Flipping Tables

This week on the podcast I scratched my original plan. The passage of the Big UGLY monstrous bill the day before July 4th and my recording being that day, it inspired me to change the topic. I didn't celebrate July 4th the way that I have growing up. But I spent a lot of time thinking about what revolution means, especially at this moment in history. In this episode, I re-read the Declaration of independence and the crimes the crown committed that made the colonists revolt. Then I talk about the American Revolution but focus on the revolution it inspired... the French Revolution. The French Revolution was inspired largely by wealth disparity. By the late 1780s, France was deeply in debt from wars, including the American Revolution. Food prices got so high that bread took up 80% of a poor family's income. Unemployment and starvation were widespread and while the people starved, the monarchy led by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette spent like the countries coffers never ended. The top 1-2% controlled over 20% of the land and all the political power while 98% of the company could barely survive. The bottom 98% paid all the taxes, including tithes to the church, feudal dues and royal taxes.Compare that to the US Today, 1% of Americans hold 34% of the nations wealth. The top 10% of the US hold almost 70% of the nations wealth. The bottom 50% of Americans? 2.5% of the wealth. 2.5% OF THE WEALTH.Half the country has 2.5% of the wealth.The current wealth gap in the US is the widest its been since the 1920s which led us to the Great Depression. And now we just passed a bill that is the largest upward transfer of wealth from the lowest 10% to the top 10%. And this wealth gap is always predictive of an incoming Revolution. The world changes when people do. People like Dietrich Bonhoeffer who gave up everything to fight against in justice when he had everything to gain by staying quiet. But his work, his example and his writings would inspire Martin Luther King Jr. the US Civil Rights movement, Desmond Tutu and the fight against apartheid. Empires always fall. Regimes do not last. WE, the people, get the final say. Fight on and Viva La Revolution!

54% of Gen Z individuals who disaffiliated from their childhood religion were women. For millennial women- 34%. For the first time in US History, men and young men are converting more to religion and filling the pews than women. Why? Women site gender inequality, systemic abuse, teaching limited roles for women, and lack of female church leadership as reasons for leaving.My opinion is that women are realizing that organized religion run by men, led by men, collaborated on by men, interpreted by men, translated by men, taught by men... might be a system built to CONVENIENTLY benefit men. How convenient that the interpretations of scripture taught from the pulpit JUST SO HAPPEN to give men all the power, resources, decision making, a partner who can't say no and has to serve them as a house slave. Did God say that? Or did these men make God in their own image?I think women are leaving because we see through the dogma right to the lies.I am so deeply honored to call Irene a friend. I've been following her on social media for a couple years, when I discovered her rage-y music and that she had also deconstructed as well. Irene and I left different branches of faith, evangelical fundamentalism for me, and mormonism for her. This episode we talk about those journey's, how art was part of that healing process, how we found ourselves after growing up in a worldview that diminished us as women and told us that who we were was defective... sinful... and less than. May this be your weekly reminder that YOU ARE WORTHY.

If you're familiar with the online deconstruction space, you've probably encountered Brian Recker or @brecker on Instagram. As a former evangelical pastor, he's been very vocal about his deconstruction and transformation.In this episode, Brian and I talk about our growing up years, our faith and how thats evolved from narrow and rigid mindsets into who we became today.I wasn't going to release this podcast for a few more weeks but I felt that some people needed reminded today that people can change. I was an open and passionate Christian Nationalist. Brian was raised in the IFB (think EXTRA fundamentalist). We were able to find our way and if people like us can change, anyone can.Even on a dark day the sun is sitting behind the clouds.Subscribe Ground News at groundnews.com/tablesSpecial thanks to patreon subscribers. If you'd like to support my work or receive bonus content please visit www.patreon.com/montemader

How can someone so intelligent end up with a cult like mindset? Someone who otherwise seems to have their life together? Seems to be so grounded?Anyone can fall into a cult, and even those who are deeply indoctrinated can get back out.Dr. Steven Hassan is a leading expert in cults, mind control, and undue influence, best known for transforming his own traumatic experience in a high-control group into a lifelong mission to help others recover from coercive persuasion. Born in Queens, New York, Hassan was raised in a Jewish family and, at age 19, was recruited into the Unification Church (commonly known as the “Moonies”). He quickly became a zealous member, working long hours and cutting ties with family and friends. After a serious car accident in 1976, his family organized a deprogramming intervention, which helped him leave the group and sparked his determination to understand how such manipulation occurs.Hassan earned a Master’s in counseling psychology from Cambridge College and later completed a Ph.D. from Fielding Graduate University. Over the following decades, he dedicated himself to developing non-coercive methods of intervention, eventually creating what he calls the Strategic Interactive Approach. He also founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, which provides education, counseling, and expert support for individuals and families affected by cults, extremist groups, human trafficking, and political radicalization.Hassan is widely recognized for his development of the BITE Model (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control), which helps identify the key mechanisms by which authoritarian groups manipulate people. He also created the Influence Continuum, a framework for understanding the difference between healthy and destructive influence. His published works—including Combating Cult Mind Control, Releasing the Bonds, Freedom of Mind, and The Cult of Trump—have become foundational texts for understanding psychological manipulation and authoritarian control, not just in religious cults but in political movements and abusive relationships as well.He has helped thousands reclaim their autonomy and continues to shape the conversation on cult dynamics, political extremism, and mental freedom in the digital age. There's always hope that even someone who was raised in a cult or lost their way in one can find their way back out.

