• DEPROGRAMMING CHRISTIANITY •
A free 90-minute Workshop for deconstructing faith & setting oneself free by Josh Gaines.
Module 1: Breaking Free from Religious Conditioning
Module One Questions:
1. Your Religious Programming:
What are some of the core beliefs or teachings from your religious upbringing that no longer resonate with you at this moment? How did you come to question them?
Were there any particular events, interactions or discoveries that caused you to start questioning them?
2. Spirituality outside of Religion:
Have you ever had experiences that felt mystical, unexplainable, or transcendent outside of a religious framework?
How do you interpret those moments now?
3. Deconstructing Beliefs:
What emotions come up when you think about letting go of certain religious beliefs?
Are you worried there will be consequences, punishment or that you will be in danger for letting go of these beliefs?
4. Rebuilding Your Perspective:
If you were to define your own personal philosophy or spirituality as it stands right now, what does that look like?
5. Embracing the Unknown:
How comfortable are you with uncertainty when it comes to questions about existence, consciousness, or the universe?
Suggestion: What if, just for the duration of this workshop, you pretended that you are not yourself, but instead try imagining that you are a brand new custom character of your own making in a video game. Get imaginative, see this character in the highest level of detail and specificity that you can. Make it exactly how you want, a character whose body you would love to be in. Life itself is the video game, and this workshop is just one way to play it. Pretend your character has zero preconceived notions about the world. They have not yet been told anything about how this game works, and they’re free to play and wander around asking questions and explore the unknown with a sense of wonder and curiosity rather than fear. Your character is completely and utterly safe in every way because it knows it is just playing a game. Imagine that your character has never felt fear before, and doesn’t even know what fear is. The bright, colorful, fascinating world of this game your character is exploring does not contain one single thing that can harm them. Your character is here to be curious and have fun.
Module 2: Fear of God, Fear of Hell
Module Two Questions:
1. Unraveling Fear and Judgment:
Reflect on the ways your childhood environment shaped your beliefs regarding sin, judgment, and divine punishment. How did these fears affect your self-perception and daily life?
If you grew up fearing god’s punishment, hell, or other religious consequences, how does that fear still show up in your life today?
Were there any specific teachings, stories, or warnings that deeply impacted you? Has your perspective on those ideas changed over time?
2. The Weight of Responsibility
Was there ever a time when you felt responsible for someone else’s spiritual or moral well-being? How did that responsibility affect you, and how do you view it now?
Describe a time when you felt like you were being punished directly by god. How do you see this moment now?
Note: If any part of you is feeling scared or nervous about god’s judgment or punishment for taking this workshop right now, or for exploring these ideas in general, return to that idea of yourself as a video game character. At least for the duration of this course, your character has the GOD MODE Cheat turned on (irony noted, haha). You’re invincible! Your character can’t get hurt! It can run around on spikes and walk through lava, and, whoa—you take no damage. No matter what you do, your spiritual Health bar is at 100%. The game we’re playing wouldn’t hurt you or take one of your lives while you’re gathering information. You’re still just figuring out how to play, and the game isn’t gonna punish you for going through the Tutorial.
Module 3: Gods, Deities & the Imagination
Module Three Questions:
“The one place gods inarguably exist is in our minds where they are real beyond refute, in all their grandeur and monstrosity.” Alan Moore
1. The Reality of Gods:
Reflect on Alan Moore’s quote. How does this perspective change or reinforce the way you view the concept of gods, spirituality, or religious belief?
2. Curiosity vs. Fear:
When you were deeply immersed in religion, were there spiritual ideas, figures, or practices from other traditions that intrigued you, but felt off-limits?
Now that you are in a more open place, is there anything you’re curious to explore further?
3. The Power of Imagination in Shaping Reality:
Your beliefs about yourself and the world have a direct impact on your lived experience. How did your religious upbringing shape your sense of your own self-worth and potential?
What were some negative beliefs you had about yourself growing up, or that you still have now?
4. Experimenting with a New Mindset:
Consider the idea that, "the universe is conspiring to show me a good time." If you chose to live from a mindset of curiosity, playfulness, and freedom instead of guilt, fear, or limitation, what shifts could you start to make?
What is even one small step you could take this week to embody this new way of thinking? Be realistic with yourself and choose something simple enough that you will actually do it.
Remember: Be patient and kind with yourself during this process. We’re making major changes to your patterns of thinking and these mental overhauls take time to set in. If you struggle with remembering things or want to keep these new practices fresh in your mind, consider setting a repeating reminder in your phone, something that notifies you daily or at certain hour intervals. Statements like, “Instead of being worried, I trust that everything is okay,” or “I give myself permission to have fun and enjoy myself.”
Module 4: Church Leaders & Religious Texts
Module Four Questions:
1. The Influence of Church Leaders:
Think about your pastors, teachers or other religious-adjacent authority figures from your past. Were there any that you saw as sincere, and others you later recognized as manipulative?
How do you now view the role they played in shaping your understanding of truth?
2. Anger, Healing, and Empathy:
If you still hold anger or resentment toward religious institutions or people from your past for the mental, emotional or physical damage that was done to you, take a moment to explore those feelings.
What would it take for you to release some of that anger? Is there anything you can do to process it, acknowledge it, and move it out of your system?
3. Rewriting Your Narrative:
If you could rewrite the story of your life, replacing past programming with new, self-chosen beliefs, what would you want to believe?
How would those beliefs shape the way you move through the world today?
