Recovering From Religion

In this fifth video in the All About RfR series, we sit down with Eric Wells, the RfR Support Group Director, to talk about the Support Group program.  Hosted by Dr Kara Griffin, RfR Online Community Moderator. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a tra...

Finding a mental health professional who is evidence-based, as well as a good fit for you, can be difficult at times. In this RfRx discussion, we will talk about what it means for a therapist to be a “good fit”, best-case scenarios, strategies for finding a mental health professional, and identifying limitations that can make this search a difficult task. Dr. McKie-Voerste has worked in the helpin...

The Recovering from Religion Helpline is available for folks struggling with issues stemming from religious doubt & non-belief 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We sit down with the program director, Erik Huckvale, to learn more about who can use the service and how it's ran behind the scenes.  Hosted by Eric Wells, RfR Support Group Director. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical quest...

Healthy relationships, including family, friendships, partnerships, coworkers, and leader/subordinate relationships, can be difficult to maintain in the best of situations. It becomes impossible, however, when one person in the relationship is committed to behaviors that are coercive, deceptive, destructive, and/or self-serving. These unhealthy traits sometimes show up in two pathological ways: na...

What does the RfR Volunteer Program look like and how can people volunteer for Recovering from Religion? We sit down with Shana Rubio, the RfR Board Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator, to learn more! https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Hosted by Eric Wells, RfR Support Group Director. Shana Rubio was born and raised in Colorado as a Jehovah’s Witness. After awaking from the cult in 2...

Transitioning out of religion isn’t easy. Many of us have built our personal identity around our religious worldview and community, but what to do when that’s gone or slipping away? We may be left feeling perplexed, confused, depressed and anxious in the aftermath of departing long held faith practices. This RfRx discussion will focus on strategies to rebuild a sense of self and self worth after o...

In part 2 of this video series we sit down with Dr Darrel Ray, RfR's Founder & President, to learn about how this awesome organization got started.  Hosted by Eric Wells, RfR Support Group Director.  The primary focus of Recovering from Religion (RfR) is to offer hope, healing, and support to those struggling with issues of doubt and non-belief. This transitional period is an ongoing...

Rebuilding our identity after divorcing religion can feel like a daunting task. At some point, we must determine our post-religious values and confront identities which were placed on us by our parents and religious community. Once we have established who we are not, it is time to consider whom we wish to be and take steps in that direction. At this point, you must call upon the courage to be your...

In this very first video of the All About RfR multi-part series, we get to meet Gayle Jordan, the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion (RfR) to talk about what RfR is and the need it serves.  Hosted by Eric Wells, RfR Support Group Director. Please subscribe to the podcast for episodes which will describe how Recovering From Religion functions, who does what, and how that could rela...

Nudist life, what it is, what it isn’t and how to explore it. The discussion will also include key aspects of nudism and how these can be healing from shame. Gwen Blodgett spent the majority of her life in a fundamentalist evangelical background living and teaching extreme religious ideas, was a missionary, pastor‘s wife, Christian bookstore owner, gospel clown and a teacher and advocate of purity...

Explore what it means to be "spiritual" or live meaningfully without the outmoded accessories of religious trappings. Rachel Roberts will offer definitions of terms that illustrate how ancient human inclinations, such as spirituality, are still relevant but need to be recontextualized in the 21st century. She will also provide examples and ideas for nonreligious meaning-making traditions and ritua...

We are innately sexual creatures. What should come naturally gets mutilated and destroyed by shame, fear, and ignorance. We crave emotional intimacy, yet dare to risk letting others know who we really are. In this RfRx discussion, Dr. Steven Davidson will discuss why we get trapped in denying our sexuality and how we can overcome it and be that much closer to becoming our true selves. Dr. Steven D...

In the United States, laws have been created and upheld which favor religious freedoms over the health and well-being of United States citizens. In this RfRx, Torah Bontrager will return to discuss the supremacy of religious rights over other basic human rights, including education (a theme of the Amish Heritage Foundation’s work and the topic of their upcoming conference). A report by the Columbi...

If you grew up in a deeply religious household, were homeschooled or went to a religious school, you might have been given some serious disinformation about American history. Christian Nationalism has demanded the creation of myths and the revision of history. In this RfRx discussion Andrew Seidel will discuss what it is, the role it plays in society now and historically, how to spot it, and how t...

There is safety in religious beliefs such as rules to follow, clear consequences, and structured relationships. When we step out of our religion into the big wide world, it’s a struggle to release the rules, to ignore the dogma we’ve been raised to trust. June has learned to recognize that rules-based voice, challenge it and embrace life without the safety net of religion — mostly! She will be pro...

Many people who leave religions struggle to overcome the inaccurate ideas they spread about sex. In this talk, Dr. Darrel Ray discusses how to overcome some of these issues in order to live a fuller life. RfRx talks are recorded every Monday at 7pm Central Time. Please consider joining us live. Information about upcoming shows and a link to join the meeting can be found at https://recoveringfromre...

The Amish Heritage Foundation is a history-making nonprofit committed to empowering Amish women and children through education past the eighth grade, so they can choose their own futures. They provide services including cultural literacy training to institutions and individuals as well as raising public awareness about the crises hidden in Amish society. They envision that one day education will b...

The holiday season can be a time of strong emotional reactions, and not just because of the usual religious overtones. Feelings of disconnection and loneliness can be experienced due to the pressure of traditions and social expectations, even when around loved ones. In this RfRx we’ll discuss how holidays affect us, from personal and social influences, and steps to take to stay connected to oursel...

Dave Warnock is a former conservative Evangelical pastor and church leader of 40 years, who began to question, examine and investigate his Evangelical Christianity faith claims 10 years ago. He came to the conclusion that those beliefs came up short and it took him several years to work through how to live without belief. He realized that this was his one life and there was nothing after. His mott...

Growing up in fundamentalist religious households, the trauma that children experience due to the belief systems of their parents can last a lifetime and be very difficult to work through. Alexis will talk about how she got herself out of the fundamentalist belief system and the path she took to discovering her own identity. She will provide helpful tips on reflecting back upon the past, working t...

Substance and alcohol abuse is so prevalent around the world that very few people have not succumbed to its temptation or know someone who has. There is substantial evidence that we and our ancient relatives used substances as antimicrobials and antiparasitic agents. A byproduct was these substances' ability to disable our prefrontal cortex, inhibit our inner chimp and stimulate our inner bee, to...

American Atheists is a national civil rights organization that works to achieve religious equality for all Americans by protecting what Thomas Jefferson called the “wall of separation” between government and religion created by the First Amendment. They strive to create an environment where atheism and atheists are accepted as members of our nation’s communities and where casual bigotry against ou...

As an offshoot of the Mennonites, the Amish have been around since the 17th century and are well known for their public-facing quaint and austere lives. However, along with their historical and religious cousins, the Mennonites and other Anabaptists, those who are on the inside know it's not at all an idyllic life within these isolated religious communities. In this RfRx talk, we'll discuss what t...

Are humans 'hard-wired' for religion? Dr. Mark Reimers will describe recent evidence from neuroscience, genetics, anthropology, and psychology about the human propensity to be religious. Dr. Mark Reimers is a computational neuroscientist at Michigan State University where he researches how animal brains work and how human genes affect brain function. His broader aim is to ground our understanding...

During the decade when Evangelicalism was coalescing with politics, a homegrown cult, known as the Shepherding Movement, reached its zenith. A religious pyramid scheme that bilked people of their money, identity, and freedom quietly penetrated the Southern United States. Rachel Roberts escaped the cult and the 80s, and fortunately outgrew both, just like her teenage bad perm. Rachel Roberts founde...