Episode Summary
Maggie’s story of religion and deconstruction began when her parents became born-again Christians through a Billy Graham crusade. Growing up in purity culture, she was taught to view her body as the enemy and excelled at playing the ‘good Christian girl.’ Healing, she emphasizes, is an ever-evolving process. Reflecting back, she sees her relationship with God was rooted in fear. Her church loved redemption stories, highlighting the irony of a hierarchy of sin. Learning more about the Bible led Maggie to leave the church, a jarring experience that felt like losing everything she knew and believed in.
As she deconstructed, her relationship with God ended, but she discovered self-trust. Maggie found community online with others navigating deconstruction, sharing its highs and lows. Her spirituality has since evolved, and she now has new things that bring her joy and peace. She also offers some advice and encouragement to those starting their own deconstruction journey.
My Thoughts
Maggie is an absolute delight!
She is one of my favourite voices in this space – because she is SO real and honest about who she is, how hard and yet how liberating deconstruction can be. She offers so much encouragement and hope to those who have loved and left the church.
I am so thankful that I have connected with her on this ever-winding path of deconstruction and religious trauma.
More About Maggie
Maggie runs the Instagram account @hello_deconstructionists and the host of the Hello Deconstructionists podcast, where she is building community post evangelicalism. She is a religious trauma survivor and a dedicated therapy client where she’s working hard to understand who she is outside of religion. Her goal is to share parts of her own story and bring other survivors together to help them know they’re not alone on their deconstruction journey.
Connect With Us
- To connect with Maggie over on Instagram – @hello_deconstructionists
- To listen to Hello Deconstructionists on Spotify
- To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
- Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.