In this episode, Phil and Suzie talk with Darante’ Lamar in an incredible, wide-ranging, and passionate discussion about his faith background, his life in ministry, what lead to his deconversion, and the impact of faith and the journey away from faith on him as an Black man and the black community.    Bio: Darante’ LaMar’s journey from serving as a leader in both charismatic megachurches and hyper spiritual storefront churches, to embracing a life of secularism and reason, offers a unique perspective on the evolution of faith in contemporary society. With a background that includes virtually every role within the ministry, Darante’ brings a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of religious organizations and the impact they have on individuals and communities. Currently, Darante’ is a Global Project Manager and DEI executive in the healthcare industry. He serves, alongside his wife, as the managing partner of DLDD World Group - a nonprofit committed to people centric projects, programs and progress. He is the author of three published books: Significant, Parenting on Purpose, and Memphis: The Last Supper and three upcoming books, Making The Jump, Christ Held Up and The Case for Religion  Link to the ”Hell” video referenced in the episode:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-mQwkFBgaY Where to Find Darante:  Social Media  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbROOoAVy40Cv5NtKccRClg  https://www.facebook.com/darante.martin/  https://twitter.com/DaranteLaMarX  https://www.tiktok.com/@darantelamar7 https://www.dldd.us  Books  https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ADarante%27+LaMar&s=relevancerank&text=Darante%27+LaMar&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1 Significant - https://www.amazon.com/Significant-diffidence-confidence-Darante-LaMar/dp/1506105572/ref=monarch_sidesheet Follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube @flawedtheology Join our Facebook group, Dangerous Questions https://www.flawedtheologypodcast.com

As deconstruction and deconversion are becoming more prevalent in our world, the institutions of Xtianity are flailing to craft a response that will attempt to stem the tide of people leaving the faith, the church, and god himself.  The “explanations” of why people are leaving, of course, they are not based in reality or facts, because most have never spoken with anyone who’s actually left to find out their real reasons.  In this episode, Phil and Suzie debunk many of these common “myths” that the church attempts to sell as the real reasons for deconstruction.   Show Notes & Links https://relevantmagazine.com/current/skillets-john-cooper-its-time-to-declare-war-against-this-deconstruction-christian-movement/ Data Nuggets:  Catholics and Climate Change https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/28/the-pope-is-concerned-about-climate-change-how-do-us-catholics-feel-about-it/  It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature: Conspiracy Theories https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2021/3/28/22334183/what-group-of-christians-most-likely-believe-conspiracy-theories-white-evangelicals-qanon-faith/  https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/07/27/what-drives-belief-in-conspiracy-theories-a-lack-of-religion-or-too-much Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube @flawedtheolgy Join our Facebook group, Dangerous Questions

In this bonus segment from episode 1, Phil and Susie talk about her cat, a fatal illness, and how it all relates to flawed theology.  Enjoy!

We are back for Season 3 and we are excited to be here! In this premiere episode, Phil and Susie catch on things since we took a break for the holidays and talk about what’s to come in Season 3! We will introduce two new segments for this season, ”Data Nuggets” and ”It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature!”  Data Nuggets Link:  https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226371734/religious-nones-are-now-the-largest-single-group-in-the-u-s It’s not a bug, it’s a feature! https://www.whsv.com/2024/02/02/ruckersville-church-pastor-arrested-charged-with-sexual-battery/ Over the break, Phil also had the chance to talk Stacie Grahn, aka Apostacie on Instagram and the host of the ”Stacie’s Mom Podcast” on YouTube.  We had an incredible discussion about her life, faith background, and eventual deconstruction from charismatic christianity.  Stacie Bio: Stacie Grahn was raised in a charismatic born-again Christian environment. In 2019, she began questioning her beliefs, which eventually led her to embrace atheism by 2021. Now an active voice online, Stacie shares her story to support others grappling with their faith. Together with her mom, who also transitioned away from religion, they host a podcast discussing their own processes as well as inviting other people on who have had similar experiences. Stacie lives in British Columbia Canada with her husband and 3 boys. Stacie’s links: https://www.instagram.com/apostacie/  Stacie’s Mom Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thestaciesmompodcast   Secular Soapbox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1xdPR2h5U&list=PLK-HLKx4ZI5vx4m0ebcVnqARHE7FKgNac  https://linktr.ee/apostacie  Stacie’s Resources: Thinking Atheist: https://www.thethinkingatheist.com/ MindShift: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ1tYgwUDYAqGSE7RGLx5CQ  Recovering from Religion: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/  The Line: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIv3LvN_0CNzMpSrTF9naNA  Street Epistemology:  https://www.youtube.com/@magnabosco210  Paulogia: https://www.youtube.com/@Paulogia  Flawed Theology Links https://www.flawedtheologypodcast.com www.facebook.com/groups/dangerousquestions

