Doug Traversa: Atheist Minister

This week’s guest is Doug. Doug became interested in church when he was in junior high, and when Doug is in, he’s all in. He was a believer throughout high school, college and into the military. But then books and magazines happened. Doug began reading more “skeptical literature,” and the questions began. Doug’s faith unraveled while he was “an atheist in a foxhole,” but faith in the supernatural was unnecessary. He needed his own strength, and the strength of the people around him. He has since been an atheist pastor, finding the human connection he and his wife needed, without changing their beliefs or forsaking their values. As Brene Brown says, “We are hardwired to connect with others,” and Christianity has no longer cornered the marked on community and belonging. Links Unitarian Universalist Church of Tullahoma
https://tullahomauu.org/index.html Doug’s Short story “The Faith I Left Behind” is in the book, The Sandbox: Dispatches from Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
https://amzn.to/3RYrHaZ Interact For quotes, recommendations and more see the full episode show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/09/11/doug-traversa-atheist-minister/ Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversionSecular Grace
https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/Deconversion
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/Deconstruction
https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats
https://makaihbeats.net/