Mike McHargue is known online as "Science Mike.” He regularly brings an intellectual yet approachable voice to both science and religion as the host of his podcast Ask Science Mike and as the co-host with Michael Gungor on the podcast The Liturgists. Mike released a book last year called Finding God in the Waves, a memoir about his journey from Christianity to atheism and the unusual events that led him back to God. I read his book in one sitting, I couldn’t tear myself away.
Finding God in the Waves by Mike McHargue
We’re closing the religion series on this story of LOSING one’s faith, something that rarely gets talked about candidly. In the last five episodes, we’ve explored growing up in a certain tradition and converting to a religion out of deep conviction. But what happens when you decide you don’t believe anymore? Often the stakes are too high to be honest about your doubts. Science Mike is making this conversation mainstream.
This conversation with Science Mike about the two years he spent as an atheist is probably the episode that resonates the deepest with me in this series. A lot of people ignore or lock away their religious doubts, our lives are too entangled to rock the boat. It's good to hear someone be really honest about the problems they have with a faith they love.
Two books that Mike recommends that have made an impact on his life:
How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman
Payoff: The Hidden Logic that Shapes our Motivations by Dan Ariely
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This is the last formal episode in the religion series. We'll do a short wrap up show next week and then we're switching topics entirely! As always, email subscribers will be the first to know about our new shows. Sign up below to be on this list: