Join Mike Smithgall, Larry Warren, Mike Gonzalez, and Cynthia McDonald for an episode of The Unholy Roundtable. This raw, unscripted conversation about life after faith covers everything from the struggle of feeling lost after leaving the pulpit to the sudden intrusion of religion in everyday spaces like a doctorâs office. Our panelists confront how belief lingers in surprising ways as we unpack why people trust a harsh god to be kinder in heaven, why Christians shame sex, and how to navigate telling family youâre atheist. Weâll also dive into the fragility of secular meetups, the painful collision of faith and sexuality, climate change denial as prophecy, redefining sin without divine authority, and the tension between colonization, race, and religion.
Topics Covered:
â˘â˘ Feeling lost after leaving religion and rebuilding meaning
⢠Religious propaganda showing up in everyday spaces
⢠Trusting a harsh god on earth but expecting kindness in heaven
⢠Why Christians shame sex and use it as control
⢠How to tell a religious parent youâre atheist
⢠Why secular and humanist meetups often struggle to survive
⢠Reconciling faith and sexuality: when âpraying it awayâ doesnât work
⢠Climate change denial framed as âend times prophecyâ
⢠Rethinking sin outside of Christian dogma
⢠The contradictions of colonization, race, and religious belief
⢠Live Q&A with the audience
Recommended Reading & Resources:
⢠The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark â Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan
A timeless defense of science and skepticism, dismantling superstition and exposing why âsinâ and âintelligent designâ collapse under scrutiny.
URL: https://amzn.to/3IL1QUt
⢠God Is Not Great â Christopher Hitchens
A sharp, uncompromising critique of religionâs grip on society, covering themes of control, sex, and morality.
URL: https://amzn.to/3ZVLSg9
⢠Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality â Darrel Ray
Explores how religious conditioning around sex, shame, and gender roles continues to affect people long after leaving faith.
URL: https://amzn.to/4mJa7qY
⢠White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity â Robert P. Jones
Connects history, colonization, and race with the persistence of religious belief in America, echoing questions raised in this Roundtable.
URL: https://amzn.to/4n1coxM
⢠Why There Is No God â Armin Navabi
A clear, accessible dismantling of common arguments for God, from Pascalâs Wager to the fear of hell.
URL: https://amzn.to/45fBUta
#UnholyRoundtable, #Atheistville, #AskAnAtheist, #Deconstruction, #ExChristian, #AtheistCommunity, #ReligiousTrauma, #LeavingReligion, #SecularPerspective, #ChristianNationalism, #Exvangelical, #AtheistRoundtable, #ReligiousDoubt, #QuestionFaith, #AtheismVsReligion, #SinAndMorality, #BibleBeltAtheist, #AtheistVoices, #BlackAtheists, #ColonizationAndFaith
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