Join us for our next First Sunday meeting of the Lake Superior Freethinkers!
Sunday, May 4th
Presentation at 10 am.
We are delighted to welcome:
Arielle Lee and Alicia Joel
presenting
“Religious Trauma: A Conversation“
Alicia and Arielle will each share their personal stories growing up in constrictive religious households with emotionally destructive belief systems and will share their journeys coming out of it into healthier ways of thinking, being, and living. They each had a different response to this upbringing: one, the good compliant child taking on multiple layers of shame, and the other, the rebel, who questioned and resisted the belief system as a young child at every turn.
At the end of their talk, there will be time for questions and personal sharing. Alicia will also touch on the religious trauma support group that she started leading in January.
Arielle Lee:
Arielle Lee stands strong as a voice against Christian extremism, having educated herself on the practices of Christian nationalist organizations for decades, and surviving a childhood directly impacted by their practices. She was raised under the practices of James Dobson of Focus on the Family, the organization behind the Heritage Foundation and the authors of Project 2025. By the age of 18, Arielle had bounced between homeschool, Christian boarding school, and several denominations of Christian day school in addition to being forced to attend multiple different denominations of Christian churches. When Arielle isn’t fighting Christian nationalism, you can find her working in local theater and as a photographer, focused on community building, or doting on her two delightful corgis as an avid animal lover.
Alicia Joel:
Alicia Joel is a trauma conscious yoga guide, cuddle therapist, body worker, and Sacred Counsel Guide. She facilitates gatherings for people to explore connection to themselves and others and provides safe spaces for marginalized people including those in the queer, trans, neurodivergent, and ethically non-monogamous communities. Her goal is to bring more connection, understanding, and wholeness to the world.
Lake Superior Freethinkers 