In this episode, Phil and Susie attempt to tackle a really broad subject, the historical Jesus. We want to be clear that we are not biblical scholars and that there is no way in the course of this episode that we are going to provide definitive answers to the questions we will be asking today.  Biblical scholars have dedicated their whole lives to this topic and we hope to spark your interest in the topic, just as we have been fascinated by it.  We are going to try to address 3 main questions about Jesus, and the reason that we are tackling these questions is because a lot of Xtians like to say that their faith is “not a religion”, but is “all about Jesus”.  So, like Slim Shady, we’re asking the real Jesus to “please stand up”.    Notes and Links https://jamesbishopblog.com/2021/01/08/the-historical-jesus-as-an-apocalyptic-prophet/  https://ehrmanblog.org/did-jesus-call-himself-god/  https://www.flawedtheology.com/2022/01/did-jesus-ride-two-donkeys-into.html  https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/a-thorough-guide-to-the-non-canonical-gospels/  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus  https://vridar.org/2016/03/28/bart-ehrman-jesus-before-the-gospels-basic-element-3-oral-tradition/  https://ehrmanblog.org/did-the-triumphal-entry-really-happen/

In this episode, Phil and Susie talk with Caitlin, owner of Atheist Aesthetic.  Caitlin is from Texas and she shares a lot of wisdom about her journey away from faith, her thoughts on being an ”angry atheist” and how she moved forward from that stage to being happy, fulfilled, and confident in who she is and how she can live a good and moral life without the overwatch of a deity.  She is passionate about many non-profit organizations and she shares a ton of good resources for anyone on a path of questioning their belief system.  Lots of links below for your reference. Show Notes and Resources: Atheist Aesthetic on Etsy:   https://www.etsy.com/shop/AtheistAesthetic?coupon=FLAWED   FT listeners can use the code FLAWED and get 15% off their purchase at the shop. Personal Values Inventory: https://personalvalu.es/   https://www.oasisnetwork.com/ https://www.seculartherapy.org/  https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/gods-hearing-voices-and-bicameral-mind.htm https://www.amazon.com/Skeptics-Annotated-Bible-Steve-Wells/dp/0988245108?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=21decb48-c904-4ec7-b2f1-6a3a9433bc9c  Non-Profits to Support:  Freedom from Religion Foundation https://ffrf.org/  Recovering from Religion : https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/  Secular Therapy Project: https://www.seculartherapy.org/  Footsteps:  https://footstepsorg.org/ Join our Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/dangerousquestions Follow us at flawedtheologypodcast.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.   Rate and review the podcast on Google, Spotify, and Apple Podcast

In this episode, Phil and Susie ”dig” into the power of music. Harlan Howard in the 50’s used the phrase “3 chords and the truth” to describe his genre of country music and many other artists have used this phrase and allowed it to be their philosophy of songwriting. This phrase is funny because most worship songs are 3 chords and purports to be truth, but what is the truth that is actually being conveyed? How does music actually work to affect our emotions and how is this exploited in worship/Xtian music and sold as the “Spirit”? Can “secular” music do the same thing that Xtian music does? We will talk (and even sing) about some of the tactics that are used and even how chord structures and musical formulas can elicit certain responses. For those interested in skipping over the music, here are the timestamps: 31:27-32:25 lord, I lift your name on high 33:30-34:22 how great is our god 35:15-35:55 how he loves 37:00-38:00 you alone 40:48-46:03 from the inside out by Hillsong Show Links and Resources: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/29/1190374074/these-scientists-explain-the-power-of-music-to-spark-awe?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social https://languageandreligion.com/2022/04/20/emotional-manipulation-in-worship-music/ https://blog.landr.com/emotional-chord-progressions/ https://reckersworld.jimdofree.com/religion/recker-s-writings-to-enlighten-and-entertain/how-churches-use-music-to-manipulate-you/ https://capuzzler.medium.com/emotion-effect-in-religious-music-9d383b34b24e https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17470218221075330 https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/choir-singing-improves-health-happiness-%E2%80%93-and-perfect-icebreaker https://www.praisecharts.com/blog/the-nashville-number-system-chart-for-bands/ Genetically modified skeptic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7btz0ocXDeg Faith Free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoaknMByfRs *From the Inside Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-9mUDbGsEk Closing Poem: https://www.joniroseblog.com/post/strings-the-use-of-religious-song Please subscribe and review us wherever you are listening to our podcast. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @flawedtheologypodcast Join our Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/dangerousquestions *We do not own the rights to the music in this episode.

In this week’s episode, Phil and Susie talk about the concept of “magical thinking” and how it is used by believers to explain things that they just don’t understand or to explain away things that they can’t logically defend.  The common explanation for explaining the unexplainable for the believer is the “providence” or “sovereignty” of God, meaning God’s overarching plan for the universe and by extrapolation, one’s entire life.  Phil and Susie ask, ”Does God really have a plan? Is it a good one? What happens when people question the plan and what happens when we discover that there isn’t one?”   Show Notes and Links: https://valerietarico.com/2018/10/02/why-people-believe-in-miracles-and-other-kinds-of-magic/  https://valerietarico.com/2018/10/09/the-human-mind-is-wired-for-magical-thinking/  https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-providence-of-god  https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God-Changing-His-Mind  https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Lamentations Please subscribe and review us wherever you are listening to our podcast. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @flawedtheologypodcast  Join our Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/dangerousquestions