Host Megan Phelps-Roper asks J.K. Rowling to respond to pushback from some of her critics. The two also discuss the difficulty of discernment—why it can be so hard to know what’s right.Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org.

Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about the new podcast series she hosts and produced, “The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling.” The series is also produced by Andy Mills and Matt Boll for The Free Press.  If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

In this episode, we examine a series of Sam’s conversations centered around religion, atheism, and the power of belief.  First, we hear the stories of three guests who have fled their respective oppressive religious organizations. We begin with Sarah Haider, founder of the advocacy group Ex-Muslims of North America, who details how her encounters with militant atheists catalyzed her journey to secularism. Then our narrator, Megan Phelps-Roper, walks us through her story of abandoning the Westboro Baptist Church. Finally, Yasmine Mohammed presents her harrowing account of escaping fundamentalist Islamism and Sam’s role in inspiring her public advocacy work. We then tackle the concept of belief more broadly, diving into Sam’s understanding of atheism and what sets it apart from the views of other atheist thinkers like Matt Dillahunty and Richard Dawkins. We also revisit an infamous conversation between Sam and Jordan Peterson, wherein they attempt to come to some universal definition of the word “truth.” The episode concludes with two Q&A portions from life events in which Sam addresses some real concerns about purpose and meaning in the absence of religion.   About the Series Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced The Essential Sam Harris, a new series of audio documentaries exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you’ll find this series fascinating.

In this episode, we examine a series of Sam’s conversations centered around religion, atheism, and the power of belief.  First, we hear the stories of three guests who have fled their respective oppressive religious organizations. We begin with Sarah Haider, founder of the advocacy group Ex-Muslims of North America, who details how her encounters with militant atheists catalyzed her journey to secularism. Then our narrator, Megan Phelps-Roper, walks us through her story of abandoning the Westboro Baptist Church. Finally, Yasmine Mohammed presents her harrowing account of escaping fundamentalist Islamism and Sam’s role in inspiring her public advocacy work. We then tackle the concept of belief more broadly, diving into Sam’s understanding of atheism and what sets it apart from the views of other atheist thinkers like Matt Dillahunty and Richard Dawkins. We also revisit an infamous conversation between Sam and Jordan Peterson, wherein they attempt to come to some universal definition of the word “truth.” The episode concludes with two Q&A portions from life events in which Sam addresses some real concerns about purpose and meaning in the absence of religion.   About the Series Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced The Essential Sam Harris, a new series of audio documentaries exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you’ll find this series fascinating.

Megan Phelps-Roper is a social activist, public speaker and author known for her insights into religious extremism.Harry Potter is the most banned book of the 21st century. Firstly frowned upon by far Right Christian groups for its promotion of witchcraft, the controversy has recently pivoted to the far Left who have concerns that JK Rowling is promoting transphobia. The obvious question is, how did one of the most beloved children's authors of all time end up here?Expect to learn the reason behind the widespread backlash and cancellation of JK Rowling, whether Rowling is worried about ruining her legacy, how the platforms like 4chan and Tumblr were so pivotal in this movement, just how similar the trans rights movement is to the gay rights movement, Megan’s perspective on the “What Is A Woman” documentary, how Megan's upbringing in the Westboro Baptist Church gives her a unique insight on this story and much more...Extra Stuff:Listen to The Witch Trials Of JK Rowling - https://open.spotify.com/show/2K186zrvRgeE2w0wQjbaw7Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom-Get in touch.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillxTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillxYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcastEmail: https://chriswillx.com/contact/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Megan Phelps-Roper, a thoughtful contributor and friend of the hosts, joins the discussion on the contentious debates surrounding gender and women's rights. They dive into the backlash faced by J.K. Rowling for her views, sparking conversations about the need for civil dialogue. The podcast also explores the evolving landscape of women's sports and medical transition for youth, highlighting the U.S.'s unique stance. With insights from author Helen Lewis, it examines societal pressures, freedom of speech, and the tensions within ongoing gender discourses.

Former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper discusses growing up in the church, breaking the cycle of generational pain, dealing with radicalization, and advocating for dialogue between conflicting groups. She shares her emotional journey, reflections on de-radicalization, and the importance of humility and empathy in parenting.

On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper about her experiences growing up in the church, the problem of radicalization in society and modern institutions, considering the individual perspectives of the people who we disagree with, and more. Megan Phelps-Roper is an American political activist who was formerly a member of, and spokesperson for, the Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps-Roper left the church in 2012 after she was unable to reconcile her doubts with her beliefs. She travels around the world to speak about her experience in the church and advocates dialogue between groups with conflicting views. In 2019, she released a memoir, Unfollow: A Journey from Hatred to Hope.LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. As a listener of this show, you can receive a free LMNT Sample Pack for only $5 for shipping. To claim this exclusive deal you must go to drinkLMNT.com/dailystoic. If you don’t love it, they will refund your $5 no questions asked.KiwiCo believes in the power of kids and that small lessons today can mean big, world-changing ideas tomorrow. KiwiCo is a subscription service that delivers everything your kids will need to make, create and play. Get 30% off your first month plus FREE shipping on ANY crate line with code STOIC at kiwico.com.Talkspace is an online and mobile therapy company. Talkspace lets you send and receive unlimited messages with your dedicated therapist in the Talkspace platform 24/7. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com or download the app. Make sure to use the code STOIC to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show.LinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the right candidate to join your business this fall. It’s the largest marketplace for job seekers in the world, and it has great search features so that you can find candidates with any hard or soft skills that you need. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit linkedin.com/STOIC to post a job for free. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookFollow Megan Phelps-Roper: Homepage, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Megan Phelps-Roper (@meganphelps) grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church, an organization widely monitored as a hate group for its anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-American protests. She left WBC in 2012 and has since written about her experiences in Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. This is part one of a two-part episode. Stay tuned for the second episode coming later this week! What We Discuss with Megan Phelps-Roper: What it was like to grow up in what documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux called "The Most Hated Family in America." Why the Westboro Baptist Church feels it's uniquely qualified to spread what it sees as the "true" word of God in a way that shocks and offends the rest of the world. How the Westboro Baptist Church interprets feelgood lessons from the Bible like "Love thy neighbor" and the tale of the good Samaritan. Why children who grow up in Westboro Baptist Church aren't educated at home, but encouraged to go to public schools. The complicated history of the church's founder (and Megan's grandfather), Fred Phelps, who championed civil rights for African-Americans as a lawyer while campaigning against homosexuals, Jewish people, dead soldiers, tsunami victims, Mr. Rogers, and others deemed "deviant" by his very specific interpretation of the Bible (e.g., everybody not belonging to Westboro Baptist Church). And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: https://jordanharbinger.com/302 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church, about her book 'Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church.' They discuss her journey of leaving the church, her life after, including becoming a mother and writing a book. They also touch on the origins and controversial actions of the Westboro Baptist Church, communication style of religious groups, and the role of Twitter in helping her escape the Christian cult.