Coral is an aspiring writer, an animal rescue volunteer/donor & runs a bunny boarding & grooming business. She is an ex-Mormon atheist & a "meat & potatoes girl" turned vegan. Find Coral & her content at: @atheist_vegan, & wattpad.com/user/VCoralSandsV & inkitt.com/veganatheist & on YouTube.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome & why Sentientism is important
02:39 "Vegan Atheist Coral"'s Intro
- A Mormon, military family
- Joining the Coastguard
- From "A meat & potatoes girl" to vegan & animal rescue
- From religious to "spiritual" to agnostic/atheist
- #JoinTheConversation & Street Epistemology
- Stories with morals. Star Trek
11:55 What's Real?
- Growing up Mormon (yet another "one true church")
- "It encompasses every bit of your life"
- 4 hours in church then 2 more in "school" every Sunday
- "Most of my childhood I felt like I was in church"
- Strong emphasis on family, but "very good at shunning" if you don't believe
- Internal self-pressure: "You're constantly measuring yourself against what you think Jesus would want you to do"
- Joseph Smith & the golden plates
- The old & new Bible testaments superceded by The Book of Mormon
- The trinity, creationism, proselytising
- Fundamentalist & progressive Mormons
- Managing the public perception of Mormonism (e.g. modesty dress codes)
- Sending children on missions. Isolating from families & friends to reinforce church teachings
- "The other people you're on the mission with are almost snitches"
- Church sees friends & even own parents as potential threats
- Pressured to speak to elders about doubts "testimony" as long as they're resolved in favour of the church
- Moving from the west coast to Alabama. Culture shock
- Growing up with a naievety about race & racism
- The shock of a new school "We pray here"
- "I go to the one true church & they're all wrong"
- Parents drifting away from the church due to accusations about a minister
- Studying other religions... "there has to be an ultimate truth"
- Some family are still Mormon
- Asking "what do we know & how do we know?", exploring philosophy (brain in a vat, The Matrix), re-evaluating "the god question"

...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info and on YouTube.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.