The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

In this special bonus episode, I take a closer look at what Dr Robert Jay Lifton refers to as "the psychology of the pawn." Maybe you will resonate as I discuss 3 different examples from my  experiences in the church and how I now realize that in many ways, I was but a pawn in much larger movements--of which I was totally unaware at the time. This concept also relates to Lifton's category of "myst...

This week's guest is Andrew Seidel, constitutional and civil rights attorney and atheist who works for the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF.org) as the Director for Strategic Response.    Andrew is also the author of the book The Founding Myth: How Christian Nationalism is Un-American . In this well-researched work, Andrew explodes the popular Christian revisionist history that "America was...

Why should you be concerned about dominion theology, and specifically the version of it known at "7 Mountains Dominion Theology," or the "7 Mountains Mandate"? Although you may have never even heard of this movement, or are only slightly aware of it--you should be troubled. Right now, evangelicals have a major influence on the Trump administration, encouraging him to pass laws that favor "religiou...

The inaugural episode of MindShift podcast for 2020 features returning guest, Dr  André Gagné of Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As an expert on this vast and frankly confusing field of dominion theology, and its many streams, Professor Gagné  is the perfect guest to continue the conversation I started with him on our episode last year. The evangelical support for Donald Trump shou...

In this final end-of-year episode, I take a look back not just on the year 2019 in terms of podcast episodes and great guests I've been privileged to talk to, but I get into my own deconversion story too.   What's more important--to deconstruct your former beliefs, or to reconstruct your identity? I'll hopefully answer that question as I tell a bit more of my own personal story, as well as preview...

This week's guest is interfaith chaplain and specialist in the area of grief, death, dying and toxic theology: Dr Terri Daniel. She literally wrote the book on this subject, which is entitled Grief and God: When Religion Does More Harm than Healing .   Rev. Dr. T erri Daniel is also a certified trauma specialist and end-of-life educator certified in death, dying and bereavement by the Association...

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with ex-Jehovah's Witness and now independent filmmaker, Kamila Dydyna, who is attempting to raise funds for an important short film project entitled "Debutante." This work will explore the psychological aspects of what it's like to experience shunning as a JW--and what the people who are commanded to shun have to go through also.  But before we discuss her...

Vi La Bianca is the co-host of the ACA's "Secular Sexuality" and "Talk Heathen" shows. But she wasn't always an atheist...as it turns out, Vi grew up in a fundamentalist family cult. In this episode, Vi and I make use of established models of cults by experts, and apply it to her life growing up. How can she describe her growing up experience as being part of a "family cult"? What is that, anyway,...

After literally months of delays, rescheduling, etc., I have finally been able to track down the elusive Dr Janja Lalich for a great podcast interview! Dr Lalich is not only a sociologist and a cult expert, she is also a cult survivor too. This places her in the unique position to be able to give incredible insights as to the inner workings of cult psychology, the person of the leader, why people...

This week's guest is former evangelical pastor and now atheist, Dave Warnock. What's Dave's story? If you know anything about him at all, you'll know that he travels all over the country speaking on the topic of being an atheist...and facing death apart from religious dogma.   A few years ago, Dave was diagnosed with ALS--a terminal illness. At best, he may have 3-5 years to live. But rather than...

This special edition of MindShift Podcast features Renee Cordeschi, an ex-Jehovah's Witness and survivor of both domestic violence and sexual abuse as a member of the Watchtower organization.   On the 22nd of November, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia, the Witnesses are holding a massive conference entitled "Love Never Fails." Renee, along with several hundred other ex-JWs, are planning to stage a pe...

I've finally gotten back to this subject of dominion theology--and in my research, I've come across an expert on the subject: Dr Andr̕e Gagn̕̕̕e of Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.   Dr Gagn̕̕̕e and I provide a helpful overview of this  important and timely subject, raising awareness of this incredibly pervasive teaching that has infiltrated large swathes of Christianity worldwide...

If you've left fundamentalist religion behind, or a cult or any high-control group with undue influence, then you've likely suffered from RTS--religious trauma syndrome. This week's chat features a specialist who works with clients who suffer from RTS, psychotherapist Laura Anderson.   Leaving religion behind is traumatic enough, as we have to deal with grief, loss, anger, feelings of betrayal, an...

