What happens when you get three ex-pastors together for a night of comedy and conversation? Well, you're about to find out.
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 of tickets and embarked on a full Open Space LA Theater came together, and it was wonderful.
This is a wrap-up show of the live podcast recording event from West Hollywood California. A sit down with Jonathan Bowles, Taylor Hughes, and myself as we talk out our therapeutic process of losing our religion while playing some clips from the live show.
We get into some things here that we didn't address in the show. Do we regret our past ministry days? Do we feel it was a total waste of our lives?
You'll enjoy listening to this laughter, tears, and transparent honesty of three ex-pastors finding their way in this world after leaving the ministry, going back to childhood dreams, becoming stand up comics, selling underwear, and starting podcasts.
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"None of us can ever know if there is a God, but we do know there is an us. None of us can ever know if there is wrong or right. But we do know there is an us."
- Russell Brand
"The question is not is there a God but is there suffering?"
- Amma, The Hugging Saint
"Yes there is suffering and what can we do about our suffering? We can help one another and we can love one another. Now if you can do that through atheism then do it through atheism."
- Russell Brand
You all know by now that Losing Our Religion is not a church bashing free for all...
...although the church deserves to be bashed.
It's not a political bashing brawl...
...although politics deserve to be dismantled.
Nor is it a show exposing corporations and slay them for their greed...
...although many deserve to exposes and taxed out of business.
Losing Our Religion is a show about joining together not tearing apart. Knowing full well that to rebuild something else has to be torn down, or at least dismantled to the core and renovated from within. However we choose the tearing down begins inside of us, not others.
The things we desire to be torn down is Religions, Ideologies, and Beliefs that drive a wedge between humanity. That begin wars and fights among us. I believe in world peace, but I am unsure of its reality in my lifetime. But if we all can become peacemakers, and begin to see eye to eye, then I believe ripples will spread through generations.
I hope we continue to conversate around the cosmos and the things we can't prove or validate. But I hope we leave them as such, unprovable conversations.
Do you need religion or something divine, or bigger than yourself to live a life of loving others and taking care of one another, especially those that are suffering?
After listening to this episode, give your thoughts and answer this question for yourself in the comments below, on Facebook, or on the Loser Hotline: 206-395-5608.
"All you can do is be somebody that you love and turn yourself into somebody that you love."
- Maggie Young
Maggie has admittedly had sex with over 50 men, and she has authored a memoir about the first 23. Her Sex-Positive ideology has her free as a bird, and able to openly talk about her sex life and more. Including growing up in abuse, rape, and even a recent sexual harassment incident while driving for UBER.
Maggie Young is a military veteran, UC Berkeley graduate, and author of her gritty sex memoir, Just Another Number. Her voice is a form of investigative reporting with a memoir’s emotional authenticity. While her work covers a wide array of topics, her primary focus is rape culture, patriarchy in Millennial dating, sex, and masculinity. Her goal is to expose corruption with exploitative literature. She writes for several publications, including Thrillist, Bust, Bustle, and YourTango. Maggie’s sex-positive feminist podcast, The Harlot, is set to release this summer.
Her story littered with hypocritical Christians, brainwashed warriors, deadbeat band guys, and the spoiled, cocaine snorting trust fund offspring of California’s elite. It also entails eating disorders, drug cultures, social media, and of course, military corruption.
She's been through a lot. I admire her life tenacity and sexual freedom. I am notoriously anxious when conversating about sex and sexuality. Even with my wife, whom I've been married to for 15 years.
Growing up religious - sex, and sexuality was always shunned and never discussed. At the very least it was ignored or embarrassingly passed off. I first learned about sex from the scrambled cable channels and 4th Grade Sex-Ed.
Isn't sex and sexuality something we should all feel free to discuss? No matter what your background sex is supposed to be awesome. Right? Shouldn't it be enjoyed, and experienced and experimented within each of out desired comfort zone?
She's a fan of Dan Savage and Sex Nerd Sandra. We discuss her thoughts about the Guys We Fucked podcast.
Stephen grew up Greek...Orthodox, in the American South, Atlanta Georgia.
I love how he has gone through changes in his faith, all while being true to himself and remembering the beautiful parts of religion. He does a fantastic job reminding us of the things religion can offer that exude beauty and humanity. The community, the rituals, the family atmospheres, the food, the holidays.
We chat about our hopes in who God is as well as how we all have different forms of how we connect spiritually to the divine, the universe, and humanity.
I love Stephens' belief that religion is like a big puzzle that we will never see the full picture of until then end, and then realize that we're really just all the same.
Join the CounterCulture Society: http://eepurl.com/bwqMWT
Become a Producer: https://www.patreon.com/losingourreligion
Find Out More: http://www.losingourreligion.org
This Episode's Landing Page: http://www.losingourreligion.org/episodes/2016/4/12/lgbtq-038-growing-up-greek-orthodox-stephen-p
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LosingRReligion
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LosingOurReligion
Call 'Losers Anonymous' Hotline: 206-395-5608
Best-selling author Joshua Becker joins me for a chat on minimalism and learning to live life with less.
Joshua has shared his story on top podcasts like Entrepreneur On Fire as well as, CBS Evening News, NPR, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal and countless media interviews around the world.
I've wanted to have Joshua on since we begin the Loser journey in August 2015. Ever since we met, his words and story stuck with me.
We're both former pastors, so we may get a little more "churchy" sounding than some of you are used to. But don't let that stop you from hearing the quality stuff he shares here.
In a world of consumerism and lust of continual accumulation we've learned that there's nothing to find in it. I love the lyrics of the Crass song, Pay As You Go...
You can put a mortgage on your life
To enter Shoppers' Paradise.
A trade-in for your dignity.
A lovely colour console TV.
To watch and cherish as the days slip by,
And dream of the things that money can buy.
Brushed chrome shit, plastic crap,
My life and my vision is worth more than that.
Plate glass ghetto, shopping spree,
I'm no fucking commodity.
I've battled with an addiction of wanting more, better car, bigger house, more electronics. But after losing the big dollars of corporate, institutional religion in America, I've now seen the beauty of having less. But don't assume this episode is about money, cause it's not.
"I was always frustrated that I continued to have significant pay increases but never seemed to be able to get ahead financially." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
"Minimalism and frugality are not the same things." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
"It's almost like society highjacks our passions and redirects them towards things that they what our lives to matter for." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
"My goal has always been that my possessions would not be a burden to me whether in excess or in lack." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
"The goal of minimalism is to free yourself up to focus on the things in life that are most important to you." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
"Minimalism isn't about money; it's about intentionality." - @Joshua_Becker on @LosingRReligion
Join the CounterCulture Society: http://eepurl.com/bwqMWT
Become a Producer: https://www.patreon.com/losingourreligion
Find Out More: http://www.losingourreligion.org
This Episode's Landing Page: http://www.losingourreligion.org/episodes/2016/4/5/episode-037-losing-stuff-a-minimalist-journey-joshua-becker-becoming-minimalism-crass
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LosingRReligion
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LosingOurReligion
Call 'Losers Anonymous' Hotline: 206-395-5608