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434 – Melissa Duge Spiers – Holy Disobedience

Shownote

“Holy Disobedience is a visceral portrayal of a daughter’s quest for the dark truth beneath the religious veneer of forced beauty and familial cover-ups. Spiers’s writing is propulsive and intelligent.” -Tia Levings, author of the New York Times bestsellin...

Highlights

Melissa Duge Spiers shares her harrowing journey of growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist church, a community she describes as cult-like, and the painful deconstruction that followed. Her story takes a dark turn when she uncovers a devastating family secret that forces her to confront the systemic failures of the institution she once trusted.
00:00
Holy Disobedience discusses her upbringing in the Seventh-day Adventist church.
06:26
Systemic cover-up of child sex abuse in the church
19:27
Repression leads to abuse.
26:14
The church prioritizes saving predators' souls over protecting victims.
42:01
Leaving religion didn't automatically heal everything

Chapters

Growing Up in a Cult-Like Church and the Long Road to Deconstruction
00:00
The Forced Deconstruction: Discovering My Father Was a Serial Predator
06:26
Why the Church's Obsession with Sex Led Me to Question Everything
16:04
The Church's Betrayal: Prioritizing Predators' Souls Over Victims' Safety
26:14
Healing from High-Control Religion: A Lifelong Journey Beyond Purity Culture
35:26

Transcript

Melissa Duge Spiers: Welcome to the Desert Sanctuary with Karl and Laura Forehand. Karl Forehand: Often, when we have doubts about religion or simply want to ask questions, it can feel like we are wandering out into the desert. Laura Forehand: We would l...