#38 Leaving the Fundamentalist Church with Joe Smith

In this episode, we talk to Joe Smith. He describes himself as empathetic, having humor and being an advocate. Joe lives in the USA.Joe tells us about sitting on a comma with pulling apart from an earlier world view shaped by his faith of origin. When the political climate began influencing the practices of his church community, he began to audit his faith and experience deep feelings of despair and distortion; he started noticing the cracks. Joe shares how letting go of his beliefs created space for a new sense of belonging and love to emerge. Tune in to hear what Joe means when he says, “I was still trying to create the same fundamentalist structure”.You can find Joe on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealjoe.smith/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.smith.355 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealjoesmith “Shift Happens” Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-happens/id1689054326 Joe would like to acknowledge the following individuals, organizations and/or causes that matter to them and invite you to consider supporting them and/or sharing their messages:Pride Community Center of NCF: https://gainesvillepride.org  The Pride Community Center of North Central Florida offers safe spaces, resources, services and events to foster and enhance the well-being and visibility of LGBTQ+ people in North Central Florida.Equality Florida: https://www.eqfl.org  Equality Florida is Florida's statewide civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.Parenting with Pride https://parentingwithpride.org  Our goal is to empower the parents of Florida by offering tools such as monthly webinars, links to resources, and a direct connection to our support manager to get you the assistance you need for your child to grow and thrive.Shift Church: shiftgnv.com  We are open, loving, and inclusive. We also affirm that no matter your age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socio-economic background, or belief, you are welcome here, and celebrated just the way you are. If you are currently sitting on a comma and would like to explore how to get yourself moving again, check out my "Get Off Your Comma 5-Week Program". https://www.offthecomma.com/programs or book a complimentary call with me to talk! https://calendly.com/paulbriley/i-want-to-get-off-my-comma While we grow this podcast, you can learn more about me at www.offthecomma.com. All of my social media links, organizations I support and other ways to reach me can be found on my linktree at https://linktr.ee/paulbriley.My intention is to keep this channel ad-free and a safe container for uninterrupted storytelling. Donations are welcomed to help cover the costs of monthly editing and production fees only. Thank you!  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paul-briley/support Until next episode, keep noticing and keep listening!