Leaving Eden Podcast

Dav Beal, husband of Bethany (of Girl Defined fame) is no longer a christian. In fact, over the course of many years, Dav has deconstructed his faith and is now an atheist. We discuss how mixed-faith marriages can make this work, and what this means for Bethany's content going forward. We are joined by Chad Harris (AKA Archraddish) for his take, as somebody who deconstructed from fundamentalist ch...

On today's episode, we discuss Mary Cosby, her husband and step-grandfather (yes you read that right) Robert Cosby Sr, and Faith Temple Pentecostal. Mary Cosby has been a cast member on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. In the show's second season, allegations swirled about the practices of her church including financial abuse and brainwashing people into believing that she is god. We explore the...

On today's episode, we review "The Woman They Wanted," by Shannon Harris. The ex-wife of megachurch pastor and author of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Joshua Harris, Shannon was not born into evangelicalism, but was pulled in as a young adult. Shannon tells of giving up more and more of her identity in service to her husband's ministry, and how deconstruction led the two of them down different paths....

Today we discuss "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," by Joshua Harris. This book, published in 1997, became the definitive guide to dating within purity culture in the evangelical movement from the late 1990s through the 2010s. While Joshua Harris has since disavowed all of the teachings of this book, the fear-based approach to dating and purity culture lives on.  If you are a new listener to our show...

On today's Valentine's Day special, we will be discussing Amish romance novels, and why the fundies love them so much! Gavi reads "The Shunning" By Beverly Lewis in full, and Sadie reads plot summaries of more than 25 different amish romance novels. If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we recommend listening to episode 57,...

On today's episode, we discuss Russell Anderson, the richest man in the IFB. Anderson provided the funding to start Hyles Anderson College in 1972. His money bought him the biggest stages in fundamentalism where he was happy to tell his rags to riches story of being a coal miner turned real estate tycoon. We also discuss the power that this money afforded Anderson to treat other people poorly. Sad...

On this episode, we discuss deconstruction on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. We mainly cover Heather Gay's decision to take her family out of mormonism, Whitney Rose's disillusionment with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints after their refusal to excommunicate her for infidelity, and Lisa Barlow's "Mormon 2.0," and the contradiction of her being a practicing mormon who owns a tequ...

Now that two months have passed since the release of the Investigation Discovery/HBO Max docuseries "Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals," we are ready to discuss the IFB's response. In the first segment, we cover the official statements given by Pastor John Wilkerson of First Baptist Church of Hammond. In the second segment, we are joined by Eric Skwarczynski of the Preacher Boys Podcast who tell...

On today's episode, we discuss the latest developments from Bethany Beal (of Girl Defined) as she positions herself as a Christian Sex Influencer. In addition to this, we deliberate over the ethics of selling "She Works Smart," an online course teaching Christian women how to make and sell online courses. In the third segment, we discuss the state of the snark, and the moral benefits and pitfalls...

On today's episode, we discuss the shadowy and dangerous cult, Aum Shinrikyo. Founded as a yoga school in 1987 by conman and self-styled guru Shoko Asahara, Aum was responsible for a wave of violence and corruption that plagued Japanese society throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, culminating in the 1995 chemical weapons attack on the Tokyo subway system. If you are a new listener to our sho...

Dinah Hous-Fire returns to the Leaving Eden Podcast, and we review everything that happened in 2023! We then embark in a Festivus Airing of Grievances, and finish up with our 2024 predictions! If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we recommend listening to episode 57, as well as our 5-part "First Family of Fundamentalism" se...

In this episode, we discuss the history of the war on christmas and also why you should always be nice to retail employees but especially during the holidays If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we recommend listening to episode 57, as well as our 5-part "First Family of Fundamentalism" series from fall of 2020. WE HAVE NEW...

