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Join us as we explore the complexities of faith, spirituality, and personal growth, offering a safe space for open conversations and thought-provoking discussions. Each episode, we dive deep into the process of questioning and reevaluating beliefs, sharing personal stories, experiential insights, and discussing how we navigate this life-changing journey.
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In our interview with Diana Greenfield, a vicar in the Church of Wales, we delved into her fascinating journey of exploring the intersection between neopaganism and Christianity through her doctoral research titled, “Conversing with the Goddess and the Saint.” Diana’s unique perspective sheds light on the importance of embracing diversity in belief…
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29. Losing Our Religion and Addressing Abuse Again and Again and Again
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Join us as we delve into the topic of our evolving relationship with religion and the pressing need for change within organized churches. We explore the significance of persistently addressing issues such as abuse and necessary reforms within the church. Join us as we engage in a thought-provoking discussion on these crucial matters and more. We va…
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28. Neuroscience & Belief Systems (My Saturday Ramblings)
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It's Shannon here. I couldn't sleep last night and stumbled on a YouTube video from a podcast called The Diary of a CEO, hosted by a deep-thinking guy called Steven Bartlett. In this episode he is interviewing neuroscientist, Dr. Tara Swart Bieber. She blew my mind in so many ways. That started me thinking about how some of the different topics the…
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27. Life & Death, Doctrines & Evolving Beliefs
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Episode 27 Hey friends! We are back with an episode that covers topics on everything from dealing with life & death, doctrines built on disappointments, and our ever-evolving beliefs (just to name a few). Thanks for listening and hanging in there with us as we try our best to get back to a regular publishing schedule. Much love and thanks to you al…
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As we examine and heal from the belief systems we were once part of, many of us find ourselves in very different places. Some of us still believe in God, some of us don't. What do these new friendships and spaces look like for us? How can we support one another in our differences? We talk about this and more in this episode. **We'd appreciate it if…
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We're back! In this episode we talk about what people need vs what the institutional church thinks it needs to stay relevant and alive. We touch on "revival" that the church has been talking about for years, being seen, longing for a family that feels like home, the belief that it's all on us, and a whole lot more. We are glad to be back and happy …
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24. A Way of Being, with Gaz Kishere
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Our guest on this episode is Gaz Kishere. He's a friend and the author of a book that we highly recommend. So many of us have walked away from everything we knew when we left organized religion. It's so important to give and receive permission to change our beliefs as we go. We discuss many things, including how we were taught to fear losing what w…
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We're finally publishing our December episode mid-January! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the best year yet in 2023. In this episode we're covering SO MANY TOPICS: - Navigating grief - Supernatural awkwardness - The Great Deconstruction - What IS salvation, actually? - Floating Southern Baptist drummers - Planks & splinters - Ch…
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22. Universalism, Justice & Love Himself
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In this episode we're exploring our beliefs about universalism, God's justice and Love. We also touch on eternity, mammograms and alcoholic beverages. Welcome to the table. We're glad you're here. “I don’t mean to water down my Christianity into a vague kind of universalism, with Buddha and Mohommad all being more or less equal to Jesus—not at all!…
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In this episode we ask: Has the church become an idol? To be fair, we answer our question and then discuss the different ways we see this happening. We also talk about loneliness in the journey, connecting with others and more. Do you think the church has become an idol? Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons We want to hear from you! Email us at…
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Episode 1 of Season 2 will be released on November 11, 2022. We've missed you all and we're so excited! Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons gloriousthingspodcast.com gloriousthingspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on... instagram.com/gloriousthingspodcast/ facebook.com/gloriousthingspod --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod…
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Episode 20 - Christology: Why It Matters In the Midst of All the Abuse
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In this episode we're discussing the Southern Baptist Convention's list of abuses that was released in the last couple of weeks and we take a look at Christology. What is it and and why is it so important for those of us who want to continue to know and follow Jesus in the midst of all the proverbial crap hitting the fan? The church as we know it i…
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Episode 19 - The Institution is Dying
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We kick off this episode with Ashley's story of her terrible, no good, very bad day. From there we discuss how the Western church as we know it is crashing and crumbling before our eyes. So many of us don't know how to function in a healthy spirituality. As we walk away from the institution and system we've called church, can we live in the simple …
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Episode 18 - Religious Trauma & Spiritual Abuse: Where Do We Go From Here?
