This bonus episode features a super-informative discussion with Emily Elizabeth Anderson, who herself is a survivor of not only the Bill Gothard/ATI homeschooling cult, she also experienced grooming and abuses by Gothard personally. Emily is now on the journey of helping others deal with church abuse and other forms of traumas they may have suffered. She has become an activist speaking out against the toxicity of Gothard's cult and was actually part of the massive lawsuit against Gothard himself, launched by multiple women who were sexually harassed and assaulted by him. We not only discuss the recent Josh Duggar arrest situation, we conclude the conversation by evaluating the IBLP as a cult also. Find out more about Emily's work at her blog, Thriving Forward.  Help Support the Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

In this week's episode, I finally had a chance to edit this show and get it out there--apologies to Andrew for taking so long! Andrew is on the vanguard of an exciting new field of research and experimentation: using psychedelics to treat such issues as PTSD, Religious Trauma Syndrome, and many more. Listen in as Andrew expands our consciousness as to the incredible possibilities that this fascinating work represents. Help Support the Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Information Andrew's Site Life After Dogma Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

I'm super excited to be promoting this incredible conference, which begins very soon--May 11th through the 16th, 2021. My good friend Janice Selbie is putting it on, and the conference features an unbelievable line-up of guest speakers and presenters, such as Dr Marlene Winell, who literally "wrote the book" on religious trauma syndrome. She, along with many others--including me on a panel with David Hayward and Tim Sledge--will be a part of this amazing conference. For more information on how to get tickets, go to the CORT2021 website.  Divorcing Religion website Use the code POD15 to get a discount too! Contact Information Follow Janice on Twitter @divorce religion or @wise_counsellor Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018

In this special bonus episode, I caught up recently with Mikey Weinstein, founder and leader of the MRFF--the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. This incredible civil rights advocacy organization is dedicated to one thing: preserving the religious freedoms of active duty,  cadets, reservists and veteran service members of the US Armed Forces.  According to their site:  "MRFF clients have faced unconstitutional religious church/state violations and noxious abuse from their military superiors who almost exclusively brandish one particular version of Christianity, fundamentalist Christianity, as a weapon to intimidate, menace, harass, subdue, and terrify their otherwise helpless armed forces subordinates." This is what the MRFF is all about--fighting against weaponized Christianity in the US military. Support the Ongoing Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Details The Military Religious Freedom Foundation Website  Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

This week's special bonus episode features an excellent conversation with Lisa and Gerette, two amazing women who started the igotout.org website.  Both cult survivors in their own right, each not only tell their stories of their time in their cults and also what led them to get out finally after spending years in the group. Following this decision, both women have dedicated themselves to activism and helping people to have a platform where they can share their stories of cults, religious groups, and other high-control groups they left behind. Check out their website and tell your story! Help Support the Ongoing Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Information Follow on Twitter @igotout_org Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

In this conversation with returning guest Dr Terri Daniel, co-host of the "Ask Dr Death" podcast, we get into the subjects of not only the psychology of religion in general, but we also discuss how religion can affect people's mental health. This is a subject I've long been fascinated by, as a cult survivor as well as an ex-evangelical. How much did your religious background affect you, both in the past and perhaps even currently? Dr Terri and I discuss this, and give real-world examples of how it might affect people in terms of their mental health, relationships, and more. Help Support MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Information Ask Doctor Death Podcast and Website  Follow Terri on Twitter @DrTerriDaniel1 Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podast YouTube Channel

This bonus episode features a discussion with Fred Clarkson: journalist, publisher and author and most importantly for our purposes, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates. In addition to breaking the story about Project Blitz a few years ago, Fred has been researching and writing about the Christian Right and dominion theology for literally decades now. As such, he is one of the leading experts in this field, and in this episode we draw on all of Fred's knowledge to help unpack not only the historic foundations of the Christian Right, we take a look at what some of their current projects are now, moving forward in the post-Trump era.  Help Support MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Information Follow Fred on Twitter @FredClarkson Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift YouTube Channel  

In this fantastic bonus episode, returning guests Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman--authors of the classics Snapping and Holy Terror--take us on a trip back in time...to the origins of the Christian Right, with a close assessment of the various strategies that were used to sway and influence millions of impressionable evangelicals to get involved in politics. What's perhaps not so surprising? The playbook that many of the architects of the Christian Right constructed decades ago is still in operation. The current evangelical Trump base, for example, is an extension of the work that these key players installed decades ago. We also look at the impact these strategies had on the individual evangelical. We'll explore the story of Diane, "the first ex-evangelical," that Flo and Jim encountered in their travels across America researching this movement. Help Support the Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon! Contact Information Contact Jim and Flo at http://stillpointpress.net/ Ex-Evangelical Experience Survey 2021 Link Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

In this episode, we round out our examination of the Falwell family legacy by speaking with Calum Best, who is himself an alumni of the Christian University founded by Jerry Falwell Sr., which was then taken over by his son after his death.   Beyond objecting to Jerry Falwell Jr's leadership style and negative example he set, we also discuss Charlie Kirk and the Falkirk Center, which until recently was headquartered at Liberty.   Although he still identifies as an evangelical, Calum is definitely critical of many aspects of the movement...I hope you find this conversation intriguing and informative!   Help Support the work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon   Contact Information Save 71 Website  Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel

In this special bonus episode, I finally was able to get together with Hemant Mehta, "The Friendly Atheist," for a fascinating discussion about his journey.   Hemant became an atheist out of the religion of Jainism, which is fascinating in and of itself--his story is quite different than the sort of "typical" atheist one might encounter who rejects the Christian version of God.   As a result of that journey of exploration, Hemant went on to develop the "Friendly Atheist" platform--blogging and podcasting--in an attempt to engage people from all walks of faith, belief systems and life in a respectful and mutually expanding dialogue: common ground, despite massive differences.   Help Support the Work of MindShift Podcast on Patreon!   Contact Information   The Friendly Atheist Blog on Patheos Follow Hemant on Twitter @hemantmehta Follow Me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Subscribe to the MindShift Podcast YouTube Channel