This week's guest is former evangelical pastor, and yet still remains a person of faith--Bill Prickett. Bill is currently the co-host of the Recovering From Religion podcast, and is speaking out about his time as a pastor--and survivor of evangelical "conversion therapy." In conservative evangelical circles, coming out as gay is one of the most difficult journeys to navigate. They can't admit that...

Tweet This episode of MindShift podcast features a great conversation with Brady Hardin, the co-host of the Life After Podcast. Brady tells an amazing story of how he struggled to suppress his sexuality as a young person growing up within evangelical Christianity, even to the point of getting married in order to present the world with a 'normal' image of a happy, adjusted heterosexual family. Unfo...

Tweet This week's interview features ex-Scientologist and author, Jon Atack. Jon is the world's foremost expert on the history of both Scientology as well as its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.   His bestselling book, Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky , re-released just a few years ago, is considered the best-researched factual history of Scientology.   More importantly for our purposes, perhap...

Tweet This week's episode of MindShift podcast features a conversation with ex-Mormon Claudine Gallacher. Not only has she deconstructed her own Mormon faith and left the religion far behind, she currently helps those who have left the religion, as the founder of the Post-Mormon Mental Health organization. In this helpful chat, we'll move beyond simply hearing Claudine's own backstory within the c...

Tweet According to Jeff Sharlet's 2008  book The Family: the Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of America's Power, as well as the recent Netflix documentary series entitled The Family , there is a secretive organization at the heart of not just American political power, but one that has a global reach too: The Family, or The Fellowship (as they refer to themselves). Begun in 1935 by one Dr Abraha...

Tweet This week's episode features a strong woman with a truly unbelievable story to tell–Briell Decker Blanchart, who grew up in the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) cult, led by "prophet" Warren Jeffs. Now in prison for life on multiple charges of child abuse, Jeffs was the undisputed leader of the cult during the time Briell was born and raised in the cult. Her story of life in the cult,...

Tweet This week's discussion features a wide-ranging conversation with ex-pastor (and now atheist) Tim Sledge, out of Texas. A former megachurch pastor in the Houston area, Tim underwent a significant change of both heart and of faith, culminating in him walking away not just from the church, but from the faith altogether.  Now an atheist, Tim has chronicled his journey in his book Goodbye Jesus –...

Tweet Is there a place for religion in the world today? History demonstrates that humanity is incurably religious…we can't seem to separate humans from their beliefs. But it is a demonstrable fact that religion, and religionism, have done tremendous amounts of damage over the centuries–from religious wars, terrorism in the name of God, religious trauma, cults, and all sorts of religious trauma and...

Tweet This week's guest is author, speaker and podcaster Natalie Hoffman, survivor of not just an emotionally abusive marriage, but also of religious trauma. Oftentimes it's religion itself that causes in the first place–or mightily contributes to–emotionally abusive or dysfunctional marriages and relationships. In the case of Christian evangelicalism, add in the inbuilt patriarchy and misogyny of...

Tweet This episode features a hugely informative and insightful information with two of my personal heroes, Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman out of New York City. Authors of the massively influential books Snapping and Holy Terror , Conway & Siegelman have for decades been recognized as two of the foremost experts and investigators on the world of both the cults and Christian fundamentalism.  Specific...

Tweet After many months of anxious waiting, I finally re-connected with this week's guest: Dassi Erlich, survivor of both sexual abuse and a very cultic, controlling Jewish fundamentalist sect in Melbourne, Australia. Not only is this amazing woman surviving, she's leading the fight for justice–to bring her abuser to trial, to answer for her many abuses of children both in Israel and Australia. Li...

This week's episode features returning guest, Canadian therapist Janice Selbie! Fresh off a conference in San Fransisco, CA., led by Dr Marlene Winell, Janice returned home full of ideas for discussion. Fortunately, the guest I'd had lined up had to cancel--so Janice gracefully stepped up at the last minute as a replacement! And we had a phenomenal discussion about sex, and specifically how religi...