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Losing Our Religion

A former megachurch pastor leaves religion behind to rid himself of the exclusivity created by its dogmas in order to open himself up to learn from the lives, stories, and experiences of everyone else. To prove we are more alike than we think and we can all get along no matter what we believe. Topics range via guest's experiences growing up in religious homes, where Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Secularism, Judaism, Hinduism, Tao, Heathenism, Satanism, Wicca and all forms of dogmas and ideologies programmed into the mind of a child. What happens when that child becomes an adult? What good things do they hold onto? What things do they lose? Where are they now, and in what ways are they finding the peace that we all desire, with or apart from the religions they were raised with? Losing Our Religion is a wild ride with a community of diverse humans each seeking their desired life away from dogma and exclusivity.
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Now displaying: July, 2016

Losing Our Religion is a hilarious and candid look at religion and culture, with former pastor, now commune living lover of sinners, Zac Gandara.  As he has drinks with former religious freaks, and others he used to shun.  Gays, Anarchists, Queers, Atheists, Transsexuals, Punk Rockers, and the rest of us that are considered rejects on this island of misfit toys.

Jul 29, 2016

What happens when you get three ex-pastors together for a night of comedy and conversation?  Fill the room with a bunch of amazing people?  Well, you're about to find out...

RAW & UNCUT RECORDING OF THE WEST HOLLYWOOD LIVE SHOW

In March of 2016, we set out to have a fun little live podcast recording in West Hollywood, Los Angeles California.  We had no idea what the response would be, but we sold out tickets and embarked on a full Open Space Theater and it was wonderful.

Thanks everyone for coming and joining us on our first live event.  Thanks, Jonathan and Taylor for helping us laugh and lose religion and ideologies that divide us from loving each other.

Stand Up Comedy with Jonathan Bowles - The Slingshot Show

Stand Up Comedy and Illusions with Taylor Hughes - Taylor Hughes Magic

 

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Jul 27, 2016

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This episode is about being human. Being human with other humans and learning to pull our heads out of our asses and away from our phones.

I met Bella through my friend Eddie. Eddie was hanging out in the CounterCulture Society Mad Lab one day and mentioned, "You know who you need to have on the podcast? BELLA BIAGIO!"

I immediately acted like I knew who she was because clearly, she was famous and I was just out of the loop. I gave Eddie some LOR stickers and asked him to give them to her, then immediately Facebook messaged her and introduced myself. Name dropping Eddie of course. Months later we finally got together to have drinks in the Lab, and now I'm in love with my new friend.

Bella is Italian, like MOB Italian. Don't fuck with her! She is a petite, but strong, woman, who came out at the age of 18, which was very early back then! She grew up all over the world and has amazing life stories. Little did I know when Eddie suggested I have her on the show, that she had worked at one of my favorite Seattle Restaurants for over a decade, (Mama's Mexican Kitchen). Which means, I am almost sure we met, but years ago, in my holy asshole days. I would not have left a lasting impression. In other words, assholes are easy to forget.

Bella is a performer, with characters such as Coach, Joey, Electra Snow, and Buck Reynolds. (Pictured on the landing page.)

I get the feeling that everyone loves her because she cares for and takes care of everyone around her. Even the fuck heads she encounters that she doesn't even know.

When I asked Bella for a BIO, here's what she gave me...

"Bio like I'm a human trying to be human with other humans, and hopefully, we see that this is just spiritual boot camp, and we all just need to pull our heads out of our asses, get our heads out of our phones and talk to someone? And for the love of God hold on to anyone like grim death that you can relate too...it doesn't happen often."

"Get your head out of your phone, look up and see that you are not the only person on the planet and talk to someone, a someone with a real body."
- Bella

WE CHAT ABOUT

  • I share my former pastoral photograph with a bewildered Bella.  (Keith Urban)
  • Buck Reynolds Match Game, a Chippendale with a huge dick.Bella Italian girl, moves to America via Australia.
  • Bella Italian girl, moves to America via Australia.
  • Beef fat on her face as a moisturizer?
  • Bella’s FOB (Fresh off the Boat) story…from Australia to America.
  • Her own body saved her from her appendix bursting
  • BELLA LIVED IN A CONVENT!
  • Her first female crush? Sister Catherine!
  • Italian American life.
  • Was my grandpa laundering Mob money in his furniture store?
  • Our parent's relationships.
  • Catholic backgrounds.
  • Bella gets me to talk about my faith healer experience with Benny Hinn, and what got me to love Jesus despite all the religious lies.
  • My mega-church life with Bob Moorehead and Casey Treat.
  • My rise to “power” in the American Mega-Church.
  • Getting deep with my dad.
  • The Orlando shootings and how we each process the grief and pain of the world's tragedies.
  • Dealing with pain.
  • Processing human emotion.
  • Bella grew up thinking something was wrong with her, so she sought out many different spiritual practices.
  • Bella shares her story about going to a spiritual “silent” retreat.
  • Religion and Ideologies keep us boxed in and keep us from living life and being human!

 

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Jul 26, 2016

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I'm A Loser, happens every month, at the end of the month. You send us stuff, and we discuss it.

In America, we are in the midsts of another insane election season. One where our nation seems to be in the middle of internal turmoil, killing each other, and armchair politics running wild.

Let this Thomas Paine quote be a reminder to look past ourselves. Seek to live peaceably with one another, and to drop ideologies, politics, and religion that aim to divide us not strengthen us. We can love each other globally IF you, and I will do it locally.

