The Unlearning Curve

7 - Understanding the Brain

7 – Understanding the Brain
 In this episode, we attempt to broaden our knowledge with a basic understanding of the brain. When we understand more of how the brain responds to circumstances in our life and what is really going on behind the scenes, we may be able to address our mental health and understand the way we are a little better.
Resources Mentioned
Mike McHargue – Science Mike – “Your Brain is a Burrito, and Why it Matters” (in his book, “You are a Miracle and a Pain in the Ass” - chapter 2”)
Mike McHargue Play-Doh model: https://youtu.be/Z9iTdbnyPP0
Dan Seigel explanation of the brain  https://youtu.be/f-m2YcdMdFw
 
 
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

6 - Barbie's Revenge on Greg Locke

6 – Barbie Gets Revenge on Greg Locke
 After some reflection, I want to suggest that it wasn’t God who destroyed the makeshift home of Global Vision or even the County he resides in that continually has to battle the hate preacher because of noise and parking issues. Even though the insurance company (if there is one) would probably attribute the collapse to an “act of God,” I have another suspect in mind.
Most people will remember that last fall, the hate-filled preacher smashed a Barbie House on stage with a Bible taped to a baseball bat. So, it's probably not God that brought the house down on Monday...I think it was Barbie! Barbie Gets Revenge on Greg Locke!
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

5 - Alpha Male Grifters

5 – Alpha Male Grifters
I was greatly influenced by men like John Eldridge, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, and the Duck Dynasty characters. I now realize these men are grifters who realize men have something primal in them left over from their evolution. The men who followed these guys are vulnerable and have a root-brain inclination to be alpha males.
The trouble with this line of thinking is that most other animals also feel this need to respond to crisis and to live their lives in this crisis mode of imagining a demon around every corner and a predator just waiting to attack their family. This thinking doesn't consider that the rare occasion that that type of man would be required is rare, and it's most likely another alpha male with low self-esteem like themselves that is threatening them. Since they are mostly Christian, they should remember that Jesus was not an alpha male and used his higher brain to imagine better ways of dealing with the world's dangers by offering an alternative solution.
Like anything, it's about fear and control. These men have yet to realize that we never really control the world, and our fear motivates us, not the wisest part of ourselves. We may have needed that approach when living in caves and dealing directly with wild animals, but not now. The men who peddle fear are usually selling something else, like the $18,000 Alpha Male boot camps that are becoming popular and the NRA narrative, supported by gun manufacturers.
The Podcast 
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
 
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

4 - Unlearning - What are We Discovering?

Unlearning - What are we Discovering?
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com 
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations* Our Mental Well-Being* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor who currently podcasts and blogs at the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). Additionally, you can also see our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

3 - Mental Health Moment - What is Trauma?

What is Trauma?
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
The Podcast
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations* Our Mental Well-Being* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

2 - Cults & Toxic Systems - The Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention.
The basic complaint against them is that they keep doubling down on things like racism, misogyny, and toxic beliefs and practices. Noted especially is their defiance of critical race theory, their executive board cover-up of sexual abuse, and their deference to the autonomy of their churches when bad things happen but enforcing their will on their congregation when it suits them.
Links consulted
https://youtu.be/KWhx3ZiAjzA?si=ejWcjfo8WfTOyVDj
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/06/07/7-facts-about-southern-baptists/
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/02/1102621352/how-the-southern-baptist-convention-covered-up-its-widespread-sexual-abuse-scand
https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/on-critical-race-theory-and-intersectionality/
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2020/12/charlie-dates-ralph-west-southern-baptist-sbc-crt/
https://youtu.be/uaUFKeZeYHo?si=05v_mST7dwg8HhUn
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
The Podcast
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations* Our Mental Well-Being* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.
 

1 - Deconstructing the Sovereignty of God

Copyright © 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
In this episode, we introduce ourselves and share a clip from Tony Lambert, pastor of Picayune First Baptist Church in Mississippi. The clip comes from Facebook, which also has a link to the entire message.
For this discussion, Tony is an example of what most SBC pastors would understand and proclaim. In the next episode, we will discuss our feelings about that group in more detail.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com 
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations* Our Mental Well-Being* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor who currently podcasts and blogs at the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to send your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.