-guest here on “Growing Up Fundie.”  On this episode, he discusses the absence of free will, and where the illusion that we are the makers of our own decisions comes from.  He also dives into the importance of acknowledging the absence of free will when it comes to mental health professionals, and their attempts to connect wit...

Send us Fan Mail Wesley Mahan is a storyteller and former Evangelical who spent 46 years in the Church (where he met his wife, and raised his children), before realizing it wasn’t what he believed, or where he belonged.  Wes shares his wild tales of triumph, failure, lesson-learning, and having a roommate who castrated himself. https://iamdyingoutloud.org/ _________________________________________...

Send us Fan Mail https://iamdyingoutloud.org/ This livestream originally occurred on Saturday, May 13th at 3:30pm CST. In this episode, I debut as a new member of the rotating hosts for Skeptic Haven's "Women Atheist Unload." I am joined by my cohost Rion, as well as episode guest Heather McGinley. Heather is a writer, comic, and the host of "Thirsty the Podcast" (availabl...

Send us Fan Mail Aleem - aka Secular Spirit - spent 18 years of his life following the teachings of Islam after returning from Canada to his family’s home of Dubai in the UAE. Aleem now runs a YouTube channel as Secular Spirit, where he explores his deconstruction from Islam, as well as other topics and conversations related to spirituality and religion.  Check out his episode, as well as his chan...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is comprised of the audio from a past YouTube livestream. Helen (aka Hells Bells) grew up Catholic, and later segued into Witchcraft and Paganism, where she was a high Priestess for TEN years. Now, she is an atheist humanist, and one of the hosts of two fantastic channels: Recovering from Religion:    / @recoveringfromreligion  Left at the Valley:    / @leftatthevalle...