Religious deconstruction · Life after high control faith

Break the chain of fear. Reclaim your own mind.

I am Mark Daniel. I spent decades as a pastor inside the system I now critique. My work helps people unlearn fear based religion using history, critical thinking and real stories from our Caribbean experience.

Author - When God Wore Chains Former pastor - thirty three years in ministry before deconstruction Deconstruction activist - classes, conversations and resources
Scroll to break the chain

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Scroll to break the chain

As you move down this page the chain splits. It is a picture of what I help people do: loosen the stories that once felt unbreakable.

About Mark

From loyal pastor to honest witness

I grew up in a small south Trinidad church and spent more than three decades serving as a minister. I preached, counselled, planted churches and defended the faith I was given. Then the questions would not go away: the history I was never taught, the colonisers behind the theology and the fear that held good people hostage.

What I do now

My work sits where faith, power and story collide. I help people and communities:

  • Untangle fear based theology from their identity.
  • Understand how Christianity and colonisation worked together in the Caribbean.
  • Recover from religious guilt, shame and spiritual abuse.
Religious deconstruction teaching Long form conversations Support after high control religion
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I am not trying to replace one belief system with another. I am interested in people walking free and keeping their capacity to love while letting go of what harms them.

My work

How I serve people in this season

Everything I share grows out of two convictions: truth does not fear questions, and love does not need control. These are the main streams of my work.

Teaching and content

Deconstruction and critical thinking

Long form teaching, live sessions and resources for people who are questioning inherited beliefs and want a life that can survive honest questions.

Publishing

Books for the brave and curious

Writing that confronts religious ignorance, honours Caribbean memory and gives language to what many have only felt in silence.

Recovery and support

Life after high control religion

Conversations and resources for people leaving controlling churches, living with fear of hell and learning how to build a life after certainty.

My books

Writing for people who are done pretending

First major work
When God Wore Chains
Christianity, colonisation and the enslavement of Black Caribbean minds.

This book follows how the Bible and the gospel were used to manage Black bodies and Black minds in the Caribbean, and what it costs us when we keep those stories unexamined. It is part history lesson, part testimony and part forensic report.

Launching 2026. Non fiction. Religious deconstruction, history and Caribbean studies.
Request launch updates You will receive early previews and event invites.

Future books will appear here as the work grows. Speaking invitations related to the themes of this book are open now.

Manuscript in review
When God Wore Chains

Christianity, colonisation and the Caribbean imagination.

Resources

Free tools for people in deconstruction

This space will host free guides, downloads and other resources to support people who are questioning, leaving or rebuilding life after high control religion.

Coming soon

Leaving without burning everything down

A practical guide for people who are stepping away from controlling churches and want to keep themselves safe while they rebuild.

Coming soon

Exercises for recovering from religious fear

Printable prompts and exercises to help process fear of hell, guilt and shame that often remain long after people stop believing.

Coming soon

Email mini course

A short series of emails for people at the beginning of their deconstruction journey who need language and handles for what they are feeling.

Speaking

Conversations that ask hard questions about faith

I speak to churches, schools, universities and community spaces that are brave enough to ask hard questions. The goal is not to humiliate belief. The goal is to end the harm that has been done in the name of God.

Deconstruction without losing yourself

How to question inherited beliefs without losing your sense of self or your ability to love people who still believe.

Christianity and the Caribbean imagination

How mission work, scripture and empire worked together in the region, and why that still shapes our politics, families and pulpits.

Recovering from religious fear

For people leaving high control spaces who need tools for healing, boundaries and rebuilding a life after fear.

Invite Mark to speak

I work best with hosts who value honesty, nuance and the lived experience of people who have been harmed by religion. If that sounds like you, I would be honoured to hear from you.

  • Keynotes for conferences, churches and forums.
  • Panel conversations and long form interviews.
  • Workshops for leaders navigating doubt in their communities.

Use the contact section below to share the nature of your event, your location and preferred dates. Someone from my side will respond as soon as possible.

Blog and writing

Essays for people who are done pretending

This is where future articles, reflections and chapter excerpts will live. It will grow into a library for people who need language for what they are feeling but cannot yet say in their own circles.

Coming soon

Leaving without burning everything down

A practical guide for people who are leaving high control churches and still want to keep some relationships safe while they rebuild.

Coming soon

When faith protects power instead of people

How theology has been used to keep harmful systems in place, and why honest faith must be willing to confront that history.

Coming soon

What to do with the fear of hell

A slow and careful conversation about the fear that keeps many people in the pews long after their questions have outgrown the sermons.

Media

Media and speaking kit

This section is for journalists, podcasters and event hosts who need a simple way to understand my work, my story and the conversations I am ready to have in public.

What will live here

  • Official bio options in several lengths.
  • Approved photos for media use.
  • Key topics and sample questions.
  • Contact details for interviews and speaking requests.

When the media kit is ready this section will include a downloadable file and direct contact details for media and event teams.

Media kit

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Contact

Reach out

Whether you are hosting an event, navigating your own deconstruction or exploring a collaboration, this is the best way to reach me.

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Social
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Live chat
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Live chat link coming soon.
Location
Based in the Caribbean. Available for virtual and in person engagements by arrangement.