As RFK Jr. removes all members of the CDC panel advising on vaccines we are faced with the question, is all this making America healthy again?Dr. Knurick has a PHD in Nutrition Science, is a registered dietitian and a mom of 2. And in this episode we break down the facts and fictions of the MAHA movement and what the real concerns for America's health are.The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement is merely a loosely connected health and wellness movement that gained traction specifically after covid. It merges anti-vaccine, anti-mask, and natural health rhetoric with far-right political ideologies and is deeply aligned with Christian nationalism. Despite its name, the movement often spreads misinformation under the guise of “freedom” and “bodily autonomy.”Core Beliefs: Promotes “natural immunity,” distrusts vaccines and pharmaceutical science, and often embraces conspiracy theories about government control, the CDC, and the World Health Organization.Pseudoscience: Opposes public health measures like vaccines, fluoride, mask mandates, and school-based health education. Spreads debunked claims about detoxes, supplements, and “Big Pharma.”White Supremacist Roots: Echoes long-standing themes in white nationalist circles, including “purity of the body,” distrust of multicultural institutions, and framing public health as globalist overreach.Overlap with Christian Nationalism and MAGA: Often intertwined with right-wing evangelical and MAGA politics, promoting the idea that “real” (white, Christian) Americans are under attack by progressive, science-driven agendas.Undermines public health with disinformation.Targets marginalized communities by resisting inclusive care (e.g., trans health, reproductive health).Wraps racial and political extremism in the language of wellness, liberty, and holistic health.The MAHA movement exploits the language of health and freedom to push anti-science, far-right ideology. Beneath its surface lies a deeper current of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and resistance to modern medicine rooted in fear, control, and exclusion.Make news manageable, for 40% off Ground News Vantage plan, subscribe at groundnews.com/tables

Andrew Seidel is a constitutional lawyer, author of books "The Founding Myth" and "American Crusade", and works full time defending the 1st amendment and every Americans right to true religious liberty. On Flipping Tables we have a discussion about the Christian Nationalist myth that America is a "Christian" nation and the dangers it poses to true individual freedom.

Across platforms the most common question I get is "What does the Bible say about homosexuality and trans people?" Christian nationalists main talking point is a direct opposition to gay rights. But does the Bible really say that? Today we meet with pastor and theologian Brandan Robertson to talk about that, break down the "gotcha" passages of the Bible and see what it really says. It turns out, there's space at the table for everyone. Subscribe to Ground News for 40% off their Vantage plan at groundnews.com/monteBuy Brandans new book Queer and Christian!: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/queer-christian-9781250321343/If you'd like to have ad free episodes or support my work for $1 a week please subscribe at www.patreon.com/montemader.

In a world of cult like beliefs, propaganda, and manipulation its important to become experts on how these tactics work so that we can avoid them and so that we understand whats happening in the world around us. A little true crime break from the norm but an important discussion we have to continue to return to. HOW DO PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS? By using tactics we see everywhere. The Children of God, founded in 1968 by David Berg, was a sex cult that disguised itself as a Christian missionary movement. Berg, who called himself “Moses David,” claimed divine authority and used it to manipulate and control his followers through apocalyptic teachings and a series of writings known as “Mo Letters.” Under his leadership, the group promoted sexual “freedom” that included disturbing practices like “flirty fishing,” where women were encouraged to use sex to recruit new members. Even more sinister, Berg endorsed and participated in the sexual abuse of children, normalizing pedophilia within the group’s teachings. He lived in hiding for much of his life to evade legal consequences, but continued to exert control over the group until his death in 1994. Berg’s legacy is one of extreme psychological, spiritual, and sexual abuse, with many former members coming forward to expose the deep and lasting trauma they endured under his cult leadership.Need easier factual, rounded news? Subscribe to groundnews.com/monte for 40% off their vantage planFor ad free episodes with early release and exclusive content please become an accomplice for $1 a week www.patreon.com/montemaderBeginning in June 10% of patreon will be going to charities starting with project renewal's Marsha House in NYC

THEY'RE TAKING THE CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS!!!! Why do christians continuously feel like they are being persecuted? Why do they believe that anything other than special treatment is "persecution"?Because fundamentalists don't believe in the separation of church and state, and many of them don't believe in religious liberty for anyone but them. They also don't believe in religious pluralism, or secular education. They also believe that Christians should rule every facet of society, even if by force.These ideals come from Dominion Theology and the 7 Mountains Mandate. Two unbiblical but highly propagandized theologies that pose a direct threat to religious freedom in America. Lets meet its founders and it's teachings to learn more Need easier factual, rounded news? Subscribe to groundnews.com/monte for 40% off their vantage plan If you'd like these episodes ad free please consider becoming an Accomplice on Patreon for $1 a week. www.patreon.com/montemader

When I was sent a video of this guest... I judged a book by its cover and assumed I was going to get really upset. BOY was I wrong. Bryan Andrews is a country singer from the south who blew my mind with his vibrant and powerful personality... and opinions.How are we so far apart? In the world of current politics it feels like we are light years apart. That decency and common sense and respect for humanity are so far out the window. Yet, common ground can come in the form of a country singer from the south. A singer who never left his small southern town but also sees a way forward, and a glimmer of hope that maybe we aren't as far apart as we have been led to believe. Thank you to my patreon supporters that make this show possible. $1 a week gets bonus content and early releases. www.patreon.com/montemader