Is it possible that our beliefs about God, church, and sin have been shaped more by history, culture, and trauma than by divine truth? In this Earth Xperiences episode, host Dani sits down with @this.cypher to explore one of the most compelling conversations yet around perception, presence, and power.
Together, they unpack the difference between a God who rules from a throne and a God who walks with us. Justin Scott challenges modern Christianity, questioning whether state systems have distorted what it means to be spiritual, holy, or even Christian. Raised in a lineage of ministers, he speaks from deep personal experience while inviting radical questions.
Do we need to understand state language to access God?
Is judgment a human tool or a divine one?
Why do churches often treat questioning as betrayal?
How did Roman logic, famine, and empire thinking separate us from the God who made us whole?
What does it mean to name your reality, and could that naming be a sacred power?
The conversation moves through themes like spiritual capitalism, ancestral nervous systems, grief avoidance, and how empire logic devours mystery and presence. Dani opens space for exploring both reverence and rebellion, asking what it would look like to have a God who wants to cry with you, not control you.
This episode invites anyone who has felt judged, abandoned, or confused by religious structures to return to the possibility of God’s presence in every moment. Grief, joy, confusion, and clarity are all included.
Questions explored in this episode include:
Why do we confuse God’s guidance with judgment?
What is the relationship between capitalism and prosperity gospel?
How can discernment help us reconnect with presence over fear?
Did the Garden of Eden story represent a fall or a beginning?
Are we misinterpreting sin and separation altogether?
Whether you have been hurt by church, deconstructed your faith, or are simply exploring new ways of thinking about God, this episode offers language, questions, and revelations that just might feel like home.
About the Creator:
Justin Scott
Instagram: @this.cypher
TikTok: @cypher.j
Website: https://cypherj.substack.com