Mind Love • Modern Mindfulness to Think, Feel, and Live Well cover image

Mind Love • Modern Mindfulness to Think, Feel, and Live Well

Hell, Guilt, and Control: How Fear-Based Religion Keeps You Stuck with Brian Recker • 392

Mar 11, 2025
01:15:12

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why the concept of hell might be more about control than truth
  • How fear-based faith blocks real spiritual growth
  • What it actually means to reclaim your beliefs in a way that serves you


What happens when the foundation of your beliefs starts to crack? When the things you were raised to accept without question suddenly don’t make sense? Maybe you've felt it—that moment when your gut tells you something is off, but everything in you resists pulling the thread. Because you know if you do, the whole thing might unravel.


I know that moment well. I was raised to believe certain things were absolute. Hell. Sin. Salvation. The idea that if you followed the rules, you were safe—and if you didn’t, eternal torment was waiting. No room for debate. No space for doubt. 


And to be honest, I always had questions. But for a long time, I was afraid to ask them. I thought maybe I wasn’t one of the chosen ones because I had them in the first place. That fear kept me in line. It made me second-guess my own thoughts. It made me wonder if I was broken for not being able to just believe like everyone else seemed to.


At the same time, the loudest voices in religion seem more concerned with power than with actual connection to God. It’s not just about personal belief anymore. It’s politics. It’s legislation. It’s shaping entire systems. And the question is—are we willing to look at it for what it really is?


Today, our guest is Brian Recker—a former pastor who went through his own deep reckoning with faith. He spent years unraveling harmful religious teachings, redefining spirituality outside of fear, and helping others reclaim their beliefs in a way that actually leads to freedom.


Links from the episode:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode