Friendly Atheist Podcast

Latest Episodes:

BONUS: Interview with Jack Jenkins, Author of "American Prophets" May 25, 2020

Show notes

Jack Jenkins is a national reporter for Religion News Service and a former Senior Religion Reporter for ThinkProgress. He's also the author of the new book "American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country." It's a deep dive into what many people call the Religious Left. Hemant and Jack talked about whether the Religious Left can effectively counter the Religious Right and what role (if any) atheists have to play in this movement.

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Ep. 323 - Did an Atheist Burn Down a Mississippi Church? May 23, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Christian writer Eric Metaxas is super-racist and a hypocrite. (3:00)

— A Mississippi church was burned down. An atheist-associated "A" symbol was included at the scene of the crime. (15:18)

— This is a very bad reason not to wear a mask. (22:03)

— A Pakistani education board banned a kids' math textbook for including pictures of pigs. (29:14)

— Norma McCorvey, a.k.a. the "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, said she only pushed a pro-life position because she was paid. (34:44)

— This list of atheist Republicans is tiny. Very tiny. (47:55)

— Donald Trump wants churches to open up this weekend. Is it weird that he wants to kill off his own base? (55:52)

— A Texas mayor says only men can deliver invocation prayers. (1:05:48)

— Child marriage has been legally banned in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. (1:07:18)

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Ep. 322 - Liberty U. Axed Its Philosophy Dept. May 16, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Liberty University just got rid of its entire Philosophy Department. (4:44)

— Forget Jim Bakker. Now a respected evangelical couple is under fire for promoting a fake COVID cure. (12:26)

— A majority of white evangelicals trust Donald Trump for COVID news, proving yet again that they'll believe anything. (17:32)

— A banner flying over a re-open protest read "Fewer graves if we reopen in waves." (24:00)

— Illinois pastors say not meeting for church is the same as being "sentenced to death." (31:40)

— Pastors are still making the idiotic argument that if grocery stores are open, churches should be too. (33:40)

— A Wisconsin hairdresser says she should be allowed to open her salon because it's a ministry. (39:34)

— The game show "The Price is Right" made a donation to Planned Parenthood. (46:22)

— This Christian school's leaders are bragging about how easy their classes are. (48:40)

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Ep. 321 - Churches Shouldn't Get Pandemic Stimulus Money Unless... May 09, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Televangelist Jim Bakker had a stroke. And his legal team had a bad reason to keep selling his Silver Solution. (1:35)

— Do churches deserve stimulus money during the pandemic? (8:50)

— A New Mexico sheriff "deputized" 20 church members‚ which not-so-coincidentally means they don't have to follow lockdown orders. (16:44)

— An Illinois judge told a pastor the Bible says he doesn't need to gather in person to have a church service. (25:54)

— Just because Jesus didn't wear a face mask doesn't mean you should avoid one. (29:27)

— Guess how much a lifetime pass to Ark Encounter costs? (31:49)

— Cardinal George Pell escaped conviction for child sex abuse but he still knew about child sex abuse. (35:18)

— Here's what a major study of atheists found. (39:06)

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Ep. 320 - Creationists Created Their Own Version of Netflix May 02, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Creationists just launched a low-budget version of Netflix and I signed up. (2:05)

— A Canadian judge said a Christian father wouldn't get any say in his kids' religious upbringing because he's an extremist. (21:55)

— What's the greatest mistake in the history of humanity? Dennis Prager, as always, has the wrong answer. (31:52)

— Nigerian police arrested a Humanist leader for alleged blasphemy. (35:37)

— A Christian college knowingly hired a sex predator and the fallout has created all kinds of chaos. (39:15)

— Why are marriage rates going down? One Christian leader blames gay people. (50:10)

— One researcher is working on a prayer study to combat the virus. Thanks for nothing. (55:57)

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Ep. 319 - These Christian First Date Questions Are Scary Apr 25, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— The Nebraska GOP is trying to hurt a Republican primary challenger by suggesting she's an atheist. (0:31)

— The Christian Moms are mad at the cartoon Duck Tales for showing a gay couple. (8:27)

— These are awful questions for a first date, brought to you by a Christian fundamentalist. (14:45)

— A pro-bleach church may be advising Trump because we're a nation of idiots. (24:33)

— Ark Encounter ticket sales have plummeted for obvious reasons. (28:39)

— "ReOpen Church" Day is a horrible idea. (30:36)

— Donations to churches have fallen dramatically. What does this mean for their future? (35:49)

— Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says dying isn't the worst thing. So thanks for that. (38:15)

— Scotland will soon abolish its blasphemy law! (47:02)

— The U.S. Army removed proselytizing videos from Facebook that were posted to a base's official page. (49:09)

— Surprise! The anti-viral drug FOX News and Trump were raving about without scientific support doesn't work. (53:25)

— Televangelist Pat Robertson knows exactly who to blame for COVID-19: Gays, the abortion people, and anyone who's anti-Israel. (56:58)

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Ep. 318 - Christians Are Already Suffering From COVID Negligence Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A Louisiana church that won't close now has a hospitalized lawyer and a dead parishioner. (2:22)

— A Virginia pastor who told people God could defeat COVID-19 has died of you-know-what. (9:30)

— Christians suing the state of Kentucky for closing churches claim their predicament is just like Japanese Americans during World War II. (11:37)

— A Kentucky judge allowed drive-in church services with a ruling that read more like a sermon. (15:02)

— A megachurch in New Mexico says it can't operate without an in-person staff of 30. (18:48)

— CBS is breaking up with the show "God Friended Me." (21:20)

— Credit card companies don't want to work with televangelist Jim Bakker. (24:33)

— A Liberty University student filed a class action lawsuit against the school and Jerry Falwell for putting students in danger. (25:49)

— A Christian book publisher just released a Qur'an with "Christian commentary." This can only end well. (32:02)

— What is wrong with Dr. Oz? A lot, but maybe not as much as everyone thinks. (35:07)

— Anti-vaxxers are joining the COVID protesters because of course they are. (45:28)

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Ep. 317 - Some Christians Want A Deadly Easter Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Kansas lawmakers are trying to make sure Christians can kill citizens for Easter. (2:06)

— Georgia cops arrested Christians who gathered in defiance of social distancing orders. (6:00)

— Here are some very creative ways to stop Christians from gathering in churches. (9:03)

— Some Christians really don't like that adult sites are giving away free high-quality content. (12:41)

— Most pastors think Jesus will return in their lifetimes. (15:47)

— Mississippi, having nothing else to do, is celebrating Confederate Heritage Month. (18:15)

— With Mike Pence nearby, Dr. Anthony Fauci praised gay people who suffered through the AIDS crisis. (25:49)

— A Utah man cashed a fraudulent check and said he thought it was a gift from God. (28:29)

— Jerry Falwell, Jr. wants to arrest reporters who report at Liberty University. (30:31)

— Pope Francis said COVID-19 is nature's revenge on us for our ignorance of climate change. (35:20)

— Here's the complicated story of a Christian missionary who "played doctor" in Uganda. (40:36)

— The U.S. government is using taxpayer money to pay for pastors' salaries. (46:23)

— Cardinal George Pell is a free man, despite his sex abuse conviction. (53:45)

— Florida's GOP Governor Ron DeSantis explained how to use gloves in the worst possible way. (58:18)

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BONUS: Jess and Mikey Discuss "Rear Window," the Movie Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

Since everyone is quarantined, Jess and her husband/film nerd Mikey decided to start a project: Watch a bunch of movies about people who are trapped somewhere and discuss them. There are currently 8 available to Patreon donors, but we wanted to give listeners a sample! For this episode, Jess and Mikey watched "Rear Window." They discussed who is better looking between Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart, what female characters look like in the 1950s, and Mikey's history with ska music.

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Ep. 316 - Franklin Graham's COVID-19 House O'Bigotry Apr 04, 2020

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant was on Jeopardy and he's eternally sorry to Canada. (0:28)

— Some evangelists have very unusual ways to destroy COVID-19. (16:09)

— There may be 32,000 churches still open during the pandemic. (20:00)

— A Florida pastor was arrested for holding services during the pandemic. Good. (24:58)

— Florida's GOP governor is still allowing churches to gather despite a stay-at-home order. (28:00)

— Secular Celebrants are now allowed to solemnize marriages in Michigan. (31:50)

— Texas is trying to shut down abortion clinics during the pandemic. (35:33)

— Republican are still trying to confirm bad judges to lifetime appointments. (40:30)

— Volunteers at a Christian virus clinic in New York City must be anti-LGBTQ. Should the city be partnering with them? (43:42)

— Anti-gay hysteria is preventing scientists from testing enough blood for a virus vaccine. (1:00:40)

— Malaysia has some bad advice for wives during the lockdown. (1:04:40)

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