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This week Ashley was watching a documentary called "Hillsong, A Megachurch Exposed". Shannon was listening to a podcast called "Leaving Hillsong". We were a bit overwhelmed by what we heard from those who were used, abused and exploited by the the church.In this episode, we're sharing some of the Hillsong stories. We recall some of our own experien…
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Episode 17 - One Hell of an Episode
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Welcome to this deep dive into our ever evolving beliefs about hell. From our turn or burn past to our current hope filled take on the afterlife. Think you want to skip this one? Oh hell no! Sorry, had to say it.WARNING: We do briefly mention suicide 9 minute and 3 seconds into the episode. We do not discuss it in detail but do talk a little about …
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Episode 16 - Scapegoating & The Satan
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We're doing it! We've been asked by a listener to talk about scapegoating and satan. Oh how our views have changed along this journey of ours. We highly recommend going to our website to watch the videos and read the articles we're referencing in this episode. www.gloriousthingspodcast.comGlorious Things is hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley SimmonsN…
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Episode 15 - New Perspectives, Sacred Things & Honest Questions, a conversation with Mark Thomas
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This week we hear from our friend Mark Thomas from Adelaide, Australia. He brings us into his journey as we hear how his perspective on mission and life have changed over the years. He dives deep into some beautiful thoughts about what is sacred and hearing Jesus any place on earth. And there is so much more. It's a deep and fantastic conversation …
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Episode 14 - The Weird War on Deconstruction & the Compassion of Jesus
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This week we discuss the weird declaration of war against deconstruction (and all going through the process) by Skillet's lead singer, John Cooper. We also talk about how a lot of Christians seem to feel threatened by any viewpoint other than their own. And finally, we look at Jesus, the compassionate, living Word Himself, who has never declared wa…
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Episode 13 - Burning Books, Manipulation & the Wide-Open Freedom of God
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This week we discuss an article we recently read about a pastor publicly burning books. We go down memory lane to a time when we got rid of all our rock music and troll dolls because we were told they were evil. From there we consider the wide-open freedom God gives to us as human beings.Glorious Things podcast is hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley S…
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In this episode, we're talking with Leigh Ann Dailey. We hear about her realization that the weight of the world's salvation is not hers to bear alone. We discuss how we learned to measure what was truth and what wasn't in our younger years growing up in church. And how God built a foundation of love and truth in our lives throughout it all. Lookin…
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Episode 11 - There is Room at the Table, an interview with Sean J. Stevens (Part 2)
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This week we continue our conversation with Sean J. Stevens of the Harkening Deer podcast. We talking about idolizing the Bible, our doctrines, and our own viewpoints, God's healing power (why don't we see it more often?), how the story of Jonah is a story of forgiveness, not judgment, losing faith and more. (And just a head's up and apology for wh…
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Episode 10 - There is Room at the Table, an interview with Sean J. Stevens (Part 1)
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This week we had the awesome privilege of having Sean J. Stevens from the Harkening Deer podcast with us! In our conversation with him we hear about his journey, his podcast that helps us come into that space and stillness with God that we need so much, raising our children, and how doing life with others who may not believe exactly as we do can be…
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Episode 9 - The 99, The Miraculous, The Disciples & Us
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This week we talk about the God who leaves the 99 to find the 1. We discuss and wonder why we don't see miracles in our own lives or from churches filled with people every Sunday when it only took 12 disciples to follow in Jesus' footsteps as they began to heal the sick and raise the dead. We're friends with God like they were. They were normal peo…
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Episode 8 - What Triggers Us, Time Spent in Darkness & Bitching vs Love
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This week we're discussing how our friend Leigh Ann sent Ashely a message that started us thinking about what triggers us as we untangle ourselves from religion. We're also unpacking how easy it is to sit in darkness or bitterness or bitchiness rather than actually loving people and praying for people who we don't like. Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & As…
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Episode 7 - Spiritual Abuse (from Mars Hill to Our Local Churches)
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This week we're discussing spiritual abuse. What kicked it off was Ashley listening to a podcast called The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill by Christianity Today. From there we get in to a little of our own personal experiences with overreaching church powers and how calling it out doesn't necessarily mean you're a rebel - it means the Spirit who lives in…
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Episode 6 - Grief and the God Who Is With Us
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For our Christmas Eve episode we're talking about grief. About how the baby who was born two thousand years ago is truly the same God who steps into our unbearable grief here and now. He stepped into Shannon's grief when her sister died in 2020 and He is here to step into yours too. We are not alone and we are so loved. Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & As…
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Episode 5 - The Way We Were Raised to Read the Bible vs How the Church Fathers Interpreted Scripture
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In this episode we're discussing how we were brought up to view and read the Bible versus how the early church fathers and thoughtful theologians interpret(ed) it. It makes a big difference in understanding that Jesus truly is the picture of a loving, kind and good Father who doesn't wipe out (or ask us to wipe out) his enemies! We also touch on wh…
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Episode 4 - Manipulation, Exploration & Untangling Beliefs
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Guest Morgan McCormick joins us to discuss how religion is sometimes used as a manipulation tool with children who grow up in it, exploring our beliefs for ourselves and a thought-provoking email from a friend about untangling toxic beliefs and questions about God as Love. Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons New episodes every month! glorioust…
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Glorious Laughter - Funny Holiday Memories - Bonus Episode
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On the lighter side, my nieces & I discuss comedy holiday traditions and memories of growing up in church during Christmas. We hope you enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gloriousthingspodcast/message
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Episode 3 - Contemplative Prayer & God's Voice
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This week we get to hear some of Ashley's beautiful story as we discuss our discovery of contemplative prayer and the voice of God. Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons New episodes every month! gloriousthingspodcast.com Follow us on... twitter.com/pod_glorious facebook.com/gloriousthingspod instagram.com/gloriousthingspodcast/ --- Send in a vo…
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Episode 2 - Deconstruction, Questioning the Status Quo (and Purity Culture) and Some Shannon Stories
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We cover a myriad of subjects in this episode: Deconstruction (a word we never knew before we started this podcast), questioning things being taught, hearing God for ourselves (and doing what He said), some Shannon stories and Jesus as the center. Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons New episodes every month! gloriousthingspodcast.com Follow us…
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Episode 1 - The Trinity & Crucifixion and Why Adam Is Supposedly A Lot Stronger Than Jesus
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Our main questions this week are: Where was God when Jesus was on the cross (did he really abandon Jesus)? And why did Jesus have to die if we're all included in his love? So, just a couple of lighthearted questions to get this whole thing started! Hosted by Shannon Ruddy & Ashley Simmons New episodes every month! gloriousthingspodcast.com Follow u…
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A lot of us grew up in church. Some of us stayed in the church lifestyle and some of us have been on a different journey. No matter where you are now, I invite you to come with us as we explore what it means to know God for ourselves, outside of the dogmas and denominations we grew up in. What happens when we unpack the Christian beliefs we were ra…
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