The Artists - Former Jehovah's Witness Musicians - Witness Underground Podcast 23 (S02E03)

The Witness Underground Documentary Project:
https://WitnessUnderground.com
/Press & /Art pages are highlighted

Support these ExJW artists:
https://Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground


Links discussed and posted in the discussion:

Directors first documentary, "Hanoi Mixtape":
https://HanoiMixtape.com

ADD Chronicles - Oh The Crib!
The Directors album on Bandcamp:
https://add-chronicles.bandcamp.com/album/oh-the-crib

Dear Ike - Lost Letters to a Teen Idol Documentary:
https://pbs.org/show/dear-ike-lost-letters-teen-idol

This I Believe Essay:
https://thisibelieve.org/essay/34
"As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God."

Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean Carrol
https://a.co/d/iUcnu1L

The Big Picture by Sean Carrol
https://a.co/d/dYAN6l9

Welcome to this episode of our podcast, where we dive into the personal stories and experiences of the former Jehovah's Witness musicians featured in the film "Witness Underground". Our guests include Chad Rhiger, Eric Elvendahl, Ryan Sutter, and the film's director Scott Homan.

In this episode, we discuss why the artists in the film left the religion, and the exit path they recommend for others who may be in a similar situation. We also explore the Director's background with film and how it feels to release such a personal project to the public. Ryan shares how it feels to have his heavy series of stories captured in a movie.

The panel shares what they are all doing with music now, and where you can find their available music collections on WitnessUnderground.com. We also discuss how long it takes to shed the ExJW label and identity, and how each person has moved on from the former Jehovah's Witness identity that we were all suddenly swept into when we moved away from identifying as Witnesses. Birthdays still affect them in unexpected ways.

We explore what they believe now about life, after many years outside of the faith group the film is about, with a focus on poetic naturalism referencing Sean Carrol and Penn Jillette. The conversation is honest, thought-provoking, and filled with personal insights.

Join us for this engaging episode as we reflect on our past, present, and future as former Jehovah's Witnesses and musicians.