Episode 157 Cheri Jamison

Everyone's Agnostic Podcast

Cass Midgley interviews Cheri Jamison. Cheri grew up in Self-Realization Fellowship (founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920), a sort of blend of Christianity and Hinduism, and went through a very painful transition out of it around 2007. She faced a rude awakening regarding her naive ambitions about SRF while taking a religious studies class in college. She went on to earn a Masters in Spiritual Psychology in 2014. She was able to let go of feeling "stuck in limbo" between her loyalty issues with SRF and fully embracing what was true for her today as an adult. Today, she is an ordained minister MSIA-- which is "The Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness," founded by John-Roger.

Inspired by my own deep healing work, Cheri created a 5-week group program called "Religion of Origin Healing," which helps others make peace with their own spiritual journey and honestly examine any tenets they may have inherited that no longer serve them.

Now, as a warning, this episode is 1) without Bob; he was still on vacation when I taped it, and 2) Cheri is what some would call woo-woo. She meditates, in fact, her mother taught her how to meditate at age 2, and she's active in Unity Church in Kansas City. You may remember Unity was a church that was part of my journey, where the Bible is their main text, but an extremely open and liberal approach to spirituality. I'm just saying that it may not be anti-theist enough for you, if that's what floats your boat, however, Cheri is a smart, honest, mature, emotionally intelligent person who has, like most of us, picked her beliefs wisely and with personal agency in tact. She earned my respect during this conversation, even though my inner-skeptic was a bit irritated at first, as you'll see. We're very honest with each other and she stays in the ring strong and confident. I think you're gonna like this talk, I wouldn't have published it if I didn't think it had value.

We taped this conversation on June 10th, 2017. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Our show is available on most podcast platforms. Also, you can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge one dollar per episode through Patreon; that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. The smallest contribution is greatly appreciated.

Credits:"Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack JohnsonThe segue music is on this episode was created by Top Shelf Sounds on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItAIPJuk4I

Thanks for listening and be a yes-sayer to what is.

http://www.cherijamison.com/

You can continue this conversation with her about your own "religion of origin healing" by writing [e-mail]