science

Recovering from Religion

Recovering from Religion is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Recovering from Religion rather than just read about it. In short: Recovering from Religion (RfR) is an international non-profit organization that helps people who have left religion, are in process of leaving, or are dealing with problems arising out of theistic doubt or non-belief. RfR provides support groups, telephone and chat helplines, an online peer support community, and online meetings for "people in their most urgent time of need".

Key takeaways

Recovering from Religion belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Recovering from Religion to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Recovering from Religion from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Recovering from Religion (RfR) is an international non-profit organization that helps people who have left religion, are in process of leaving, or are dealing with problems arising out of theistic doubt or non-belief. RfR provides support groups, telephone and chat helplines, an online peer support community, and online meetings for "people in their most urgent time of need". It is headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas.

History Recovering from Religion was founded in 2009 by Kansas-based atheist activist and psychologist Darrel Ray. RfR includes former Westboro Baptist Church member Nathan Phelps among its board of directors as an emeritus board member. In December 2011, RfR appointed Clergy Project member and former pastor Jerry DeWitt as its executive director. Sarah Morehead, once an evangelical Southern Baptist, was appointed its deputy executive director at the same time. DeWitt resigned in 2012 to pursue personal projects. Sarah Morehead was appointed executive director on January 1, 2013, and remained until October 25, 2015. Gayle Jordan was appointed executive director on January 7, 2016. In 2012, Recovering from Religion included over 100 local chapters scattered across the United States, each one meeting monthly, typically with 10 to 12 participants. By 2013, RfR announced fundraising for its Hotline Project, a toll free phone number featuring trained support agents, which was funded in a matter of weeks, as well as The Secular Therapist Project. In 2014, RfR offered online classes dubbed "Recovering Your Sexuality" for individuals working through the negative impact of religion on their sexual development and identity. In advance of the twelfth anniversary of RfR in April 2021, Darrel Ray was interviewed and provided an update on the organization. Ray said that RfR directs people to resources including therapy, but "The main thing is dealing with that immediate pain. In particular, from being shunned. The pain can be quite literal when a father beats a child because they don't believe anymore." Ray reported that RfR takes 300-500 chat and phone calls each month, and that there are 275 volunteers in 16 different time zones, and they have access to a library of online resources to provide to the clients.

Hotline Project RfR launched the Hotline Project on February 27, 2015, with former pastor Teresa MacBain serving as the director. According to MacBain, the hotline is a peer-support call center for people struggling with issues of faith, doubt, and nonbelief. The number in the US is 84 - I Doubt It (844-368-2848). The call agents are trained to offer support and resources without influencing the caller toward or away from any religious belief or lack of belief. "The greatest gift we offer those who call is compassion without judgement. Each person must walk their own path, we just want to be a 'shoulder to lean on' when needed." remarked Ms. MacBain in a speech given at the Gateway to Reason Conference. This service is a free 24/7 service run by volunteers. The Hotline Project was developed in response to the large volume of calls and e-mails that RfR receives daily from people who are seeking help and support in their time of doubt, and want to leave religion, but do not know to whom to turn or what to do next. The aim of the service provided by this hotline is not to lead callers away from religion, but to provide advice and support for those who struggle with their doubts. In an interview with The Christian Post, Sarah Morehead said: "It's not our place to do anything but encourage exploration and discovery, and to provide a solid support structure as people reconsider the role of religion in their lives". The service was updated in June 2017 offering more stream-lined technology and changed to the Helpline Project, offering not only a call line and chatline but also an online community. Christian apologist William Lane Craig has criticised the hotline for its perceived "attempt to portray [religion] in a negative way," claiming that it thereby supports atheism and ignores all contrary philosophical arguments. Morehead denies the claim, affirming that its responders do not promote "any form of belief or disbelief" and are "specifically trained to never debate callers under any circumstances."

The Secular Therapy Project

In 2012, Darrel Ray launched the "Secular Therapist Project" as part of RfR. It employed a website dedicated to connecting people seeking help with therapists who do not make use of religious beliefs in therapy. In September 2017, RfR updated the project's name to the Secular Therapy Project, and launched a brand new website and database.

RfR podcast The RfR podcast has had several format iterations. The most recent version is hosted by RfR online programming director, anthropologist Dr. Kara Griffin, a former Southern Baptist. These episodes consist of audio recordings adapted from the organization's weekly "RfRx Talks" in which RfR volunteers "talk to those who've been harmed by extreme religion and religious practices. You meet guests with personal experiences and insights in various religions and religious groups, including Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Scientology, religious activism, and more." A previous iteration of the podcast, begun in October 2018, was co-hosted by Tim Rymel and Bill Prickett. Guests included Lloyd Evans, Janja Lalich, John Smid, and Angela Soffe. Prior to 2018, the podcast was hosted by Scott Smith who, along with his wife, died on November 27, 2017, in a murder-suicide by Scott.

Ambassador program RfR has an "Ambassador program" whereby volunteers are trained to represent Recovering from Religion in their local communities as well as online. Volunteers must agree to "refrain from engaging in debate about religion or gods, and will instead encourage people to chat, phone, visit our Resources, or join one [of] our local Support Groups."

See also American Atheists Atheist Alliance International Freedom From Religion Foundation List of secularist organizations Rebecca Hensler (Grief Beyond Belief founder) Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science Secular Coalition for America Secular Student Alliance Sunday Assembly The Clergy Project

References

External links Official website RfR support groups The Secular Therapy Project RfR on YouTube RfR blog

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Recovering from Religion

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Recovering from Religion claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Recovering from Religion before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Recovering from Religion ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Recovering from Religion

In research: Recovering from Religion appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Recovering from Religion in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Recovering from Religion is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Agnosticism, Atheism in the United States, Atheist organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Recovering from Religion outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Recovering from Religion in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Recovering from Religion means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Recovering from Religion out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Recovering from Religion in simple terms?

Why does Recovering from Religion matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Recovering from Religion?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Recovering from Religion.