I want to start a rumor about a place in Minnesota where the people know salvation not by confession or creed but by tomatoes and dirt and the light of the sun and the rhythms of the moon. I want to tell you a story about a village where people of all ages live in relationship with each other, and with the earth and with the river and with the trees. But before you can understand the story of this Village, first I need to tell you about the Gospel of Everything.

https://minnesotaecovillage.org

Deck the halls and make the yuletide gay, my friends! It's time once again for a special holiday edition of the show. A Very Existential Christmas weaves together poems, prayers, and stories in a unique exploration of Christmas without God. 

We begin by deconstructing the myth of Santa Claus before a brief commercial break and then come back for a poem, a short sermon I preached one advent Sunday back when I was still a Christian, another poem/prayer, and then a bit of theology about expectation and incarnation in the shadow of God's absence. 

If you are a long-time listener you may recognize this episode from last year -- it's about 75% the same as Episode 10 ("Advent/Absence") but I've redone the audio and added a bunch of new stuff and generally made it a lot better just for you. 

So pour yourself a warm beverage and curl up by the fire -- or put this in your earholes while you're driving around doing Christmas shit or going to your relatives house or staying at home being depressed -- and enjoy a Very Existential Christmas. 

(Christmas spirit not required.) 

In this episode I talk with Jarrod K. Anderson about nature, death, and the universe. Jarrod is a storyteller, poet, and creator of the wildly popular nature podcast The Cryptonaturalist.

I found Jarrod through his online poems and his book Field Guide to the Haunted Forest (which is worth purchasing for the title alone.) The language he uses to make meaning in a meaningless universe resonates deeply with me. I consider him a kindred soul.

In this winding conversation we talk about creativity, being raised agnostic, approaching the Bible through the lenses of literature / trauma,  human brains, contemplating death, the afterlife and eternity, human tribalism, the mysteries of interstellar consciousness, the biological function of cleverness, learning to live with depression, finding community outside religion, and learning to be quiet with the trees.

Jarod on Twitter: @JarodAnderson + @CryptoNature
Jarod on Instagram: @Cryptonaturalist
Jarod's Website: jarodkanderson.com
Jarod's Podcast: The Cryptonaturalist
Jarod's Book: Field Guide to the Haunted Forest

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Get Existential Happy Hour merch @ ExistentialHappyHour.com

Support the Show: micahjmurray.substack.com

Connect on Instagram @existentialhappyhour + @micahjmurray

When I was a good Christian, I spent a lot of time thinking and talking about my worldview. It was an important part of identity-formation in my Evangelical faith communities. In this episode we revisit the idea of worldview, and talk about the evolution I have experienced as I have sought what is real.

We begin with excerpts out of my own Personal Statement of Faith (from when I was a good Christian) before diving into an exploration of what it means to orient my life toward the universe through religious naturalism today.

(tw: includes a lot of fundamentalist doctrine and mentions of abuse.)

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Get Existential Happy Hour merch @ ExistentialHappyHour.com

Support / Subscribe @ micahjmurray.substack.com

Connect on Instagram @existentialhappyhour + @micahjmurray

Pausing at the end of a hot and lonely summer to talk about making meaning, making content, and falling in love with a planet that is bursting into flames. 

I catch up with my friend Emily Maynard, a fellow surviver of religious bullshit who is now working to help other people live free and meaningful lives.

We talk about growing up in American fundamentalism and purity culture, why therapy matters, what we mean when we talk about God, and the everlasting bullshit of the Gospel Coalition, and why people are leaving toxic Churches. We also talk about how to have support as you move through deconstructing beliefs, how to talk to family when your family doesn't understand, and whether or not forgiveness is a good idea.

Emily Maynard is a California Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist No.115384, supervised by Emily Celis, LMFT and employed at S.A.G.E. Holistic Health and Wellness Center. Emily works with religious trauma survivors and people healing from spiritual abuse or difficult faith transitions.

Emily on Instagram: @emilymaynard_thx
Emily on the Web: sagewellnessctr.org/emily-maynard/

In this conversation, I talk with post-theist theologian / writer / educator Maria French about what it means to be a post-Christian person of faith. We share stories from our early years of childlike belief, our struggles to overcome indoctrination and find freedom, and our adventures in theology on the other side of belief in God.

I'm so glad I got to connect with Maria about these things; the way she approaches Christianity and belief is so helpful for those of us seeking authentic, grounded belonging. If you were raised Christian and have struggled to make sense of your own spirituality, you will resonate with much of what we discuss in this episode.

You can find more of Maria's work here:

Maria's Patreon: http://patreon.com/mariaffm

H&Co Website: https://www.handcogroup.com

Sacred Anarchies Podcast: https://www.handcogroup.com/podcast

Instagram: @francescafemme | @h_andco_ | @nomorecircles

Today I'm talking with Dr. Ursual Goodenough about cells, nature, religion, and God. As a scientist and a religious naturalist,  she has so much wisdom and perspective on finding the sacred in the ordinary miracle of biological life. If you are curious about finding a way to think about divinity outside of traditional theistic God constructs, you're not going to want to miss this conversation.