Name: Finding Authentic Faith After Leaving a Cult | Bob Scott | Episode 435
Uploaded: 2025-10-03T12:20:41+00:00
Duration: 1 h 11 min 8 s
Description: John and Bob reflect on the painful journey of leaving high-control religious groups and the struggle to find authentic faith afterward. They open up about grief, trauma, and the challenge of rebuildi

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John and Bob reflect on the painful journey of leaving high-control religious groups and the struggle to find authentic faith afterward. They open up about grief, trauma, and the challenge of rebuilding belief after encountering a false image of God. Their discussion highlights how many survivors develop “spiritual scar tissue,” making them hypersensitive to control, manipulation, and inauthenticity in new church settings.

Together, they outline what to look for when searching for a healthy community: authenticity over image, relationships over numbers, peacemakers over narcissistic leaders, and a willingness to embrace questions without fear. Both hosts emphasize that faith after disillusionment is not about urgent theological perfection but about finding authentic relationships, honest dialogue, and the freedom to explore belief with fresh eyes.

00:00 Introduction
00:31 John recalls his first YouTube channel and exposing false teachings
02:59 Discovering the false Jesus taught in cults vs. the Bible
05:23 Why many survivors can’t hear the name “Jesus” again right away
06:29 Bob shares about his mother’s passing and lessons from grief
09:01 Hospice wisdom: regrets about relationships and dying well
13:12 The struggle to find an authentic church experience
15:09 John’s advice: don’t pick one church—explore and take notes
20:12 Values shift across life stages and family needs
23:05 The problem of authenticity vs. church growth models
26:36 Scar tissue and walking out of triggering church services
32:01 John’s experiences with controlling churches after leaving the cult
36:42 Struggling with anger-based portrayals of God
38:55 Narcissism and control within ex-cult support groups
40:01 The “Etch-A-Sketch” moment: clearing false foundations
42:09 Bob recalls the “wannabe apostles” of Kansas City
48:24 Authenticity, brokenness, and why bars feel more real than churches
53:58 Communion, foot washing, and what healthy community looks like
57:27 Pastors on pedestals vs. servant leadership
1:00:01 Embracing disillusionment as childlike rediscovery
1:04:03 The mercy of God in disillusionment and rejecting empty religion