By Anonymous — I was born into a family of evangelical fundamentalist Christians who took an uncompromising and very literal interpretation of the bible. In hindsight I described their attitude as a strict adherence to the 11th Commandment — Thou shalt not think! I am the only member of my extended family who does not believe and I’ve felt forced to keep this secret as the consequences would be horrific. I have tried many times to broach the subject with… Read more
March 23, 2020
COVID-19 and the Uncertainty It Brings
March 23, 2020 By RFR
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By Joe Omundson, Ex-Communications editor — I know your inbox is full of messages about Coronavirus. (If you haven’t already heard, these are the CDC’s recommendations for how to protect yourself and slow the spread of the virus.) What I want to talk about is the emotional aspect of life during a pandemic, and specifically how it interacts with religion. Many of us have lost the emotional foundation that religion gave us in times of crisis; the certainty of the knowledge… Read more
March 11, 2020
The Devil’s Phone
March 11, 2020 By RFR
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By W. Scott Parker III — “The exodus of evangelical youth is so swift that demographers now predict that evangelicals will likely cease being a major political force in presidential elections by 2024.” – Nina Burleigh, Newsweek. We can certainly pray this happens. Working as a counselor at Recovering from Religion, I have noted something interesting and perhaps confirming. I’ve handled a number of chats from Fundie Children, mid to late teens. They are sick of the bullshit and pretending. Remember,… Read more
March 6, 2020
Make It Personal
March 6, 2020 By RFR
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By Marty McDonald — Although I’ve changed people’s names, this is a true story. In fall 1997, my whole workplace was excited for our co-worker Ken. Ken’s wife, Mai, was pregnant with their first baby. After several weeks, Mai’s labor finally started, and Ken took her to the hospital. The next time we heard from Ken, we were devasted: Mai died at the hospital after giving birth. We were all stunned. Mai died of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a high blood… Read more
February 25, 2020
How the Secular Therapy Project Helped Me Change My Life
February 25, 2020 By RFR
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Image by Josephine Wall. Article by Amara — Let’s face it. We all could use a little therapy. Childhood trauma sounds like it should be devastating, but sometimes it can be disguised as what everyone thinks is a normal upbringing. A person doesn’t have to endure physical abuse to end up with mental scars from childhood that have an effect on our daily lives. There’s also the emotional toll interpersonal relationships impose on us throughout the years. Each encounter can… Read more
February 16, 2020
We Need Love (Part 2): God Isn’t Enough
February 16, 2020 By RFR
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By Dr. Sharon Sanders and Dr. Jan Faeri — As we talked about in part 1 of this essay, all human beings have essential needs. Most of our needs we learn to meet on our own. Indeed, learning to fulfill your own needs is a major part of growing up. However, there is one need that, by its very nature, must be filled by other people. That is the need to be loved. Parents and other caregivers, friends and other… Read more
February 9, 2020
The Absent Father
February 9, 2020 By RFR
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By Marty McDonald — Imagine a 5 year old girl, never having met her father. She asks her mother, “Mommy, do I have a dad?” The mother replies, “Yes, you do. Here is his address. Write to him whenever you want”. So she writes a letter to her father, asking him to visit. She sends it, but gets no response. So she sends another letter, and another, and another, but never receives a response. Over time, the girl wonders if… Read more
January 31, 2020
In Love with a Believer: A Journey of Compromise
January 31, 2020 By RFR
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By James Fielding — About seven years ago, I decided it was time to tell my partner that I no longer believed in God. We had been dating for around two years and I wanted to be sure my new-found freedom wasn’t going to cause issues moving forward. Neither of us had been overly religious during the relationship. In fact, he claims to be “spiritual” more than religious. We just recently celebrated our 9th anniversary, so, spoiler alert, my revelation… Read more
January 17, 2020
‘We Are One’… Until You’re a None: Losing Your Community
January 17, 2020 By RFR
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By Jasmine, the Turbaned Humanist — This isn’t my first time leaving religion. Growing up, I was raised in the black Protestant church, later to join the (mostly white) Evangelical movement. My Christian worldview became further solidified when I became enrolled at a private Christian school in the 8th grade and was surrounded by people who thought the same way I did. But it wasn’t too long before I started to question what I had been taught, and with the… Read more
January 11, 2020
Having a “Toxic Relationship” With God
January 11, 2020 By RFR
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By Michel Apioli — Imagine the stereotypical speech of an abusive “significant other”. It would sound something like this: “Look at what you made me do to you. I’m only doing this for your own good, because I love you; this way, maybe you’ll learn to appreciate me and realize what you have. Don’t you realize how lucky you are that I’m with you? You’re just a piece of garbage, I could be with anyone I wanted, and yet I’m still… Read more
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