Welcome to Talk Heathen, the show where we take your calls and questions, whether you're deep in the pews or halfway out the door.

I'm Christy Powell, American-born and evangelical raised, and today I'm excited to explore the outsider perspective of my new friend John the skeptic.

There's a weirdly intense relationship America has with religion, especially compared to other Western nations.

In much of Europe, in the Western world, religion compared to other Western nations.

In much of Europe, in the Western world, religion tends to fade quietly into the background,

more cultural artifact than daily compass.

Meanwhile, here in the States, religion isn't just a private belief, it's a political platform,

a moral identity, and a tribal litmus test.

It shows up in our pledges, on our money, and in our laws.

It tells adults who they can marry, and here in Texas, it now tells our kids what they

can learn.

And if you've left religion, you've probably felt how isolating that can be.

Because here, not believing, let alone objecting to religion, isn't

just odd. It's suspicious. Like, what do you mean you don't go to church? How do you even know

what's right or wrong? Look at the trees. In other countries, being non-religious is becoming

increasingly normal. But in America, even ask these questions can still feel pretty

rebellious. So today, as we open up the lines and we dig into the tough stuff, maybe a little

theology, maybe a little trauma, I just want to acknowledge that if you're here, if you're questioning,

if you're working through what you were taught to believe, you are not alone.

You are not broken.

You are not a danger to society.

You're doing something brave and deeply human.

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