🎙️ Episode 6: How To Make Sense of Scripture After Religion

What do you do with the Bible after you leave the faith you were raised in?

In this honest and wide-ranging episode, James explores six ways people relate to scripture after religion—whether they still read it, reject it, reinterpret it, or wrestle with all of the above.

If the Bible shaped your beliefs, identity, and worldview, it can be hard to know how (or if) it still fits. This episode doesn’t give you one right answer—it gives you permission to be wherever you are.

We’ll talk about:

• Why literal belief can lead to real harm
• The appeal (and limits) of “just give me Jesus”
• How metaphors can heal—but also hide things
• The freedom of saying “I don’t know”
• What it means to walk away without shame
• And why most of us end up with a mix of all six

This is for anyone who’s ever asked: Can I still find meaning in a book that once wounded me?

And maybe more importantly: Do I have to figure that out today?

🌀 You’re still growing. 🌱 You’re still sacred. 🔥 You’re still free.

🎙️ Episode 5: What Comes After—and Why Joy Can’t Wait

What happens when we stop treating this life like a waiting room?

In this episode, James takes on one of the biggest, most tiptoed-around topics: the afterlife. But instead of getting lost in speculation, we explore how our beliefs about what comes after can quietly shape how we live now.

From growing up in fear of hell to realizing the kingdom is already within us, this episode asks: What if joy isn’t something we wait for—but something we’re meant to wake up to?

We’ll talk about:

• Why life was taught as a test (and how that messes with joy)
• What Jesus actually meant when he said “I go to prepare a place”
• The cost of waiting for heaven instead of living fully here
• Why the kingdom isn’t later—it’s now
• What James really believes happens when we die
• And how we begin to remember that we are already divine

If you’ve ever wrestled with fear about eternity or felt like joy had to wait, this conversation is for you.

🌀 Stay curious. 🌱 Stay grounded. 🔥 Stay real.

Episode 4 – What Do You Really Want? with James Kiger | Real Without Religion

What if your deepest desires aren’t selfish—but sacred?

In this episode, James Kiger unpacks the question religion rarely let us ask: What do you really want? Not what sounds holy or humble. Not what your parents hoped for. But the real, soul-level longing inside you.

From old church teachings that labeled desire as dangerous to the truth that wanting more is part of your spiritual wiring, this episode offers a fresh, freeing perspective. You'll explore how to reconnect with your inner compass—without guilt or fear.

Because wanting is human. And it might just be the doorway to everything real.

— Real Without Religion is a podcast for spiritual seekers, deconstructors, and fellow travelers reclaiming their power, purpose, and joy beyond church walls.