THIS IS A CLIP/EXCERPT FOR TIKTOK In this episode, we interview disability rights advocate and online content creator Elora Dodd, AKA @Online1RoomSchoolhouse about her experiences growing up in fundamentalism, learning about Autism, and how fundamentalism is uniquely difficult for neurodivergent people. If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Pr...

In this episode, we interview disability rights advocate and online content creator Elora Dodd, AKA @Online1RoomSchoolhouse about her experiences growing up in fundamentalism, learning about Autism, and how fundamentalism is uniquely difficult for neurodivergent people. If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we recommend list...

We are joined by Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals contributors Rachel Peach and Eric Skwarczynski of the Preacher Boys Podcast who discuss their experiences making the documentary as well as their experiences in and leaving fundamentalism If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we recommend listening to episode 57, as well...

Sadie and Gavi give initial reactions to the new IFB documentary, "Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals," which premiered last week on HBO Max and Investigation Discovery. This documentary brings to light systemic abuse and protection of abusers within IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) churches.  If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us P...

In today's episode, Sadie goes through the list of IFB modesty rules, including rules for skirts, blouses, shoes, pins, hosiery, and wrists, their religious justifications (or lack thereof) and the toxic way that these extreme rules can ruin the lives of fundie women the world over. If you are a new listener to our show or are just finding out about the IFB from the "Let Us Prey" Documentary, we r...

If you are new to this podcast, welcome! If you are coming to this podcast after viewing Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals on Investigation Discovery or HBO Max, we would recommend you checking out Leaving Eden Podcast Episode 57, which is our primer episode for new listeners. We would also recommend you listen to our 5-part First Family of Fundamentalism series from the fall of 2020. These epis...

In this episode, we discuss Hobby Lobby, the crafts store founded by billionaire David Green in Oklahoma. Hobby Lobby as a company is very involved in American politics, particularly in conservative and Christian Nationalist circles. Additionally, Hobby Lobby's "Museum of the Bible" has imported and displayed many stolen or forged antiquities including ceramic tiles looted from Iraq and forged cop...

On this episode, we discuss the IFB's conception of Hell, the scriptural backing (or lack thereof) and some deconstruction-friendly hell-alternative beliefs. Then, we discuss where the popular conception of Hell came from, including sources such as greek katabasis and Dante's "Inferno." Source post for this episode is available as a free post on our patreon, at Patreon.com/LeavingEdenPodcast...

On today's episode, we discuss the concept of Heaven. We cover depictions of heaven in scripture, how heaven is conceptualized in the IFB, other forms of Christianity, and other religions including Judaism and Islam. Source post for this episode is available as a free post on our patreon, at Patreon.com/LeavingEdenPodcast An extended, uncensored, and ad-free version of this podcast episode is avai...

On this week's episode, we discuss the urban legend of the "Well To Hell." This claim gained popularity after Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) broadcast a news story in 1989 that Soviet researchers had drilled a hole through the crust of the earth and into hell. This claim was widely believed to be fact within fundamentalist and evangelical circles. Some church services even played an alleged recor...

On this episode, we review "A Thief In The Night," a 1973 evangelical horror film depicting the rapture.  TW: In general we talk about a lot of potentially triggering topics on this show, including but not limited to suicide and mental health, racism, misogyny, PTSD and PTSD symptoms, child abuse, mental, physical, and sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse including guilt, shame, and fear. In mos...

In this episode, we review "Created To Be His Helpmeet," by Debi and Michael Pearl. From the authors of "To Train Up A Child," This book is a popular guide for christian fundamentalist women, instructing them how to be submissive wives. This book advises women to minimize themselves and to be a person without needs or wants or desires, and to surrender their personal identity to be of service to t...

We discuss the latest scandal on the Liberty University campus, as well as the allegations of cult-like controlling behavior from Kanye West.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/03/liberty-university-clery-act/ https://pagesix.com/2023/10/06/kanye-west-orders-wife-bianca-censori-to-never-speak-wear-certain-clothes-report/ TW: In general we talk about a lot of potentially trigger...