Holy Terror Classic Edition: Catching up with Conway & Siegelman - A MindShift Sequel
Welcome to the first episode of The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast for 2025! This inaugural episode features a catch-up conversation with two old friends, Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman. They are the authors of the classic 1978 work on cults and mind control entitled Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change. Their research into cult psychology and tactics led them, in the late 1970s and early 80s, to investigate what was then the nascent Christian Right's involvement in American politics. They also noticed how much evangelicalism and fundamentalist Christianity had in common with the world of the cults. Currently they've released an update to their original 1982 book Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics, and Our Private Lives. The "classic edition," which is now available, gives the reader new perspectives on the evangelical involvement in the Trump era. Find the new version of Holy Terror now available on Amazon! Join The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on X @MindShift2018
-------- Â
1:09:45
Interspirituality: Ten Words To Make The World A Better Place (with Lauryn Axelrod)
For this final podcast of 2024, I recently connected with Lauryn Axelrod--she's an interfaith/interspiritual minister, chaplain, spiritual director, and teacher out of Vermont. This is an especially poignant interview, as I've talked to several people this year about concepts of spirituality. Lauryn's suggestion that incorporating "Ten Words" into your life, as guiding principles or values, can indeed make the world a better place. This is all the more relevant now that America is so deeply divided and polarized, both politically and religiously. The question is: what can all the major religious worldviews and traditions teach us about spirituality? Dogma and doctrines aside, are there commonalities behind them all from which we can gain insights and understanding? And above all--is it indeed possible to make the world a better place by embracing interspirituality? Find out more about Lauryn on her site https://www.laurynaxelrod.com/ Get a copy of Lauryn's Book Ten Words on Amazon! Join The Dismantling Doctrine Patreon Community! Follow me on X@MindShift2018
-------- Â
50:47
Rift: Breaking Away From Christian Patriarchy (with Cait West)
I recently caught up with returning guest Cait West, who has just come out with a great book entitled Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away From Christian Patriarchy. Cait grew up in what is called the "stay-at-home-daughters" movement, which is a version of Christian patriarchy that, while seemingly extreme, is gaining traction in a lot of Christian homes. Driven by the teachings of men like Doug Wilson, Joel Webbon, and other leading evangelical figures, Christian or biblical patriarchy teaches that women should be in submission to their fathers and husbands--exactly what they believe the Bible teaches clearly. What is more concerning is that now, with Donald Trump in office for the next 4 years, Christian nationalists now have even more influence over laws and policies that affect Americans. That they want to run the government the same ways in which they run their churches, denominations, and families should be of major concern to everyone going forward. Find out more information about Cait's book here: https://www.caitwest.com/book Check out the "For Our Daughters" documentary here on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkES4X_qb6c Join The Dismantling Doctrine Patreon Community! Follow me on X @MindShift2018
-------- Â
46:53
Blue Jellyfish Syndrome: Mental Health After Leaving Religion and an Abusive Marriage (with Karen Unrue)
This week's guest features author Karen Unrue, whose book Blue Jellyfish Syndrome: How To Break Free From Stigma and Maintain Hope While Living With a Mental Illness is a great resource for those who have left either controlling religion or abusive relationships behind. But simply escaping is far from the end of the story. We can still be triggered by intrusive thoughts from our past that are debilitating and can blindside us. Unpicking the layers of conditioning is also extremely difficult, especially for those of us raised in controlling religious environments. And it's also the impact of the various traumas we've experienced that oftentimes linger with us for decades, long after the event that caused it is years in the past. Karen offers practical advice, helpful insights, and valuable resources to help us move forward and rebuild our authentic selves. Get a copy of Karen's book on Amazon! Join The Dismantling Doctrine Patreon Community! Follow Me on X@MindShift2018
-------- Â
54:27
Bonus Episode! The Violent Take It By Force: Christian Nationalism is a Threat to American Democracy (with Matthew D Taylor)
In this special election special bonus episode, I reached out to returning guest Matthew D Taylor, who has just come out with a brand-new book called The Violent Take it by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy. For those who are still undecided about their vote in the upcoming election, this is a must-listen. Given the fact that so much of the Trump MAGA support is generated by not just Christian nationalists, but extremists who are part of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), this is a major concern going forward. Matthew puts all the pieces together in this hugely informative discussion, telling the story of exactly how these so-called "apostles and prophets" coalesced together and found themselves part of Trump's inner circle of spiritual advisers during his presidency. Now, they are mobilizing tens of thousands of angry evangelicals not only to vote for Trump, but to engage in political violence should he lose the election. The threat to American democracy is clear, and these people have had four years to prepare themselves for whatever happens following this hugely important election. Find The Violent Take it by Force here on Amazon! Join The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast Patreon Community! Follow Me On X @MindShift2018
-------- Â
1:01:19
More Religion & Spirituality podcastsMore Religion & Spirituality podcasts
New Zealand