The Losers bring a great song, articles, conversation, and gratitude to this episode!

 

RECOMMENDED LOSER READING: http://amzn.to/2a9MdQr

 

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Jul 20, 2016

Author, editor, speaker, musician and spoken word artist Christian Piatt and I sit down to diagnose how big of an asshole I am.

"Let he who admits he's an asshole cast the first stone." - JESUS

Ok, Jesus didn't say that. But he did understand that change began at the acknowledgment of the problem. If Christian's are assholes, the only hope of that changing is the admittance of our own ass-holiness.

One of the reasons that I, Zac, have renounced my Christianity is because it made me into a person that I didn't like. The more authority I was given in the church, the more of a douche I found myself becoming. The more biblical knowledge I had, the more I had to correct others that didn't have it. The deeper I understood theology, the more arrogant I became, and the more distanced I felt from my humanity and experiencing the gritty, real, and beautiful humanity of others.

Christianity lead me to see myself as set apart, special, and different from others. It put me at odds with those that were different from me, and in my own mind made them the enemy, and me the hero. These disgusting, divisive, and arrogant beliefs became a heavy burden to bare. The more caged I felt from experiencing my humanity; I just wanted to be myself and drop this disgusting, divisive burden.

We spend time in this episode discussing these things and more.

 

FROM CHRISTIAN PIATT

My name is Christian, and I'm an asshole. There was a time when I was pretty sure all Christians were assholes, and based on the God they kept telling me about, I was pretty sure God might be kind of an asshole too.

It seemed to me that Christianity was about getting saved so you wouldn't be a jerk anymore. But the problem was, a lot of the most obnoxious, intolerant, hateful people I knew called themselves Christians. Then I heard a sermon by my friend which started with, "I'm a Christian because I'm an asshole." She didn't try to shrug it off; she embraced it. Not proudly, but fully and honestly. She needed what she found in Jesus every day, all over again because she was an asshole.
Why aren't more Christians like this?

Churches tend to feed peoples' sense of arrogance, superiority and entitlement by telling them they're right and everyone else is wrong. As if their faith was some kind of one-and-done spiritual plastic surgery. We're all screwed up at some basic level; the real problem comes when we think we're above the brokenness. And why bother, when we live in a world that venerates assholes to near sainthood status (see: Donald Trump, Jersey Shore, Charlie Sheen, The Bachelorette...need I go on?)?

I've heard tons of stories of redemption, but most of them end up bothering me more than encouraging me. Generally, it's because all of the bad stuff they talk about in their lives is always referred to in the past tense, and once they're "saved" (still not sure what that means), everything is sunshine and rainbows.

But if this was the case, and if becoming a Christian really cured us once and for all of being assholes, why do so many people in the world see us as judgmental, opportunistic, narrow-minded hypocrites?

 

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Jul 12, 2016

The Dan's Take Over the Show. Maybe it was the Alcohol, Perhaps it was the Vibe, for Sure it was the People, the Comedy.

Daniel Timothy Desrosiers & Daniel O'Connell

This comedy duo is the perfect mix of narcissism and comedic hilarity. These episodes run through the hilarious gambit of their witty minds, through many topics, landing on a conversation about working in the service industry, dealing with people, thoughts about religion, and Baby Dan's conversation with his mom regarding the "Christian" Religion.

 

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE

Daniel Timothy Desrosiers - HIS MANY COLORED FRUIT.  The songs featured on this episode are not out yet but you can find them soon at the links given here.

Song 1 - Amazon Suicide Net | Song 2 - A Debt That Can Only Be Paid With Regret

 

CONTACT THE DAN'S

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/townhallshow 

 

ON THIS EPISODE

  • Baby Dan is highly aware of his man parts.
  • Deep passion for sandwiches.
  • Delicious Sandwiches have delicious bread (Scratch Deli & Salumi).
  • Daniel Timothy Desrosiers & Daniel O'Connell fight with each other about who is more condescending.
  • Gentrifying government FBI warehouses.
  • Old man laughs.
  • Renting a restaurant to pee in.
  • Daniel Timothy Desrosiers & Daniel O'Connell fight with each other about working in the service industry and dealing with customers. 
  • Those YELP customers.
  • Tristen Devine and Kevin Hyder, People's Republic of Komedy and their incredible influence on the Seattle Comedy scene and our lives.
  • Neil Hamburger and Brody Stevens.
  • Honoring our late friend Tristen Devin.
  • Growing up Catholic.
  • Tax the churches!
  • The Dan's views on religion.
  • What is Baby Dan's accent?
  • Fucking with an UBER driver.

 

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Jul 6, 2016

Daniel Timothy Desrosiers & Daniel O'Connell

This comedy duo is the perfect mix of narcissism and comedic hilarity. These episodes run through the hilarious gambit of their witty minds, through many topics, landing on a conversation about working for the mega-corporate machines and our various experiences, desires, and reasons why they work for some us, while repulsing others.

 

ON THIS EPISODE

  • We Talk About Our Dicks
  • Spanish Mexican Cunnilingus.
  • UBER cab issues.
  • Working in a delicious sandwich shop. (Scratch Deli)
  • Public transit fau pauxs.
  • Bus rage.
  • Man spreading.
  • Seattle's passive-aggressive culture.
  • Telescoping Penii.
  • Jon Hamm's Penis.
  • Corporate Culture and big business work life.
  • Is working for a big tech company selling your soul?
  • Can you live off of your art?
  • The fear of success.
  • Not liking ourselves in leadership roles.

 

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