96: "It's the same fight regardless" - Ex-Mormon writer Coral Sands - Sentientism

Coral is an aspiring writer, an animal rescue volunteer/donor & runs a bunny boarding & grooming business. She is an ex-Mormon atheist & a "meat & potatoes girl" turned vegan. Find Coral & her content at: @atheist_vegan, & wattpad.com/user/VCoralSandsV & inkitt.com/veganatheist & on YouTube.

In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”

Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.

We discuss:

00:00 Welcome & why Sentientism is important

02:39 "Vegan Atheist Coral"'s Intro

- A Mormon, military family

- Joining the Coastguard

- From "A meat & potatoes girl" to vegan & animal rescue

- From religious to "spiritual" to agnostic/atheist

- #JoinTheConversation & Street Epistemology

- Stories with morals. Star Trek

11:55 What's Real?

- Growing up Mormon (yet another "one true church")

- "It encompasses every bit of your life"

- 4 hours in church then 2 more in "school" every Sunday

- "Most of my childhood I felt like I was in church"

- Strong emphasis on family, but "very good at shunning" if you don't believe

- Internal self-pressure: "You're constantly measuring yourself against what you think Jesus would want you to do"

- Joseph Smith & the golden plates

- The old & new Bible testaments superceded by The Book of Mormon

- The trinity, creationism, proselytising

- Fundamentalist & progressive Mormons

- Managing the public perception of Mormonism (e.g. modesty dress codes)

- Sending children on missions. Isolating from families & friends to reinforce church teachings

- "The other people you're on the mission with are almost snitches"

- Church sees friends & even own parents as potential threats

- Pressured to speak to elders about doubts "testimony" as long as they're resolved in favour of the church

- Moving from the west coast to Alabama. Culture shock

- Growing up with a naievety about race & racism

- The shock of a new school "We pray here"

- "I go to the one true church & they're all wrong"

- Parents drifting away from the church due to accusations about a minister

- Studying other religions... "there has to be an ultimate truth"

- Some family are still Mormon

- Asking "what do we know & how do we know?", exploring philosophy (brain in a vat, The Matrix), re-evaluating "the god question"

...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info and on YouTube.

Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form.

Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!

Thanks Graham.