*UPDATE-Matt Recently Became Christian Again. A few months after we recorded this interview, Matt became Christian again. I'm leaving the interview up, but wanted listeners to know in case they were to reach out to Matt.
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Matt was born in Wichita, Kansas and lived there until about age 7.
He was raised non-denominational/charismatic mostly in the Assemblies of God churches and had full on believed by age 5. He had great parents and never had too many issues in the church. However, he always had a great fear of hell even as a Christian.
He was in and out of church most of his life until his first divorce. Then went to bible college at a very charismatic school in 2009. He began seeing cracks and flaws in that particular doctrine and started pulling back. He had gotten his minister's license close to graduation and upon graduation went straight to the mission field in Asia in 2011/12. He worked with the underground church in China and the Burmese refugees I’m Thailand.
He finally began having more questions over the years until he couldn’t do it anymore because of how it was just messing his head up. 10,000 religions, 40,000 plus denominations within Christianity alone, good people going to hell, simply for not believing. He hated the way Christians viewed & spoke to the LGBTQ community and other faiths like they all couldn’t just be people, but had to be a mission and Christians had to have an agenda. He felt that devalued all groups outside of Christendom as less than human. He hated it.
Later he had a stint in rehab for alcohol and began reading books like the wisdom of insecurity from Alan Watts and Thomas Paine’s the Age of Reason. He felt like he'd found freedom in Deism. He was there for a bit, then went back out of fear. That didn’t last long.
The full shift happened less than a year ago and now he is an Atheist. He said he truly feels born again and free.
042 LA & T: Pastor of 26 Yrs. Deconverts & Church Leaders Follow! His Radio Contract Gets Torn Up. He's a Top 300 Minister. Change Begins in India.
041 Heather Bailey: Forsaking Faith Podcast Co-Host. From Dancing Charismatic to Agnostic.
040 Black Nonbelievers Inc. Founder & President: Mandisa Thomas
039 - 1 Year Anniversary Podcast!!!
038 Ari: Raised Evangelical. Becoming Less for God Leads to a Serious Problem. Came Out to Her Mother & was Forced to Move.
037 Benibo Ajumogobia: From Lagos, Nigeria. Mom was a Deaconess, Dad an Elder. At 16 He Cuts Out Friends, Vows Celibacy. 9/11, Howard U and CSPAN Impact Faith. Now He's Agnostic-Atheist
036 Treigg Turner: Baptist Preacher's Kid. Took the Bible Seriously. Seeds of Doubt Grow into Atheism. Joins Black Non-Believers of Cincinnati
035 Ian Redfearn - Part 2: Resigns Church Membership. Tells His Wife He Can't Do Church Anymore. Talks Atheist Spirituality & Awesome Quotes!
035 Ian Redfearn - Part 1: Billy Graham, Christian Dental Fellowship & the Toronto Blessing Play Key Roles. Ian & His Wife Face Serious Health Challenges to Her & Their Son. God Calls Him to Lead. Lat
033 Bill Finley - Part 2: Helps on Skid Row, Meets a Retired Rabbi, His Daughter Questions the Trinity, Told by His Church He Doesn't Have Enough Faith!
033 Bill Finley - Part 1: Mediates for Divorced Parents. Boy Scouts is Stabilizing. B.A. in the Bible. Officer/Minister in Salvation Army Twelve Yrs. Now Humanist.
032 Krista Cox: Feminist Humanist Alliance Advisory Board Member, Poet, Passionate About Emotional Health & Advocacy for Victims and Marginalized Communities.
031 Ryan Bell: National Organizing Manager at Secular Student Alliance. Host of the Life After God podcast.
030 Ariel Pontes - Part 2: Religion Hijacks Curiosity & Stops Inquiry. Searching for Meaning While Becoming Atheist. Making the World a Better Place. Embracing Humanism.
030 Ariel Pontes - Part 1: Raised in Brazil w/Catholicism & Spiritism. Sought an Out-of-Body Experience, Began Asking Questions. Now a Humanist, He Chairs the Americas Working Group at IHEYO
029 Vennie Kocsis - Part 2: Banished from Alaska Cult/Adjusting to Normal Life/Authentic Self/Raising Freethinking Kids
029 Vennie Kocsis - Part 1: Cult and Abuse Survivor. The Family Moved to a Compound When She Was a Little Girl. She Witnessed Rituals and Animal Sacrifice. In Her Teen Years Her Family is Banished.
027 David Ames - Part 2: Tells His Christian Wife He's Not a Christian. A History of Doubt. The Basis for Atheist Morality. Forming Community.
027 David Ames - Part 1: Jesus Tells His Mother to Stop Drinking. Her Dramatic Conversion Impacts David. Grace Was Foundational as a Christian. He Became a Youth Minister. He Now Calls Himself the Gr
026 Dr. Irene Haralabatos - Greek Orthodox Father & German Lutheran Mother. She Thought Rationally from a Young Age. She Was Skeptical of Noah's Ark. A Childhood Search for Chocolate Leads to a Discov
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