This week’s show is a Deconversion Anonymous episode.
This week’s guest is Anne. Anne grew up in a loving and happy Christian home in a large city where her father pastored a small reformed church.
As a teen, her faith was very real to her, and a few years later, she attended a Christian college, but struggled mentally and physically.
Anne left that school and attended a Bible college, but she quickly realized she would be excluded from most ministry opportunities because of her gender.
After a short and sometimes insulting experience in children’s ministry and then a sickness that went on for man years, Anne felt like God had “benched” her, but she continued praying and hoping.
Over the next many years, Anne’s family met one obstacle after another—toxic or cult-like churches, physical and mental illnesses, Christians backing Trump and even loved ones passing away. Finally, she couldn’t take any more.
“I couldn’t hear from God…I couldn’t worship. I couldn’t hypnotize myself with the piano. I couldn’t do anything…[I was] done.”
Then during the Pandemic, Anne read a single book that made her stop and think for a moment. Then, her questions started coming and couldn’t be stopped. From the outside, it may seem like Anne’s deconversion was quick, but she had given God plenty of time to reveal himself.
Recommendations

The Lasting Supper
Deconversion Anonymous
Harmonic Atheist
MythVision
Bart Ehrman
Darkmatter2525
Holy Koolaid

Books
#AmazonPaidLinks
Jesus & John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
https://amzn.to/388uqxl
Interact
Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion
Full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/05/08/anne-deconversion-anonymous/
Secular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/
Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/
Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/
Attribution
"Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/

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