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Memorial Weekend 2009 Topics: Parsing Pres. Obama's Notre Dame Speech; May 23, 2009

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"Atheist Sunday School"—What's Wrong with HymnsThe remarks of Pres. Barack Obama in his May 17 speech to Notre Dame, including many deferential religious references and messages, will be parsed. And for something completely different, the hosts will do an eye-opening analysis of standard Christian hymns, such as "There Is a Foundation Filled with Blood," which reveal why the more one goes to church, the more likely one is to support torture. They will also look at hawkish hymns which feed the intrusion of evangelical Christianity into the U.S. military.

Guest: Journalist Jeff Sharlet May 16, 2009

Show notes

Topic: "Jesus Killed Mohammed" (Harper's Magazine expose)After a look at timely topics in the news (including the "biblically correct" Miss California USA, the Pope's visit to the Mideast, a study correlating church-going with endorsement of torture, and the heartening secularization of American youths), the hosts will interview journalist and author Jeff Sharlet about his startling expose in this month's Harper's of fundamentalist Christian promotion by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also featured: a short tribute to Pete Seeger, who turned 90 this month.

Guests: Jennifer Hecht, author of Doubt & FFRF Staff Attorney Rebecca Kratz: Religion in Military & FFRF Activism over National May 09, 2009

Show notes

Jennifer Hecht, author of Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson, will talk about her book tracing the impressive history of doubt. Rebecca Kratz, FFRF staff attorney, will join Dan and Annie Laurie for updates over FFRF legal complaints about transportation of bibles to Iraq and Afghanistan by the military, and local abuses over the National Day of Prayer. FFRF is suing the President over the National Day of Prayer, which resulted in a lot of attention to this annual abuse, and a moderation of the relationship between government and the National Day of Prayer Taskforce, associated with the Christian-right Focus on the Family.

Guest: Brent Michael Davids Mohican Atheist/Film Score Composer May 02, 2009

Show notes

Freethought Radio's guest will be Brent Michael Davids, an atheist, an enrolled citizen of the Mohican Nation, an American Indian music expert and a professional concert and film composer. Excerpts of some of his compositions, touching on Christianity's role in the genocide of American Indians, will be played. The hosts will discuss FFRF's lawsuit against the upcoming National Day of Prayer and the White House "dial-a-prayer" situation.

Guest: Prof. Bart D. Ehrman Agnostic Bible Scholar Apr 25, 2009

Show notes

Bart D. Ehrman, the agnostic bestselling author of several books, most recently Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don't Know About them), will be a guest. The program will also showcase nonbelieving classical composers, and take a look at state/church conflicts in Afghanistan.

Guests: Matthew Rothschild: 100th Anniversary of The Progressive & Andrew Cederhahl, "Pastafarian" & South Carolina Student A Apr 18, 2009

Show notes

Topics include: Why Is Pat Boone Unhappy with FFRF?The hosts talk about FFRF's Good Friday state/church complaints, why Pat Boone doesn't like FFRF, and interview Matthew Rothschild, an atheist and editor of The Progressive Magazine, celebrating its 100th anniversary in May. Also a guest is student activist Andrew Cederdahl, the president of the Pastafarians at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C. Andrew was recently interviewed for an upcoming article in The New York Times. The show also includes an April Freethought Almanac, about famous freethinkers born this month.

Guests: Author Barbara G. Walker on pagan origins of Easter and Conductor David Randolph: Spring at Carnegie Hall Apr 11, 2009

Show notes

The show will include lively commentary on news developments, a "Pagan Pulpit" on Easter, and interviews with author Barbara W. Walker on the real origins of Easter, and with 94-year-old Carnegie Hall conductor David Randolph. David Randolph will provide a sneak preview of the April 18 concert by the (secular) St. Cecelia Chorus on Sat., April 18, featuring the powerful works of two freethinkers: Brahms and Vaughan Williams. He will also be the Guest of Honor at FFRF's upcoming New York City lunch on Sunday, April 19, which will be briefly discussed. Find out more here:http://ffrf.org/events/

Guest: Paul Ehrlich Apr 04, 2009

Show notes

Stanford Prof. Paul Ehrlich, best-known for his Population Bomb bestseller, will talk about current overpopulation concerns and his latest book, The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment. The hosts will also discuss FFRF's federal challenge of the National Day of Prayer, and commemorate the birthdate of irreverent lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg.

Guest: David Nicholls, President of Atheist Foundation of Australia Mar 28, 2009

Show notes

The show will include an "Ask an Atheist" segment, comment on the controversy over the Pope and condoms, play a little Monty Python, and feature an interview with the head of Australia's atheist organization. Nicholls will talk about freethought Down Under, as well as the censorship of his group's proposed "Sleep in on Sundays" bus sign campaign.

Guest: Victor Stenger, author of bestseller: God: The Failed Hypotheis Mar 21, 2009

Show notes

Other Topics: Why Beware of Dogma? & How to Chime in Over New Bus Signs!Scientist and author Victor Stenger will be Saturday's guest. Stenger is the author of many books on science and reason, including God: The Failed Hypothesis (2007). The cohosts will relay reaction to the Foundation's "Beware of Dogma" billboard just posted in Boise, Idaho, and analyze some troubling news developments showing the harm of placing religious dogma over people.

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