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July 9, 2025 62 mins

Cynane Shay - Tinfoil Hats & Lizard People PART ONE
DIVORCED: Christianity

Cynane Shay is a nuclear engineer living in South Carolina. Her childhood in White Christian Nationalism normalized conspiracy theories like Obama Birtherism and the Biblical apocalypse; but 2020, with COVID and Qanon, finally made her realize something was deeply wrong.

Now Cynane is writing a book, “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat: How Lizard People and Space Lasers Dismantled my Christian Worldview,” to process the deconstruction of her fundamentalist evangelical faith and her propagandistic patriotism. 
Losing loved ones to the pandemic was a tragedy, but losing loved ones to the rabbit hole was its own tragedy that left too many of us with unresolved trauma and unanswered questions. So from Flat Earth to the IBLP cult to Jewish space lasers, Cynane pulled the thread, cracked her faith, and found the inseparable link between cults, conspiracy theories, and American White Christian Nationalism. 

FIND CYNANE: More information, EXvangelical reading recommendations, and social media links are found on her website: www.TakingOffTheTinfoilHat.com

FIND JANICE:

Janice Selbie's Best-selling book Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook is now available in the USA:

Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DP78TZZF

 and CANADA 

Amazon
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DP78TZZF

Recordings are available for the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture conference 2025! Get your Resource Ticket now: 

https://www.shamelesssexuality.org/ 

Religious Trauma Survivor Support Group is happening on Tuesdays at 5pm Pacific and Thursdays at 6pm Eastern (starting April 17). Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with others for healing and support: 

https://www.divorcing-religion.com/services 

Need help on your journey of healing from Religious Trauma? Book a free 20-minute consultation with Janice here: 

https://www.divorcing-religion.com/services

Follow Janice and Divorcing Religion on Social Media:

Threads: Wisecounsellor@threads.net

BlueSky: @janiceselbie.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivorcingReligion

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@janiceselbie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisecounsellor/

Subscribe to the audio-only version here: 

https://www.divorcing-religion.com/religious-trauma-podcast

 The Divorcing Religion Podcast is for entertainment purposes only. If you need help with your mental health, please consult a qualified, secular mental health clinician.

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