Sinner or Saint: Will Retherford on Navigating Religious Waters

A Little Bit Culty

Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames

Education, Society & Culture

4.6 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2023

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is sponsored by Better Help.

There’s certainly no shortage of groups that are A Little Bit Culty. That said, there are some major differences between cults and organized religions, and it’s worth remembering that not ALL religion is bad, per se.

Our very own producer and editor, Will Retherford of Citizens of Sound, grew up in the Evangelical Church, specifically the Word of Faith movement, and even ventured off to countless missionary campaigns across the globe to spread the good word. He became a worship leader, was on his way to become a priest, and was committed to all things Jesus Christ until he realized that, perhaps, his entire life was built around something he wasn’t sure he actually believed in.

In today’s episode, Will discusses his time in the church, navigating through toxic groups, leaders and doctrine, his deconstruction, and how he feels about religion today.

Follow Will Retherford on Instagram and Citizens of Sound.

Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

Also…

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The views and opinions expressed by a little bit cultier, those are the hosts,
0:03.4	and don't reflect the official policy or position of the podcast.
0:06.6	Any of the, quote, fire content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors, or authors
0:11.5	or the opinion and are not intended to malign a religion, a group, a club, an organization,
0:17.3	business individual, anyone or anything, unless they're...
0:20.2	You're a douchebag, huh?
0:21.2	We're not doctors, psychologists, therapists, licensed counselors, or shamans,
0:25.6	even though you kind of think you are sometimes.
0:27.3	I'm like an urban shaman, okay?
0:29.1	Good talk.
0:39.3	Hey everybody, Sarah Edmonds in here.
0:41.7	And I'm Anthony Ames, aka Nippy, Sarah's husband, and you're listening to a little bit
0:47.2	cultier.
0:48.0	AKA a LBC.
0:49.7	A podcast about what happens when devotion goes to the dark side.
0:53.1	We've been there, and back again, a little about us, true story, we met and fell in love in a cult.
0:59.2	And then we woke up and got the hell out of dodge.
1:01.6	And the whole thing was captured in the HBO documentary series The Vow, now in its second season.
1:06.9	I also wrote about our experience in my memoir, Scarred, the true story of how I escaped
1:11.7	next to him, the cult that bound my life.
1:13.8	Look at us, couple of married podcasters who just happen to have a weekly date night.
1:18.4	Are we interview experts and advocates and things like cult awareness and mind control?
	...

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