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Coming Out of Religion

42 resources

🎬 Videos(18)

Video

RfRx - Inner Safety Without Dogma with Author June Converse

Recovering from Religion

Aired 12/18/2021 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 providing some tips on feeling comfortable on the other side of belief.

Video

RfRx - Coming out as Atheist in 2021 with Mandisa Thomas

Recovering from Religion

Aired 04/07/2021 In the midst of a new Presidential administration and battling a global health pandemic, many atheists still face challenges with openly expressing their views, and fear ostracism from family members and friends.

Video

RfRx - Who TF Am I Now? with Ferron P. Wiley

Recovering from Religion

Ferron P. Wiley is an author, public speaker, and podcast host with a unique and wry sense of humor. He has twenty-plus years in the mental health industry working with children adolescents and adults. Having also served ten years presiding as Founder and Senior Pastor of a radically inclusive non-denominational church, he has been afforded a wide range of experiences and insight across the spectrum of humanity. Since recently leaving the Christian faith his core objective is to encourage people who perhaps are not well connected to their own personal value, help them to establish that as a foundation and to learn strategies to use that value as a springboard for pursuing happier and more productive lives.

📄 Articles(13)

Article

Leaving Religion

OnlySky

Exploring the sometimes painful, sometimes exhilarating process of leaving religion.

Article

Recovering from Christianity

Kezia Farnham

Imagine losing your friends, family or community. Individuals worldwide tell Artefact their shocking experiences of questioning the existence of God.

Article

Deconversion How To

GracefulAtheist

How to deconvert in 10 easy steps: The stages of deconversion.

📚 Books(7)

Book

Handbook of Leaving Religion

Brill

The Handbook of Leaving Religion introduces a neglected field of research with the aim to outline previous and contemporary research, and suggest how the topic of leaving religion should be studied in the future. The handbook consists of three sections: 1) Major debates about leaving religion; 2) Case studies and empirical insights; and 3) Theoretical and methodological approaches. Section one provides the reader with an introduction to key terms, historical developments, major controversies and significant cases. Section two includes case studies that illustrate various processes of leaving religion from different perspectives, and each chapter provides new empirical insights. Section three discusses, presents and encourages new approaches to the study of leaving religion.

Book

Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why

Greta Christina

Coming out as an atheist is a powerful, liberating act. It makes life better for you, for other atheists, and for the world. But telling people you're an atheist can be risky. What are the best ways to do it? And how can we help each other take this step? In this compassionate, friendly, down-to-earth how-to guide, popular author of Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless and blogger Greta Christina, offers concrete strategies and guiding philosophies for coming out as an atheist. Based on hundreds of coming-out stories, the book offers a map of the territory atheists are likely to encounter and ideas on how to pick the path that's best for you. Inspiring and realistic, kind and powerful, Coming Out Atheist is the much-needed guidebook atheists have been waiting for. Author Greta Christina is donating 10 percent of her income from this book to atheist organizations, charities, and projects.

Book

Confessions of an American None: A Credo of Sorts

Rachel Roberts

Confessions of an American None: A Credo of Sorts is part memoir, part credo, and part romp in pop culture, spotlighting the largest, fastest-growing spiritual demographic in our country– the religiously unaffiliated, aka Nones.A swashbuckling narrative upends conventional thinking about God and religion. Some doctrinal alligators are wrestled into compliance. Some walk the plank. What is the fate of Original Sin, virgin births, and sexuality? It's probably not what you expect.Rachel Roberts shares personal tales of growing up in a cult (Praise Jesus and pass the snakes!), battling an adult relationship with Christianity (Jesus would get drunk with her over this one), and finding relief in becoming a None (phew). She unearths a spirituality that balances the affirmation of reason and science with compassion and inclusivity while abandoning antiquated notions of superstition and tribalism.Seemingly quirky or random cultural references punctuate profundity with levity and reprieve. Think Spock meets the Dali Lama meets Bart Simpson. Each chapter contains a recipe and a well-known song that culminates in a meal and an accompanying playlist. This unique feature inspires the reader to experience everyday spirituality the way many Nones do, by meaningfully connecting with others.Amidst the fun, Confessions aims to instigate a voice for Nones, revolutionize spirituality based on 21st-century values, and reorient our collective consciousness toward that which unifies all people: Love.

Book

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church

Rachel Held Evans

Centered around seven sacraments, Evans' quest takes readers through a liturgical year with stories about baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, marriage, vocation, and death that are funny, heartbreaking, and sharply honest.

Book

A Meta-Spiritual Handbook: How to Be Spiritual without Religion, Faith, or God

Tim Sledge

When former Christian minister Tim Sledge walked away from five decades of faith more than 10 years ago, he made a clean break--no more church, prayer, religion, or God. But there was one thing that surprised him: He still wanted to be spiritual. Looking beyond traditional Christian views of spirituality, he found no "spiritual but not religious" model that worked for him. Eventually, Sledge decided to redefine spirituality for himself, and to use the term "meta-spirituality" to identify his personal approach as beyond any conventional concept of spirituality. His vision of meta-spirituality touches that part of us that seeks inspiration, yearns for the highest and best in life, and longs for a connection to something noble and wondrous.

🎙️ Podcasts(2)

Podcast

podcast

How to Heretic Podcast

Whether you're just thinking about leaving your religion, or you're a dyed-in-the-wool decades-long atheist, your audio uncles Mark and Dan are here to help. With the aid of wise friends and experts in all sorts of fields, The How-To Heretic Podcast will guide you through the scary worlds of heathen living, and make sure you have fun in your new heretical life! We're here for you, friend; so kick off your shoes and join us!

Podcast

podcast

Everyone's Autonomous Podcast

Cass & Marie interview people you don't know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith.

🏢 Organizations(1)

Organization

Online space for "Nones"

American None

American None is creating a new, online space for the 100+ million people in our country who check "None" when asked for their religious affiliation. It's time to get to know one another and make the world a better place. Together.

📁 Other Resources(1)

Search Tool

Locations

Center for Inquiry

CFI's interactive location map can help you find a local CFI branch that's near you can get involved with. Branches range from volunteer groups to professionally staffed groups meeting at CFI offices and lecture halls.

See Also