Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations.

Listener discretion is advised. My name is Eric Skrinski. As a former religious fundamentalist,

I'm shedding light on the dark side of the church, from the pulpit to the pews. But I'm not

doing it alone. Each week, I'm sitting down with survivors,

advocates, authors, and more to uncover the inner workings of these abusive religious groups

to give tactical tips on how to escape and to find out what we can do to take them down.

You're listening to the Bridge Boys podcast. Today's guest is Hannah St. George. When I first

connected with Hannah to discuss recording an episode for the podcast, we ended up talking for

about an hour and a half on the phone, and it quickly became apparent to me that there was

far too much to cover in just one episode or even two. We've ultimately ended up collaborating

on several different episodes

that go into great detail, both about our tumultuous home life and the horrific abuses

connected to Bible Baptist Church of Fairbanks, Alaska. This first episode is one of the longest

and hardest conversations that I've shared on the podcast to date, but I think every single minute

demands to be heard. This is Hannah's story. Hannah was born and raised in the independent

Fundamental Baptist Movement, or IFB. Her story is one of resilience in the face of religious,

familial, and social pressures that shaped her childhood in profound ways. Her parents moved to Alaska

in the 1970s, seeking a fresh start. They were young when they married. Her mother was around

17 or 18, and her father was in his mid to late 20s. They arrived in Alaska with almost nothing,

and her father took a job with the Department of Forestry in Chicken, Alaska. But life had other plans.

A medical emergency involving Hannah's mother forced them to relocate, setting them on a path

that would eventually lead them into an IFB community. My mom was pregnant with my older sister

...