4. The Power of Stories:
Consider the idea that some of the stories in the Bible may have originated from personal mystical or psychedelic experiences. Consider that some of the authors may have had mental health issues, having a manic episode or been in a state of full psychosis. Consider even that some of the authors may have had a legitimate experience with a spiritual entity, but that the message they received may have been just for them individually, for their specific community, or been applicable only to one culture of people for a temporary period of time—not a universal truth applicable to all humans for the rest of time.
Does thinking of Scripture this way reframe the way you look at the stories that you were once told were literally, historically true?
Module 5: Sacred Texts & Meditation:
Module Five Questions:
1. Sacredness in Everything: Consider the possibility that all things are divine, that the essence of “god” exists in everything, even inanimate objects.
How does it feel to view the world this way?
Try applying this lens to something mundane in your daily life. Does anything shift in your perception?
2. The Role of Synchronicity: Think about moments in your life that felt divinely-timed, whether you met a certain person and it felt like destiny, or had a specific experience at exactly the right time that changed everything from that moment forward.
Do you believe in synchronicity? Why or why not? Write down any moments you’ve experienced that felt too orchestrated to have been random.
Some moments like this may have had a negative impact on you, like meeting someone that led to a toxic relationship or experiencing a terrible accident or injury that felt like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Even if an experience was challenging or difficult, did you learn, grow and evolve for having gone through it?
When you hear the word "meditation," what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
3. Meditation as a Spiritual Practice:
Have you ever tried meditation before? If not, what’s been your biggest hesitation?
On a scale from 1 to 10, how open are you to trying meditation as a tool for self-discovery and inner peace?
If you could experience even one benefit from meditation instantly, what would it be? (stress relief, mental clarity, emotional balance, deeper relationship to self, spiritual connection, etc.)
Module 6: There is No Sin & You Are God:
Module Six Questions:
1. Redefining Sin:
Think about something you were once taught was sinful or wrong. Do you still believe that? Why or why not?
If you could release the fear or guilt around this action, how would that change your sense of freedom and self-acceptance?
2. The Kingdom Within:
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” What does that mean to you personally?
If you fully embraced the idea that divinity exists within you—not outside of you—how would that change the way you see yourself and your life?
3. Authority and Belief:
Who or what has shaped your beliefs about morality, right and wrong, sin, and punishment? Were these beliefs given to you by family, religion, culture, or personal experience?
Which of these beliefs still serve you, and which feel like shackles you are ready to break free from?
4. Living Beyond Judgment:
If you stopped judging yourself altogether—if you truly saw every action you’ve ever taken as an experience of divine consciousness—how would that change your relationship with guilt and shame? Would you make different choices? How would this shift impact the way you view and treat others?
Module 7: Reclaiming Sexuality After Religion
Module Seven Questions:
Important Note: Allow yourself to write freely and openly—do not censor yourself!! These notes are for YOU and no one else, so keep them private if you need to, but be bravely, vulnerably honest with yourself. On this topic more than any other, do not hold back.
1. What messages about sex and purity were you taught growing up? How did they shape your beliefs, behaviors, or sense of self?
2. Have you ever felt guilt or shame around your sexuality because of religious teachings? Where do you think that shame comes from, and how can you begin to release it?
3. What does a healthy, liberated view of sexuality look like to you? How does it differ from what you were taught?
4. If you could rewrite the narrative around sex and spirituality, what would it include? How can sexuality be sacred and affirming rather than shame-based?
5. What steps can you take to reclaim your body, desires, and pleasure as something natural, beautiful, and worthy of respect?
Module 8: Dealing with Pushback & Setting Yourself Free:
Module Eight Questions:
1. Redefining Morality & Ethics:
Many of our ideas about right and wrong were inherited rather than consciously chosen. What moral or ethical "rules" do you still follow that may not be in alignment with your truest self?
How do you determine what is truly "right" for you?
2. The Open-World Game of Life:
If this life were an open-world video game where you can pretend that there are no rules, what would you do differently starting today?
How would you approach relationships, career, spirituality, or self-expression with this new mindset?
3. Embracing Your Personal Truth:
Is there anything about yourself that you've been afraid to fully accept or express?
What is holding you back from stepping into that truth, and what steps can you take to embrace it more openly?
Congratulations, you are now more free than ever before. There was never a threat of hell, never a threat of wrath, there was never any judge except YOU, disguised as concepts that were programmed into you by others along with the mask of an imaginary deity. It might still take some time for those old patterns to unwind from your thinking, and that’s okay. These ideas were deeply embedded in you and it’s an ongoing process of letting them go, but you’re already much farther now than when you began this journey with me.
You are the hero of your own story, and you had to walk through all of the steps and challenges that came before in order to arrive at who you are now. It’s okay to acknowledge the hardship and grieve the time you spent under a delusion that you no longer identify with. But be sure to also celebrate the fact that you cared enough about your own wellbeing that you have done this hard work to redefine yourself, to unlock your true nature, and to set yourself free.
Now the question is: How free can you truly be? That is something only you can answer, and that only you can prove to yourself by doing it. Keep going toward what feels most exciting, what feels most joyful and true, what really lights you up inside. THAT light is the spark of god within you. It is the pureness of Divinity that you already are pointing you to your calling in this life. When you move towards it, the Universe constellates around that idea and comes to your aid.
“There are infinite paths to god, so long as you keep walking, dear child.” -Sri Ramakrishna